Fachsprachenprüfung in Thuringia: registration, format, fee

At a glance

How the exam works in Thuringia

The examination committee has three members, at least two of whom are licensed physicians. According to the chamber, the exam centres on „eine simulierte Gesprächs- und Dokumentationssituation aus dem Krankenhausalltag“ (a simulated conversation and documentation situation from everyday hospital work), and medical German „orientiert am Sprachniveau C1“ (oriented to level C1) is expected. The general structure of the FSP is explained in the three parts in detail.

Part 1: doctor–patient conversation (20 minutes)

In Thuringia the patient is explicitly played by a physician on the committee. You take the history, formulate and explain suspected diagnoses, suggest further diagnostics and therapy, and explain the planned measures to the patient. Two things come first: that you understand what the patient says reliably, and that you speak clearly — „unter Verwendung möglichst weniger Fremdwörter und medizinischer Fachtermini“ (using as few foreign words and medical terms as possible). Notes are allowed.

Part 2: written report (20 minutes)

You summarise the information from the conversation in an Arztbericht, written in full sentences. You may use your notes, and a medical dictionary is available in the room. The chamber's leaflet does not say whether a pre-printed form is handed out. How a report in the FSP can be structured is shown in documentation.

Part 3: doctor–doctor communication (20 minutes)

You pass the information on to a physician on the committee — „prägnant – bei kompetentem Umgang mit medizinischem Fachwortschatz“ (concisely, with competent use of medical vocabulary). After that, the leaflet says, you engage in the further conversation with the examiner: expect follow-up questions and discussion. Finally you receive a short list of common medical terms and write in the German names. More on this under medical terms.

Registration and dates

In Thuringia you take the initiative: registration goes to the state medical chamber, not to the authority. The prerequisite is that you have already applied for the Approbation at the Thüringer Landesverwaltungsamt. With the application form you submit:

• a certificate of general German at level B2 or higher,
• a CV,
• the acknowledgement of your Approbation application from the Thüringer Landesverwaltungsamt,
• a copy of an identity document,
• for non-EU citizens, a copy of the visa (except for visa-free countries).

Registration is „immer in elektronischer Form (als PDF-Datei)“ (always electronic, as a PDF file); registering in person is not possible. There is a separate form for the fee; under the fee regulations it is due when you apply. The chamber confirms receipt, and the invitation arrives by email about 14 days before the exam date.

Important for planning: if you cancel after the invitation, the fee is not refunded. That is why you can state a period in which you cannot sit the exam when you first register.

On the fee: the leaflet states €600. The chamber's fee regulations as amended on 11 November 2025 set a range of €400 to €600 for the „sogenannte Fachsprachenprüfung“ (so-called medical language exam); the leaflet amount is therefore at the top of the range. The comparison with other chambers is in the fee overview.

According to the Marburger Bund (the doctors' union), the Landesverwaltungsamt may also accept a suitable C1 medical-language exam from another provider after consultation — which ones is not specified. Ask there before you book elsewhere.

Assessment and result

The committee members assess „nach einem einheitlichen, strukturierten Schema“ (using a uniform, structured scheme) and tell you the result immediately after the exam. The chamber does not publish the scheme, points or a pass mark, and there are no current pass rates. The only published figure comes from the first year under the chamber: in 2018 it held 348 exams, of which 209 were passed and 139 failed — a failure rate of 40 per cent; nationwide it was 44 per cent at the time, according to the Deutsches Ärzteblatt.

Retakes

If you fail, you can repeat the exam „so oft wie erforderlich“ (as often as necessary). For that, too, you register with the chamber again and pay the fee once more. The leaflet mentions no waiting period. How to approach the next attempt is covered under failed the FSP.

Tips for the exam in Thuringia

• Use the blocked period. The invitation arrives only about two weeks ahead, and cancelling costs the full fee. When you register, state honestly when you cannot attend (shifts, travel, a course).
• Be ready first, then register. There is hardly time to catch up between invitation and exam. Register once you can handle full 60-minute mock exams with confidence.
• Send complete documents as a PDF. Without the Landesverwaltungsamt's acknowledgement and the B2 certificate the registration is incomplete, so apply for the Approbation first.
• Part 1 without jargon. The leaflet explicitly asks for as few medical terms as possible. Say „Gallensteine“ (gallstones) rather than „Cholezystolithiasis“.
• Full sentences in the report. Bullet points are not enough; the leaflet requires full sentences.
• In part 3, concise first, then flexible. Present briefly, then respond to questions. The terms list at the end goes the opposite way to part 1: medical term in, German word out. Examples from fsppruefung.de's fictional practice cases: Pollakisurie → häufiger Harndrang (frequent urge to urinate), Struma → Kropf (goitre), Hypertonie → Bluthochdruck (high blood pressure).

Sources

• Landesärztekammer Thüringen: Fachsprachenprüfung für ausländische Ärztinnen und Ärzte in Thüringen (leaflet, PDF)
• Landesärztekammer Thüringen: Gebührenordnung mit Kostenverzeichnis (PDF)
• Deutsches Ärzteblatt: Thüringen — viele Kandidaten fallen durch Fremdsprachenprüfung für ausländische Ärzte
• Marburger Bund: Deutschkenntnisse