Official Expert Answer
Register early and prepare while you wait. That is almost always the right order:
• In most Bezirke the gap between registering and getting an exam date is months, so registration does not shorten your preparation, it runs in parallel with it.
• Several Bundesländer attach a deadline to the Defizitbescheid or to the Berufserlaubnis, within which the Kenntnisprüfung has to be taken. Check yours in writing, because missing it is far more painful than sitting the exam slightly early.
• If your date arrives sooner than expected, most chambers allow one postponement. Ask about the rules for that when you register, not when you need it.
• Use the waiting time on structured case practice and a fixed exam day routine rather than reading broadly.
The people who struggle are usually the ones who waited to feel ready before registering. Ready comes from the practice, not from the calendar.
• In most Bezirke the gap between registering and getting an exam date is months, so registration does not shorten your preparation, it runs in parallel with it.
• Several Bundesländer attach a deadline to the Defizitbescheid or to the Berufserlaubnis, within which the Kenntnisprüfung has to be taken. Check yours in writing, because missing it is far more painful than sitting the exam slightly early.
• If your date arrives sooner than expected, most chambers allow one postponement. Ask about the rules for that when you register, not when you need it.
• Use the waiting time on structured case practice and a fixed exam day routine rather than reading broadly.
The people who struggle are usually the ones who waited to feel ready before registering. Ready comes from the practice, not from the calendar.