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This article addresses the question of which physical-technical prior competencies students in Germany start their engineering studies with. Furthermore, it analyzes the influence of e.g. formal qualifications, curricular weights in school, or participation in preparatory courses on these prior competencies. Using a sample of 2345 students, the authors modelled the structure of competencies and conducted proficiency scaling. Furthermore, the authors computed t-tests and analyses of variance in order to analyze the physical-technical prior competencies' dependency on education biographies, gender, participation in propaedeutic courses etc. The results reveal a three-dimensional structure for the physical-technical prior competencies as most suitable. Additionally, the authors find a big variance in the physical-technical prior competencies. Students with a general entrance qualification, male students, students attending universities, students having had many physics lessons in school and students having participated in preparatory courses in physics achieve better results. Summing up, the results of the survey reveal a big variance in the physical-technical prior competencies. Hence, the authors find a substantial proportion of freshmen with significant competency deficits. The authors assume that these competency deficits constitute a factor which makes (the beginning of) engineering studies more difficult.

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