FSP in Hamburg: what you should know if you're planning to move there

If you're considering taking the Fachsprachprüfung (FSP) in Hamburg, there's some practical information — and a few local quirks — 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 Hamburg is organized by the Ärztekammer Hamburg (Hamburg Medical Association), on behalf of the Behörde für Arbeit, Gesundheit, Soziales, Familie und Integration (the so-called Sozialbehörde), which is the authority responsible for granting the Approbation.

Here's how it works: the Sozialbehörde reviews your Approbation application and, if it determines that proof of language skills is required, forwards your data to the Ärztekammer Hamburg. The Kammer then contacts you by email asking you to pay the administrative fee; once payment is received, you'll get the written invitation with your exam date.

The exam consists of three 20-minute parts (medical history taking with a simulated patient, case presentation to a colleague, written documentation), and it assesses language competence exclusively — not medical knowledge.

Exam costs

The fee for the Fachsprachprüfung at the Ärztekammer Hamburg is €550. This is an administrative and exam fee that must be paid before you receive your invitation.

What happens if you don't pass

A few important points to know:

• The result is communicated to you by email and also forwarded to the Sozialbehörde, which handles the next steps of your case.

• If you don't pass, a new date can generally be scheduled no earlier than three months after the failed attempt.

• The exam can be retaken an unlimited number of times — but the full fee must be paid again for each retake.

• If you arrive late or don't show up on exam day, the exam is automatically considered failed, regardless of the reason.

Given the significant fee at stake with every attempt, preparing thoroughly from the very first appointment isn't just about exam anxiety — it's also a budget consideration.

For a realistic picture: the FSP failure rate, both nationwide and in Hamburg, is typically around 30 to 40% on the first attempt — meaning roughly one candidate in three doesn't pass the exam the first time around.

The Fachbegriffe task

Part of the Hamburg exam includes a specific task on technical terms: you're given 15 Fachbegriffe (medical/specialist-language terms) that you need to translate into the corresponding Patientensprache — that is, into language a patient without medical training would understand. This exercise requires a solid command of both registers, not just specialist terminology.

The peculiarities of the Hamburg exam

• Hamburg draws from a pool of roughly 35 clinical cases that your exam could be based on — one more reason to prepare across a wide range of scenarios, not just a few "typical" cases.

• The Arztbrief (the written medical report) must be written in full sentences (ganze Sätze) — a telegraphic, bullet-point style isn't enough.

• One practical detail worth not underestimating: during the Patientenvorstellung (the case presentation to a colleague), you only have the anamnesis form (Anamnesebogen) in front of you — not the Arztbrief you've already written. Because of this, it's worth getting into the habit, already during the history-taking phase, of jotting down concise notes directly in Fachsprache on the form itself: they'll help you present the case accurately even without the written report at hand.

These are just a few of the peculiarities of the Hamburg exam — we'll share the rest during our course.

Contact for the competent authority

For information on your Approbation application in Hamburg, the relevant authority is the Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe at the Sozialbehörde:

📧 lpagesundheitsberufe@soziales.hamburg.de

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 Hamburg: here you'll find the list of Fachbegriffe most frequently tested in the Hamburg exam and the clinical cases specific to this state — and we can also organize targeted simulations together on these scenarios (accompanied minors, senile dementia, alcohol abuse)

  
  

👉 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.