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Fachsprachprüfung in Bavaria (BLÄK): format, fees, registration

In short

In Bavaria the Bayerische Landesärztekammer (BLÄK, the Bavarian state medical chamber) runs the Fachsprachprüfung — it calls it the "Fachsprachenprüfung" — at its own exam centre in Munich. It costs €550 per attempt and consists of three parts of 20 minutes each in front of a panel of two physicians and one language expert. You cannot register yourself: that is done by the Zentrale Anerkennungsstelle für Approbationsberufe (ZAABY, the central recognition office for licensed health professions) at the Regierung von Oberbayern. You are told the result orally on the day; in 2024, 53% passed at the first attempt.

At a glance

Item Bavaria (BLÄK)
Examining body Bayerische Landesärztekammer, exam centre at Haidenauplatz in Munich
Registration via ZAABY at the Regierung von Oberbayern — no self-registration
Fee per attempt €550, paid in advance; if you withdraw, do not show up or arrive too late, the BLÄK may keep the full fee
Duration and parts short round of introductions, then 3 × 20 minutes; allow 2.5 to 3 hours on site
Part 2 (documentation) short report on a structured template, second part in full sentences; on a laptop or by hand
Terminology task no separate task published; medical terms and abbreviations are expected in the doctor–doctor conversation
Permitted aids none of your own; writing materials are provided, notes from part 1 may be used in part 2; phones and electronics are handed in
Result oral, on the day; no certificate — the chamber reports the result to the authority the next working day
Pass rule the language requirements must be met in all three parts; no points threshold published
Retakes unlimited, always in full, €550 again; at the earliest after about three months

The exam in Bavaria

On exam day you check in at the exam office with your ID and hand in your phone, tablet and other electronic devices. After a wait, a panel member collects you. The panel introduces itself and explains the procedure — and, according to the task sheet, would be pleased if you briefly talked about your studies and career. Then come the three parts, each with a fixed time limit. Our article on the FSP format describes the general structure; this page covers what is specific to Bavaria.

Part 1: doctor–patient conversation

A physician on the panel plays the patient. The task sheet asks you to record the patient's "körperliche Angaben" (physical data) and to cover the current complaints, previous illnesses, medication and family history. You then tell the patient your suspected diagnoses, explain them when asked, propose diagnostics and therapy and explain the planned measures — in plain words, avoiding technical terms where possible. There is no physical examination.

Part 2: documentation

You summarise the conversation "zur Information von ärztlichen Kollegen in Form eines Kurzberichts" (as a short report to inform medical colleagues). A structured template is provided; in its second part you write in full sentences. You choose: laptop or handwriting. For the computer, the procedural rules prescribe a German keyboard layout (QWERTZ). According to the BLÄK, what counts here is clean documentation, correct medical terminology and grammar and syntax at C1 level. More in our article on documentation in the FSP.

Part 3: doctor–doctor conversation

You report on the patient to a physician examiner playing a colleague and answer their questions — now using medical terminology. The BLÄK says this part shows whether you captured everything the patient said and understood how it fits together; you are also expected to switch confidently between technical and everyday language and to use abbreviations correctly. The procedural rules also allow the panel to bring aids such as doctors' letters into the exam.

Registration and exam date

Since 1 July 2025 Bavaria has had only one central recognition office per profession. For physicians that is the ZAABY at the Regierung von Oberbayern; older texts still name the Regierungen of Oberbayern and Unterfranken. You file your application for the Approbation (full licence) or Berufserlaubnis (temporary licence) there, and the authority decides whether you have to take the Fachsprachprüfung.

After that:

  1. The authority passes your data to the BLÄK, which contacts you by e-mail within one to two working days.
  2. You transfer €550 (cash is not accepted) and send a CV, a recognised B2 certificate and the signed second page of the letter with your preferred month — the preference is not binding.
  3. From that letter to being told your date, the BLÄK currently expects about eight weeks; the invitation comes by e-mail at least two weeks in advance.

If you have already passed the exam in another federal state, contact your case officer at the authority. Bavaria recognises exams from other chambers or providers only if they are equivalent — the authority decides case by case (see telc, FaMed and recognition). All chambers' fees side by side: FSP fees.

Grading and result

According to the task sheet, everything you say and write is assessed "nur in Hinblick auf die (fach-)sprachlichen Aspekte" (only with regard to its (specialist) language); medical knowledge must not be tested. You pass if the panel finds that you meet the language requirements in all three parts. The BLÄK publishes no points threshold, but the panel evidently scores internally: the leaflet for repeat candidates says it sets your preparation time "in Abhängigkeit von der erreichten Punktzahl" (depending on the score reached).

An updated grading module has applied since 1 March 2025. It implements the recommendations of a 2021 TU Berlin study of the BLÄK exam commissioned by the Bavarian health ministry. Among other things, the study criticised that some candidates memorise case vignettes, and recommended using follow-up questions and new details to test whether a candidate copes linguistically when conditions change.

You are told the result orally after the panel has deliberated. The BLÄK issues no certificate; it reports the result to the authority the next working day.

Figures: in 2024 the BLÄK ran 3,030 exams; 53% passed the first attempt and 49% the second. More on criteria and pass rates: how the FSP is graded.

Retakes

After a failed attempt the panel gives you a blue information leaflet. To retake, you e-mail the BLÄK, pay €550 again and receive a date that allows for the stated preparation time of three to six months; the procedural rules recommend at least three months between attempts. You always retake the whole exam, as often as needed. If you do not want to retake, tell the ZAABY in writing. How to use the time: failed the FSP.

Tips for the exam in Bavaria

Sources

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