FSP in Berlin: what you should know if you're planning to move to the capital
Updated: Aug 21
If you're considering taking the Fachsprachprüfung (FSP) in Berlin, here's the practical information and local peculiarities worth knowing before you book the exam.
Who organizes the exam and how the process works
The FSP for foreign doctors who want to work in Berlin is organized by the Ärztekammer Berlin (Berlin Medical Association), on behalf of the Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales (Lageso), the authority responsible for granting the Approbation in the capital.
Here's how it works: once the Lageso has reviewed your Approbation application and determined that your language skills aren't sufficient, you're asked for a B2 certificate and, subsequently, to pass the Fachsprachprüfung at the Ärztekammer Berlin. Once you've received confirmation that your application has been received (Eingangsbestätigung), you can register directly for the exam.
The exam consists of three parts of about 20 minutes each (medical history interview with a simulated patient, doctor-to-doctor conversation/case presentation, written test), and it assesses language competence exclusively.
Exam costs
The fee for the Fachsprachprüfung at the Ärztekammer Berlin is €550.
What happens if you don't pass
A few important points:
The result is communicated by email (with a certificate as a PDF), and the Lageso is informed directly by the Ärztekammer.
If you don't pass, the exam must be retaken in full: it's not possible to retake only the parts you failed.
The number of attempts is not limited, but each new attempt requires a new registration and payment of the full €550 fee again.
There is no right of appeal (Widerspruch) against a failing result on the Fachsprachprüfung.
There's no mandatory minimum waiting period set by the Kammer, but a study period of at least three months is recommended before trying again, following the improvement guidance given by the exam board.
Given the full fee due at every attempt, solid preparation from the start pays off both linguistically and financially.
For a realistic picture: according to 2023 data gathered through a journalistic investigation (based on a parliamentary inquiry), Berlin recorded 384 passes and 242 fails, putting the failure rate at roughly 38–39% — meaning more than one candidate in three doesn't pass. That's still a significant rate, even if somewhat lower than the average in other states like Bavaria or Brandenburg.
The peculiarities of the Berlin exam
Berlin draws from a pool of roughly 40 clinical cases that your exam could be based on — here too, it's worth preparing across a wide range of scenarios, not just the most "common" cases.
Berlin also includes the Fachbegriffe task: medical/specialist-language terms that need to be translated into the corresponding Patientensprache — language a patient without medical training would understand.
Unlike Hamburg, in Berlin the Arztbrief can be written in list form (Listenform) — that is, as bullet points, in a concise outline — rather than necessarily in full sentences (ganze Sätze). This significantly changes how it's best to practice writing the report.
These are just a few of the peculiarities of the Berlin exam — we'll share the rest during our course.
Contact for the competent authority
For information on your Approbation application in Berlin, the relevant authority is the Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales (Lageso):
How to prepare with RevolingoMed
At RevolingoMed you can choose whichever preparation format suits you best:
🩺 Individual FSP lessons, tailored to your level and your specific gaps
👥 FSP group courses, to also practice alongside other candidates
📚 On your own, with access to our Google Classroom dedicated to Berlin: here you'll find the list of Fachbegriffe most frequently tested in the Berlin exam and the clinical cases specific to this state — and we can also organize targeted simulations together on these scenarios
👉 FSP group courses, complete 1:1 FSP course, 1:1 exam simulations, 6-month access to the Google Classroom E-Learning platform
For the administrative part, we would also like to remind you of our previous article on the documents required for Approbation as well as our certified translation service.
You can send your documents to:📩 info@revolingomed.com🌐 www.revolingomed.com📞 +49 157 8506 5019
This article is for informational purposes only. Procedures and requirements may change over time. We therefore recommend always checking the latest information with the Medical Association (Ärztekammer) where you intend to take the exam.
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