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Kenntnisprüfung in Germany: for nurses (Pflege) and doctors (Ärzte)

The Kenntnisprüfung is the knowledge exam for nurses and doctors trained abroad. For nurses, your state's authority asks for it when your training differs from the German one. Nurses take an oral and a practical part. Doctors take one oral-practical exam in internal medicine and surgery.

Nurses · Pflege

Kenntnisprüfung Pflege for nurses

Parts
Oral and practical
Oral part
45 to 60 minutes
Practical part
2 to 4 care situations, up to 120 min each
Retakes
Each failed part once

You take it when your recognition notice finds substantial differences from German nursing training. You can choose an adaptation course (Anpassungslehrgang) instead: a placement of several months. The exam runs with a nursing school. How you register depends on the state: in Hamburg you register with the authority at least six weeks before; elsewhere ask your authority or the school.

Oral exam dates from IBAF nursing schools in Schleswig-Holstein. Not a list of every Kenntnisprüfung in Germany.

Doctors · Ärzte

Kenntnisprüfung for doctors (Approbation)

Subjects
Internal medicine and surgery
Format
Oral-practical, one day, with a patient presentation
Length in Lower Saxony
Patient presentation about 60 min, then 60 to 90 min oral exam per candidate, up to 4 in a group
Retakes
Two

Until 31 October 2026 you take it for your Approbation when the authority finds substantial differences between your degree and German medical training. It tests medical knowledge, in German. Your language is tested separately, in the Fachsprachprüfung (FSP).

From 1 November 2026: a new federal law makes the Kenntnisprüfung the normal route for doctors with a degree from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland. The document-based equivalence check stays available if you ask for it.

Source: bundesgesundheitsministerium.de, checked 20 Oct 2026

No public calendar. The authority or chamber invites you. In Lower Saxony, dates go by waiting list and the wait is currently several months.

Source: nizza.niedersachsen.de, checked 20 Oct 2026

Kenntnisprüfung by state

Nurses (Kenntnisprüfung Pflege)

  • Baden-Württemberg

    Who decides
    Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart
    What the official page says
    Decides within four months once your papers are complete. You choose the Kenntnisprüfung or an adaptation course when you apply, or after the decision (FAQ dated 19 Apr 2024).

  • Bayern (Bavaria)

    Who decides
    Bayerisches Landesamt für Pflege (LfP), since 1 July 2023
    What the official page says
    You choose an adaptation course or the Kenntnisprüfung.

  • Hamburg

    Who decides
    Behörde für Gesundheit, Soziales und Integration
    What the official page says
    Usually about 300 EUR for the oral part and about 500 EUR for the practical part (as of December 2023). Register at least six weeks before the exam.

  • Hessen (Hesse)

    Who decides
    See the official sheet
    What the official page says
    Only with a nursing school. Both parts should take place within about a year (sheet dated 8 Nov 2021).

  • Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony)

    Who decides
    Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Soziales, Jugend und Familie, Lüneburg
    What the official page says
    Handles recognition for Pflegefachfrau, Pflegefachmann and Pflegefachperson.

  • Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW)

    Who decides
    ZAG-PuG, Bezirksregierung Münster
    What the official page says
    An oral and a practical part. Each failed part may be repeated once.

  • Schleswig-Holstein

    Who decides
    Your recognition authority
    What the official page says
    IBAF nursing schools publish oral exam dates in Lübeck, Norderstedt and Rendsburg; Neumünster on request.

Other states: find your authority in the Anerkennungs-Finder on anerkennung-in-deutschland.de (opens in a new tab).

More states as we check them. Checked 20 Oct 2026.

Doctors (Kenntnisprüfung Ärzte)

Fees and waits from each chamber's official page, checked 17 Oct 2026. Some pages carry an older date, shown in the cell. North Rhine and Westphalia-Lippe share one statewide Kenntnisprüfung.

Last checked 51 min ago

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COMMON QUESTIONS

Kenntnisprüfung Pflege and Ärzte, explained

What is the Kenntnisprüfung?

A state knowledge exam for nurses and doctors trained abroad. Today your recognition authority asks for it when it finds substantial differences between your training and the German one; for doctors with a degree from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland it becomes the normal route on 1 November 2026. Nurses take an oral and a practical part. Doctors take an oral-practical exam with a patient presentation.

Source: gesetze-im-internet.de, checked 20 Oct 2026

What is the German nursing exam called?

People mean one of two exams. One German language exam built for nurses is telc Deutsch B1·B2 Pflege. The exam that tests your nursing knowledge is the Kenntnisprüfung Pflege, for nurses trained outside the EU whose training differs from the German one.

Source: telc.net and gesetze-im-internet.de, checked 20 Oct 2026

What happens in the Kenntnisprüfung Pflege?

In the oral part you work through a case that covers at least three competence areas; it lasts 45 to 60 minutes. In the practical part you care for patients in 2 to 4 care situations, up to 120 minutes each. Your authority sets the number of situations.

Source: gesetze-im-internet.de, checked 20 Oct 2026

How much does the Kenntnisprüfung Pflege cost?

There is no national price. Hamburg's information sheet (May 2026) says it usually costs about 300 EUR for the oral part and about 500 EUR for the practical part, as of December 2023. The nursing school that runs the exam sends the invoice. Other states can differ.

Source: hamburg.de, checked 20 Oct 2026

Kenntnisprüfung or adaptation course (Anpassungslehrgang)?

You choose one of the two. The adaptation course is a placement of several months in a hospital, care home or home-care service. The Kenntnisprüfung covers the oral and practical parts of the state exam, and many nurses take a preparation course of several months first.

Source: rp.baden-wuerttemberg.de, checked 20 Oct 2026

What does the Kenntnisprüfung for doctors test?

Internal medicine and surgery, with questions that also touch emergency medicine, clinical pharmacology, imaging, radiation protection and medical law. You first present a patient (about 60 minutes in Lower Saxony), then take part in an oral-practical exam of 60 to 90 minutes per candidate, with up to four candidates. It takes place on one day.

Source: gesetze-im-internet.de, checked 20 Oct 2026

How much does the Kenntnisprüfung for doctors cost?

It depends on the state. Lower Saxony: 980 EUR, paid in advance, with the Approbation fee on top. Hesse: 1,350 EUR. North Rhine-Westphalia: 1,050 EUR. Brandenburg: 799 EUR. The table above lists every state we checked.

Source: nizza.niedersachsen.de and the chamber pages, checked 17 to 20 Oct 2026

How long is the wait for the doctors' Kenntnisprüfung?

It depends on the state. In Lower Saxony dates go by waiting list, and the wait is currently several months. Baden-Württemberg states usually four to five months. Bavaria states one to six months after referral.

Source: nizza.niedersachsen.de and the chamber pages, checked 17 to 20 Oct 2026

Can I retake the Kenntnisprüfung?

Nurses repeat only what they failed, once: the oral part, or each care situation they did not pass. Doctors repeat the whole exam, up to two times.

Source: gesetze-im-internet.de, checked 20 Oct 2026

What changes for doctors on 1 November 2026?

A new federal law makes the Kenntnisprüfung the normal route for doctors, dentists and pharmacists with a degree from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland. The document-based equivalence check stays available if you ask for it.

Source: bundesgesundheitsministerium.de, checked 20 Oct 2026