The Medical Knowledge Exam (Kenntnisprüfung)

• Translations – Kenntnisprüfung

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• This article is a guide to enhance your understanding of the topic; however, it should not be your sole resource. Always consult official websites for the most accurate and up-to-date information (you can read our full disclaimer here).

• What is the Kenntnisprüfung?

It tests general medical knowledge. Mostly, it is not a hard exam. In all German states, the main part of the exam is an oral part. But in some approbation authorities, it has a practical part (taking history and doing physical examination). What is sure, though, in no authority, there are Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) or that you need to write essay answers to medical questions.

Mostly you will be tested in internal medicine and surgery. Each medical license authority has its own rules and topics for the exam.

• Which doctors need a medical knowledge exam in Germany to get the Approbation?

The answer is based on where you studied medicine, regardless of your nationality or where you finished high school:

• As a non-EU/EFTA graduate, can you avoid this exam?

Yes, it is possible:

Gleichwertigkeit: Avoiding a medical knowledge exam (Kenntnisprüfung) for doctors who studied in non-EU/EFTA countries

• Where is it easy to take the exam? Is the exam of equal hardness in all 16 medical license authorities?

But the question is not that easy. Please read more details in the following article:

Where to apply for approbation: Advantages & disadvantages of each German state

• Compared to the USMLE, PLAB/UKMLE, MCCQE, AMC, etc. How hard is the exam?

Certainly, it is much easier than all of them. It is an oral exam, and you only need to pass it. In one medical license authority (Münster), it is the hardest. However, it is still a clinical and oral exam, and you do not need to study the basic sciences again! Moreover, you do not need to know the details. The main goal of the exam is to find that you understand the general outline of diagnosing and treating common diseases. Moreover, you need to know a little bit about the German health system.

• Real exams: See yourself how hard

Read reports of real exam from the most extensive website in the world for exam reports: http://approbations.info

You can find the reports under this link.

You can also find real exam reports in Telegram groups. To know how to find these groups, continue reading to the part of this article about preparation for the exam.

• How many times can I fail the exam?

The medical language exam can be failed and repeated indefinitely. For the sake of comparison, the Knowledge exam could be only failed up to three times. After the third attempt, you will be no longer allowed to repeat it or work as a medical doctor in Germany. This is seldom. If this happened, do not worry, there are other possible job options for you:

🇩🇪 Jobs other than in hospitals and clinics for doctors in Germany

• How much does the exam cost?

It differs based on the medical license authority, but is around 300–800 euros.

• What do I need to study?

– Books

We will publish more in the future, but for now, simply look for a good book on Amazon on internal medicine and surgery, as these subjects are often tested in the exam.

– Summaries in telegram groups

Doctors post summaries of this exam in many Telegram groups. Search in Telegram for “Kenntnisseprüfung” or “KP”. An example is this group for the German state of Bavaria (Bayern): https://t.me/+76naVmYOLmI2NGQy. Join also the KP group of Facahrzt JETZT (each German state has its own subgroup in the group).

– Online resources:

(1) Amboss

Many suggest using the German website Amboss. It is a great resource and is written concisely and in simple language. Moreover, you can use it in your daily work (Diagnostics, doses of medications, side effects of drugs, differential diagnosis, physical examination, history taking).

It is not free, but it is not that expensive. You can deduct the money from your taxes. But see first if your hospital has a subscription. Many hospitals nowadays have one.

(2) DocCheck

This is a free German website. What is great about it is that it explains things concisely and precisely. They have an app, too.

– Courses

Many institutes offer courses for the medical knowledge exam. There are some recorded online courses for the Medical Knowledge Exam. A very well-prepared one where you can start learning from outside Germany at your own pace, and a relatively cheap one, is from a German company called MEDDEOnline. What is good about this subscription, too, is that it is for one whole year.

This is an example Video. In addition, the following video shows you a tour in their beautiful website.

Facharzt JETZT members can get a 10% discount on all courses when they click on this link and then use the following code: facharztjetzt10

– – Do the courses for free

Yes, do not forget that you can take presence courses for free if you apply for funding. The details are in the following article.

Want to learn more? Questions?
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