Your complete guide for APS Germany 2027
Take the Digital Master Test (dMAT) to strengthen your Master’s application for Germany. Designed for selected applicant groups, dMAT helps assess academic aptitude and supports the APS documentation process.
Your complete guide for APS Germany 2027
Take the Digital Master Test (dMAT) to strengthen your Master’s application for Germany. Designed for selected applicant groups, dMAT helps assess academic aptitude and supports the APS documentation process.
The dMAT consists of two complementary modules that evaluate your general reasoning abilities and subject-specific knowledge.
The Core Module measures general study aptitude through three subtests that assess cognitive and analytical skills. It provides a subject-independent evaluation, allowing applicants from different academic backgrounds to be compared fairly.
Identify patterns and predict the next figure in a sequence.
Solve basic arithmetic and mathematical equations.
Complete rule-based Latin square grid puzzles.
In practice, applicants read a short academic problem and answer linked questions, demonstrating how they reason and apply knowledge, instead of recalling facts from their Engineering, Commerce, Business, or related coursework.
The Digital Master Test (dMAT) is a standardized academic aptitude test for Master’s applicants, being introduced step by step as an additional element in the APS documentation for selected applicant groups.
It consists of two modules: 1 – core module 2 – subject module
The core module measures general cognitive and analytical skills through three subtests, while the subject module tests the ability to apply those skills to academic problem solving – requiring transfer and application skills rather than memorized factual knowledge
Provides a consistent and objective measure of students’ academic aptitude across all applicants.
Helps universities make more informed admission decisions by providing a standardized academic benchmark.
Check if dMAt Is required for your APS application
Master Applicant's
dMAT is required for Master’s applicants whose previous degree falls within the following fields for applications relating to the Summer Semester 2027 and subsequent intakes.
The Following Applicants
The dMAT consists of two complementary modules that evaluate your general reasoning abilities and subject-specific knowledge.
The Core Module measures general study aptitude through three subtests that assess cognitive and analytical skills. It provides a subject-independent evaluation, allowing applicants from different academic backgrounds to be compared fairly.
Identify patterns and predict the next figure in a sequence.
Solve basic arithmetic and mathematical equations.
Complete rule-based Latin square grid puzzles.
In practice, applicants read a short academic problem and answer linked questions, demonstrating how they reason and apply knowledge, instead of recalling facts from their Engineering, Commerce, Business, or related coursework.
The dMAT applies to selected groups of Master’s applicants from India whose previous degree falls within one of the following fields:
Engineering
Commerce / Accounting / Finance / Economics
Business / Management
For applicants in these fields, the dMAT is a required part of the APS documentation for applications relating to the summer semester 2027 intake and subsequent intakes.
The following applicants are not required to take the dMAT under the current procedure:
Some degree programs may fall between different subject areas, for example Engineering Management, Business Analytics, Industrial Engineering, Data Science, Financial Technology or similar interdisciplinary programs.
The final classification will be based on the official list of affected study fields published by APS India. Please refer to the list here:
dMAT – Affected Fields List
If your degree program is listed as one of the affected fields, you are required to take the dMAT for applications relating to the summer semester 2027 intake and subsequent intake
Yes. For applicants in the selected fields, the dMAT is required for APS applications relating to the summer semester 2027 intake and subsequent intakes.
The dMAT certificate must be submitted together with the APS application documents. APS India can only process the application as complete once the required dMAT documentation has been submitted.
No. If your previous degree falls within one of the selected fields and your application relates to the summer semester 2027 Master intake or a later intake, you must take the dMAT before submitting your APS documents.
The dMAT certificate must be submitted together with your APS application documents.
If the dMAT requirement applies to your applicant group, the dMAT certificate is a required part of your APS documentation.
Applicants who completed their APS online registration on or after 29 June 2026 and are subject to the dMAT requirement may submit their APS application documents first and submit the dMAT certificate later, once it becomes available.
This possibility applies only to the dMAT certificate. All other required APS application documents must be submitted according to the applicable APS checklist.
APS India can only complete the APS procedure after the required dMAT certificate has been submitted.
No. Applicants who completed their APS online registration before 29 June 2026 are exempt from the dMAT requirement for that APS procedure.
This exemption applies even if the hardcopy APS application documents are shipped after 29 June 2026.
If a new APS application is submitted at a later stage, the rules applicable at the time of the new application will apply.
No. Applicants who shipped their complete APS application documents before 29 June 2026 are exempt from the dMAT requirement for that APS procedure.
This applies even if the APS verification is still ongoing and no APS certificate has been issued yet.
Applicants should be able to provide proof of shipment if requested.
No. Applicants who have already completed the APS procedure and have received their APS certificate are not required to take the dMAT for that completed APS procedure.
If a new APS application is submitted at a later stage, the rules applicable at the time of the new application will apply.
The first dMAT certificates will be available from 12 October 2026. The dMAT introduction is therefore intended for applications in connection with the summer semester 2027 Master intake and subsequent intakes.
Applicants participating in officially confirmed exchange programs, double-degree programs or university partnership programs are exempt from the dMAT requirement.
Please submit the relevant confirmation from your home institution, the German partner institution or the program coordinator, including your group number, together with your APS documentation.
No. The dMAT certificate does not replace anabin, university recognition or the formal assessment of higher education entrance requirements.
A dMAT certificate does not change the recognition status of your previous higher education institution or degree. APS India will continue to assess academic documents and formal eligibility according to the applicable APS procedure.
Applicants are strongly advised to check the status of their previous higher education institution and degree in anabin before registering for the dMAT and before submitting their APS application.
A dMAT certificate does not replace the recognition of your previous higher education institution or degree.
If your previous higher education institution is listed as H+/- or H- in anabin, or if the status of your degree is unclear, you should carefully check the relevant anabin information before registering for the dMAT and before submitting your APS application.
Taking the dMAT does not automatically make a degree from an H+/-, H- or otherwise non-recognized institution eligible for APS certification or for admission to a German higher education institution.
No. A dMAT certificate cannot compensate for missing formal recognition of a higher education institution or degree.
The dMAT is an academic aptitude test. It does not establish formal eligibility, does not replace anabin and does not override the recognition requirements applied by APS India or German higher education institutions.
Yes. APS India strongly recommends that applicants check the anabin status of their previous higher education institution and degree before registering for the dMAT.
This is especially important if your institution is listed as H+/-, H-, or if the status of your degree or institution is unclear:
https://anabin.kmk.org/db/institutionen
No. APS India will continue to verify the authenticity and formal plausibility of academic documents according to the existing APS procedure.
The dMAT certificate does not replace APS document verification. It is an additional element in the APS documentation process and provides a separate academic test result issued by g.a.s.t.
No. The dMAT certificate does not replace university grades, transcripts or degree certificates.
It provides an additional academic test result and should be understood as one element of the overall application documentation.
No. The dMAT is not a stand-alone pass/fail test for the APS certificate.
APS India verifies the authenticity and formal plausibility of academic documents. The dMAT certificate provides a required additional academic test result issued by g.a.s.t. and forms part of the APS documentation for the affected applicant groups.
A low dMAT score does not automatically lead to a refusal of the APS certificate. The APS certificate will document the APS verification result and, where applicable, reflect the dMAT result as part of the applicant’s APS documentation.
No. The score shown on the dMAT certificate does not determine whether the APS documentation is complete.
If the dMAT requirement applies to your applicant group, the dMAT certificate itself must be submitted together with the APS application documents.
The completeness of the APS documentation also depends on the submission of all other documents required under the applicable APS procedure.
Yes. For applicants who are required to take the dMAT, the dMAT result will be reflected on the APS certificate.
The APS certificate will indicate that the applicant has taken the dMAT and will include the results as indicated by the dMAT certificate issued by g.a.s.t.
The dMAT result is a required additional academic test result within the APS documentation for the affected applicant groups. It does not replace APS document verification and does not replace the admission decision of the German higher education institution.
The dMAT certificate is issued by g.a.s.t. APS India does not issue the dMAT certificate.
Website:
www.gast.de
Applicants who are required to take the dMAT must submit the dMAT certificate together with their APS application documents.
The dMAT certificate can be downloaded at any time from the test takers’ portal of g.a.s.t. once the results have been published. You will be given access to the test takers’ portal when you register for the dMAT. Please keep your login details safe.
The current schedule for the first dMAT date in India is as follows:
The test will be offered in selected test centers throughout India, including:
The final list of available test centers will be shown during registration.
Test center availability depends on the number of available seats at each location. If your preferred test center is fully booked, you may need to select another available test center.
APS India cannot reserve dMAT test seats. Test center booking is handled by g.a.s.t. on a first come, first served basis.
Registration, payment, test center booking, technical information and result provision are handled by g.a.s.t.
APS India is responsible for the APS procedure and document verification. g.a.s.t. is responsible for the administration of the dMAT.
The dMAT test fee is charged by g.a.s.t. The current fee is €150.00 and is payable during registration. Payment details will be shown on the dMAT website during registration.
Yes, under certain conditions. Please refer to the dMAT registration page for the applicable terms and conditions:
www.d-mat.de/en/terms-conditions/
Please refer to the information provided during registration and on the dMAT website or contact the g.a.s.t. customer support directly:
kontakt@gast.de
In case of technical problems, applicants are advised to follow the instructions provided by the test center and g.a.s.t.
For applicants who are required to take the dMAT, the dMAT certificate will accompany the APS certificate as part of the application documentation.
German higher education institutions decide independently how they assess this information in their admission procedures. The dMAT certificate does not replace the admission decision of the university.
No. Admission decisions are made by the respective German higher education institution. A dMAT certificate does not guarantee admission.
Not automatically. German higher education institutions decide independently how to assess applications.
The dMAT certificate is one element that may be considered together with other academic documents, depending on the university and degree program.
For questions regarding the APS procedure, document verification, affected applicant groups, exemptions and APS documentation, please contact APS India:
info@aps-india.de
For questions regarding dMAT registration, payment, test center booking, test format, technical requirements, test day procedures and result download, please contact g.a.s.t.:
kontakt@gast.de
