Kenntnisprüfung (KP): the complete guide for foreign doctors.
Germany's medical knowledge exam, explained by a doctor who passed it — who needs it, what it covers, the format and attempts, the cost, and exactly how to prepare.
For most international doctors from outside the EU, the Kenntnisprüfung — the KP — is the final exam standing between you and your German Approbation (your full medical licence). It sounds intimidating, but it's more manageable than the hurdles many of you have already faced back home. Here's exactly what it is and how to pass it — and if you want to see where it sits in the whole journey, start with the full pathway to working as a doctor in Germany.
What is the Kenntnisprüfung?
The Kenntnisprüfung is Germany's medical knowledge exam for international doctors. It proves your medical knowledge is at the level of a doctor who trained in Germany. It's an oral exam — there are no multiple-choice questions and no essays. In many states it also includes a short practical part: taking a history and examining a real patient.
Think of it as the bridge between the degree you already earned and the German standard. You're not re-doing medical school — you're demonstrating that what you know meets the bar.
Who needs the KP?
- Non-EU/EFTA graduates: if your degree isn't recognised as directly equivalent, you'll sit the KP. This is the route most of our doctors take.
- EU/EFTA graduates: you usually don't need the KP — passing the Fachsprachprüfung (FSP) is often enough for your Approbation.
What the KP covers
The core of the exam is two subjects:
- Internal Medicine
- Surgery
Cross-cutting topics — emergency medicine, pharmacology, radiology, and German medical law — can come up within those discussions. Where there's a practical component, you'll take a history from a patient, examine them, and present your findings and plan, the way you would on a ward round.
Format, attempts and cost
- Format: an oral exam (plus a practical in many states), at the level of a German medical graduate.
- Attempts: usually up to three, depending on your Bundesland.
- Cost: roughly €300–800, varying by state.
Rules, fees and the exact format are set by each state's recognition authority (Landesprüfungsamt), so always confirm the current details for the Bundesland where you're applying.
KP vs FSP — what's the difference?
They test two different things, and most non-EU doctors sit both:
- The FSP tests your medical German — can you communicate with patients and colleagues?
- The KP tests your medical knowledge — is it at the German standard?
You typically pass the FSP first, then prepare for and sit the KP. Many doctors work on a Berufserlaubnis (a temporary licence) in a hospital while they prepare — earning, practising their German, and seeing German clinical workflow first-hand.
How to prepare
- Focus on Internal Medicine and Surgery at the level of a final-year German student — common presentations, first-line management, German guidelines.
- Practise out loud, in German. The exam is oral. Reading silently isn't enough; you need to explain your reasoning in German, fluently.
- Drill the patient encounter — history, examination, differential, plan — so the structure is automatic.
- Use real past-exam reports (Protokolle). Candidates record what was asked; studying these tells you exactly what your examiners tend to focus on.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Studying like it's a written multiple-choice exam when it's an oral one.
- Knowing the medicine but being unable to explain it smoothly in German.
- Ignoring the past-exam protocols for your state.
- Sitting the KP before your German is genuinely ready.
After you pass
Passing the Kenntnisprüfung earns you your Approbation — your full, unrestricted German medical licence. From there, jobs are plentiful: Germany is short tens of thousands of doctors, and you can work anywhere in the country, with a clear path to permanent residency and bringing your family.
The key takeaway
The KP is more manageable than the USMLE, PLAB or AMC — it's a focused oral exam on Internal Medicine and Surgery, not a broad marathon. The real work is doing it in German. Reach solid medical German first, get your documents translated and notarised in parallel, drill the protocols, and the KP becomes the last step rather than a wall.
Pass the KP in the right order.
We map the whole pathway — German to B2, the FSP, then the KP — with the courses, the past-exam protocols, and mentorship from a doctor who did it. You prepare in the right order, with the right material, and you're not guessing.