Kärntner Verwaltungsakademie

Applicants for Austrian citizenship living in Carinthia can take the compulsory citizenship test on the computer on the second Friday of every month. The software that keeps this system running smoothly was designed by IMC.

The challenge

To become Austrian citizens, applicants must have a clean police record, a knowledge of German and they must be able to support themselves financially. In 2006, the requirements were extended to include a citizenship test. In Carinthia, a computerised version of this test has been in use since autumn 2006 - with great success. Candidates – most of whom come from former Yugoslavia – must answer 18 randomly selected questions. Six of these questions are on the history of Carinthia, while the rest are about democracy and Austrian history. To pass, candidates must score two-thirds of the maximum possible score or 50% in each of the three test sections.

The project
The citizenship test can be taken at the "Kärntner Verwaltungsakademie" in Klagenfurt in the form of a computer-based exam, similar to the theory test for the driver’s licence. Test candidates can use one of eleven computer workstations in the seminar room. To make the procedure easy and transparent for candidates and examiners alike, the system uses POWERTRAINER. The 18 questions are dynamically selected from a pool of 200 questions specified by the Austrian government. The results are automatically analysed and immediately forwarded to the citizenship department. Thus candidates immediately know whether they have passed or need to study for the next available test date. A total of 120 applicants registered for the second test date and made it necessary to divide the candidates into several groups. The test fee is 20 euros.

Customer Feedback
The "Kärntner Verwaltungsakademie" is very pleased with the results of the computer-assisted test so far.
Simon Korenjak, Director Kärntner Verwaltungsakademie:
„This is the first time in Austria that the citizenship test has been made available on a computer platform. The computer selects different test questions for every candidate, records the answers, displays the score at the end of the test, and prints out a certificate. In other provinces, this procedure takes several days. We are proud to be leading the field with our computer-based test. The software from IMC allows us to generate and administer the tests very cost-effectively. The automatic analysis of the test results was a particularly important issue for us. We are sure that we have made the right decision in choosing POWERTRAINER.”