Fachsprachprüfung in Berlin: format, fees, registration

At a glance

How the exam works in Berlin

The exam is taken individually before a committee of at least two examiners, at least one of whom is a physician. The committee introduces itself at the start and welcomes a short introduction from you — your background and career so far; two or three prepared sentences are enough. The general structure of the FSP is explained in How the FSP works; this page covers what Berlin specifically requires.

Part 1: Simulationsanamnese — simulated history taking (20 minutes)

With a simulated patient you take down personal details, current complaints, previous illnesses, medication and family history. You then share your suspected diagnoses, explain them when asked, propose diagnostics and treatment and explain the measures in easily understood words. Notes are allowed; you do not have to show them to the committee, but you hand them in at the end.

Part 2: Dokumentation — documentation (20 minutes)

You summarise the case "zur Information von ärztlichen Kolleginnen oder Kollegen" (for the information of medical colleagues) as a Kurzbericht on a structured template. At least the current history must be written in full sentences. You choose whether to use the computer provided or to write by hand. You may use your notes from part 1 and the medical dictionary provided.

Part 3: Ärztliches Gespräch — doctor–doctor conversation (20 minutes)

You report on the case to a physician examiner playing the senior doctor and answer follow-up questions. Then comes Berlin's special feature: translate five medical terms into German, complete two abbreviations and read out three lab values correctly with numbers and units.

Registration and dates

1. You apply to LAGeSo for the Approbation (full licence) or Berufserlaubnis (temporary licence). LAGeSo also decides whether you need the test at all: anyone who attended a German-language school for at least ten years or completed at least three years of vocational training in German is usually exempt.
2. With LAGeSo's acknowledgement of receipt you register through the chamber's online form and submit the signed form, a copy of your ID and the acknowledgement.
3. You receive a fee notice for €550, payable by bank transfer within two weeks; cash is not accepted.
4. Once payment has arrived, the chamber asks by email whether you want the next available date. The invitation arrives no later than two weeks before the exam.

The chamber does not publish exam dates; it gives them only on request. You can note your preferred period in the remarks field of the registration form.

Cancelling: Cancellation is free until you receive the invitation or, respectively, up to 14 days before the exam, and any fee already paid is refunded. If you cancel later for an important reason, the chamber keeps €100; without an important reason you must register again and pay the full fee. Comparison across federal states: FSP fees by federal state.

telc: The certificate "telc Deutsch B2-C1 Medizin" does not replace the exam; LAGeSo accepts only an FSP passed at the Ärztekammer Berlin. Which states handle this differently is explained in FSP, telc and FaMed.

Scoring and result

Each part is scored on its own sheet with eight criteria. Each criterion gets 0 to 2.5 points in half steps: 2.5 = sehr gut (very good), 2 = gut (good), 1.5 = befriedigend (satisfactory), 1 = nicht befriedigend (unsatisfactory), 0.5 = mangelhaft (poor), 0 = gänzlich verfehlt (completely missed). Each part is worth 20 points, 60 in total. You pass only if every part reaches at least 12 points — a strong doctor–doctor conversation does not make up for weak documentation. How other chambers grade is compared in How the FSP is graded.

The criteria below are translated; the German wording is on the chamber's sheets.

Part 1 — Simulationsanamnese. The candidate …

• establishes professional, personal communication,
• expresses themselves clearly and in detail,
• has easily intelligible pronunciation,
• departs from set schemes where this is beneficial ("weicht gewinnbringend von vorgegebenen Schemata ab"),
• conducts the conversation in a goal-directed way suited to the situation,
• is able to explain matters fluently,
• understands the other person without difficulty,
• explains the next steps clearly and in a way suited to the patient.

Part 2 — written documentation. The document …

• can be assigned to the simulated patient with certainty (only 2.5, 1.5 or 0 points here),
• is structured and complete,
• is grammatically correct,
• is orthographically correct,
• shows the necessary level of detail,
• contains correctly used foreign-language technical terms to an appropriate extent,
• reproduces the essential history findings semantically correctly,
• makes clear statements about the essential treatment steps.

Part 3 — Ärztliches Gespräch. The candidate …

• presents the case fluently and appropriately for the situation,
• expresses themselves grammatically correctly and intelligibly,
• uses foreign-language technical terms correctly and to an appropriate extent,
• makes clear statements about the essential findings and treatment steps,
• can answer follow-up questions without language problems,
• is able to take part in a discussion about the case,
• translates five medical terms into German,
• completes two abbreviations and reads out three lab values correctly with numbers and units.

No criterion asks whether your diagnosis is right. The task sheet says so explicitly: "Es geht nicht um die Überprüfung von Fachwissen" (the aim is not to test medical knowledge).

The result is available at the earliest ten days after the exam and comes as a PDF certificate by email; the chamber asks candidates not to phone about results. After passing, you forward the certificate to LAGeSo and your licensing procedure continues. You cannot lodge an objection (Widerspruch) against the result with the chamber, only against decisions by LAGeSo.

Retaking

If you fail, you retake all three parts; individual parts cannot be repeated on their own. The number of attempts is unlimited, and each retake requires a new registration and another €550. The chamber recommends at least three months of study; each scoring sheet has a field for the examiners' recommendation on improving your language skills. How to analyse a failed attempt: Failed the FSP?

Tips for the exam in Berlin

• Train your weakest part first. Because each part needs 12 points on its own, your weakest part decides the result.
• No rigid question list. Part 1 explicitly rewards departing from set schemes where this helps — responding to what the patient says instead of working through a memorised list.
• Record name and date of birth carefully. Assigning the document to the patient is the only criterion with just three levels; below full marks, the next level is a whole point lower. Ask the patient to spell unfamiliar names.
• Choose computer or handwriting deliberately. Grammar and spelling are separate criteria in part 2; use the medium in which you make fewer mistakes.
• Practise reading lab values aloud. Number, decimal comma and unit must be right. Practice examples (not real exam items): „Kalium 4,1 mmol/l“ becomes „Kalium vier Komma eins Millimol pro Liter“, „Leukozyten 12.000/µl“ becomes „zwölftausend pro Mikroliter“. Note the German decimal comma and thousands point. Reference ranges depend on the laboratory and are not what is being tested here. More in Lab values and abbreviations.
• Take follow-up questions seriously. Two of the eight criteria in part 3 assess how you answer questions and join the discussion — practise the conversation after the case presentation, too.

Sources

• Ärztekammer Berlin: Fachsprachprüfung
• Ärztekammer Berlin: Beschreibung der Aufgabenstellung und Prüfungsanforderungen (PDF)
• Ärztekammer Berlin: Musterbewertungsbogen Simulationsanamnese (PDF)
• Ärztekammer Berlin: Musterbewertungsbogen Schriftliche Dokumentation (PDF)
• Ärztekammer Berlin: Musterbewertungsbogen Ärztliches Gespräch (PDF)
• LAGeSo Berlin: Hinweise zum Fachsprachentest für Ärztinnen/Ärzte (PDF)