What is Feststellungsprüfung (FSP)?
“Feststellungsprüfung” is short for “Examination to determine the suitability of applicants with foreign educational certificates (“Bildungsausländer”) to take up studies at universities in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG)”.
If you pass this exam, you can apply for a bachelor's course (or comparable undergraduate course of study) in your specialized (Fachrichtung) subject area. In some preparatory colleges, you can take the assessment test (Feststellungsprüfung) without having attended the external university qualification exam (externe Feststellungsprüfung).
Attention: The Feststellungsprüfung is considered to be a Subject-Limited University Entrance Qualification.
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The assessment test is only valid for the chosen field of study. You decide this with the course choice. If you take a preparatory course with the focus “G”, you can then only take humanities study programmes, while with the “M-course”, everything to do with medicine. German4Germany offers both the “W & T courses”. This qualifies you for business and social science as well as mathematical, science, and technical courses in the chosen language.
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Pay attention to the required language skills: The German language preparatory courses usually require candidates to prove that they have a CEFR level B2 in German before candidates can start the corresponding 72 points on the TOEFL scale (iBT). This is demanding and often requires an extensive language course.
Doctor’s Specialist Language Examination (Fachsprachprüfung – FSP)
For the granting of a license to practice medicine (temporary license), it is a prerequisite that the applicant has the familiarity with the German language required to carry out the specialized activity.
Special Language Examination for Doctors- Fachsprachenprüfung Exam
According to the decision of the 87th Conference of Ministers of Health on June 26/27, 2014, doctors must have specialist language skills in a job-specific context based on language level C1, based on the confirmed basis of language level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (GER-B2).
Since 2014, most of the State Medical Councils in Germany have implemented a specialist language examination for foreign doctors known popularly as Fachsprachprüfung.
Fachsprachenprüfung is an exam that must be taken by every International doctor who wants to practice as a doctor in Germany and also aims to start their medical specialization in Germany.
Fachsprachenprüfung is a normal exam to test a doctor’s medical German Terminology knowledge. After successfully passing the FSP exam, a doctor gets a temporary license to work in Germany, also known as Berufserlaubnis. There are unlimited attempts for the Fachsprachenprüfung (FSP).
What is the Exam Pattern of Fachsprachenprüfung?
This exam includes a practical and viva module consisting of three different steps. The duration of the exam is 60 minutes. The whole exam is in the German language only.
The exam is planned to be practical. It takes the form of an individual exam and is used to decide the specialist language skills required for the medical profession in oral and written communication. The examination board consists of three members, at least two of whom are doctors.
The exam is divided into three parts, each lasting approximately 20 minutes. At the beginning, the examination board introduces itself and asks candidates to introduce themselves briefly (previous career, further goals).
Doctor-Patient Interview (Arzt-Patienten-Gespräch)
Candidates conduct an anamnesis interview with a patient, as you are familiar with in your everyday treatment. The role of the patient is assumed by a member of the examination board. This will give you predetermined information about his state of health. You can take notes on this, if necessary, also in your mother tongue. Explain your suspected diagnoses to the patient and make suggestions for further examination methods/ treatment options. Respond to potential questions from the patient. A language that is understandable for patients and their relatives (i.e., medical laypersons) should be selected.
Written Documentation / Medical Report (Schriftliche Dokumentation/Arztbericht)
In the second part, you should document the medical history and the further process in writing and in German Language in full sentences. Candidates will receive a prepared structured form for this. Candidates can use the recordings you made during the doctor-patient discussion. A medical dictionary is also made available. No other supports may be used. The aim is to meet the general documentation requirements and to provide comprehensive, comprehensible information to the doctors who are treating patients.
Doctor-Doctor Discussion (Arzt-Arzt-Gespräch)
In the next part, you will introduce the patient to a medical colleague during an assignment interview. Candidates pass on the information obtained in the doctor-patient discussion to a medical member of the examination board. They discuss suspicious and differential diagnoses, diagnostic measures, and therapies. Here, the German medical vocabulary must be used in the context of the medical terminology.
Who is Eligible to take Fachsprachenprüfung Exam?
The doctor
â Who has completed a B2/C1 level of the German language.
â Has a valid medical degree/defizitbescheid.
â Has a job contract from a hospital/clinic in any German state.
This exam is conducted by the respective state medical council of Germany, where the doctor has a job agreement and wants to practice after completion of all procedures.
Where to give Fachsprachenprüfung Exam?
This exam is a part of the way to get Approbation (Permanent License). Once the doctor decides on the German state where candidates want to practice, they need to submit all required documents to the state medical council for a Temporary (Berufserlaubnis) or Permanent License (Approbation). After verification of all documents, authorities will provide the exam date for the Fachsprachenprüfung (FSP) exam.
Lack of Medical Specialists in Germany
More than 95,000 doctors who have emigrated from foreign lands are already working in the German Healthcare Sector. Without them, the high standard of medical care in Germany would be at risk. On one hand, there are not enough medical specialists in Germany; many young doctors want a safe and secure life with greater prospects. This is why more and more doctors from abroad choose to share their experience and qualifications at a German hospital and are elevating the German healthcare system.
Consequently, the professional and specifically the linguistic integration of immigrant doctors in German hospitals is an important and challenging duty. But there are requirements for physicians to be fulfilled on the way to their professional admission in Germany.
In addition to the B2 certificate, they often have to take a specialist language examination (Fachsprachprüfung – FSP) on the C1 level. Additionally, they must be prepared for the examination on Medical knowledge. That way, doctors can consequently be successful in their recognition procedure.
What is Trained in the Course?
In the course, doctors train the communication between doctor and patient and the professional discussion with other doctors. In addition, anamnesis and the doctor’s letters are coached. The high level of the course requires a B2 language level to be successful. But then international doctors can advance their professional German language skills and adjust communication in their day-to-day work.
It prepares for the Medical Association’s examination (Fachsprachprüfung – FSP), as it is mandatory for a foreign doctor in Germany to take this exam and succeed in it. Consequently, it is suggested to complete the medical course with an examination.
The high language level of the course means that doctors are well prepared for their work in Germany. It secures safety for the patients, hospitals, and provides excellent job opportunities. After all, it is a great advantage for foreign physicians in their new environment.