German for doctors in Austria: when do you need C1, and when the Medical Chamber's language exam?
Next official sitting
Stichprobentest
Stichprobentest Innsbruck
Exam: 3 February 2027
- MedUni Vienna: submission deadline 14 December 2026 (51 days left). Source: MedUni Vienna, read on 21 October 2026
- Medical University of Innsbruck: registration deadline 7 January 2027 (75 days left). Source: Medical University of Innsbruck, read on 21 October 2026
Dates from the official sources, Vienna time. The university's own information always decides.
In short
For the nostrification application at MedUni Vienna you need proof of German at level C1 or higher, no older than three years from the date of the test. That is a separate step from the Austrian Medical Chamber's German language exam (ÖÄK Sprachprüfung Deutsch), which doctors take when they apply for entry in the list of physicians (Ärzteliste). To sit that exam, the Academy of Physicians asks for proof of level B2. The advice centres place that exam and its B2 proof later in the process.
C1 for the nostrification application
Already on the application form you declare that your German is sufficient, at least level C1, and you add a language diploma as proof. The MedUni Vienna Merkblatt lists the proofs it accepts, including:
- ÖSD Zertifikat C1
- Goethe-Zertifikat C1
- telc Deutsch C1, telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule or telc Deutsch C1 Beruf
- DSD II, TestDaF level 4 and 5, DSH 2 and DSH 3
- the C1 ÖIF test
- other proofs, such as a completed degree of at least three years taught in German; the full list is in the Merkblatt
What C1 means in practice
German runs through the whole procedure. In the Stichprobentest a language dictionary is allowed but a medical one is not; the Merkblatt says sufficient German is required for the test, and weak German is no reason to change a result afterwards. The supplementary exams later on are held in German, and the Vienna degree programme assumes German at level C1.
Other universities publish their own rules. If you applied in Graz or Innsbruck, check there which proof they ask for.
The Austrian Medical Chamber's German language exam
Doctors who apply for entry in the list of physicians take this exam. To register you need a completed degree in human medicine and proof of language level B2 that is no older than ten years. B2 is only the entry condition: the Academy of Physicians says the exam itself is set at least at the level of competent, advanced language use, and the advice centres' information sheet describes it as C1 level. According to the Academy of Physicians, a waiver of the exam can be checked, for example after three years of German-language work in healthcare or with a completed degree taught in German.
The exam has three parts:
- oral: a conversation with a patient, covering history taking and therapy
- oral: communication with colleagues and medical staff
- written: communication with hospital administrations, authorities and other health institutions, 30 minutes and at least 100 words
Practising medical German
MedPrüf offers no simulation of the language exam and no C1 course. What it does offer: the practice questions are in German, and you can translate the explanations into your language. You read medical questions in German and check the explanation in the language you think in.
Your next step
Pick your official sitting and your study hours a week. The study plan spreads the topics of your question bank over the weeks up to the exam, no account needed.
Build a study plan to your sittingFree sample
Practise with the free sample: 150 curated practice questions per question bank, no card needed. Explanations can be translated into your language (machine translated, with a daily limit for free accounts). They are not official exam questions.
Start the free sampleFrequently asked questions
Is B2 enough for the nostrification application in Vienna?
No. The MedUni Vienna Merkblatt asks for proof of at least C1. B2 is what the Academy of Physicians asks for to sit the Medical Chamber's language exam, a later and separate step.
How old can my C1 certificate be?
No older than three years from the date of the test, according to the MedUni Vienna Merkblatt.
Is the Medical Chamber's language exam the same as the C1 proof?
No. You hand in the C1 proof with your nostrification application. The Austrian Medical Chamber's German language exam belongs to the later step of entry in the list of physicians.
How is the Medical Chamber's language exam graded?
As “bestanden” (passed) or “nicht bestanden” (not passed). According to the Academy of Physicians, the result arrives in writing within 10 to 14 days.
Does a medical degree taught in English replace the C1 proof?
No. The Merkblatt accepts a degree as proof only if it lasted at least three years and was taught in German. With a degree taught in English you hand in one of the other proofs on the list, such as a C1 language diploma.
Stichprobentest: when is the next official sitting?
Stichprobentest Innsbruck: 3 February 2027. MedUni Vienna: submission deadline 14 December 2026 (51 days left). Medical University of Innsbruck: registration deadline 7 January 2027 (75 days left). Source: MedUni Vienna, read on 21 October 2026. Source: Medical University of Innsbruck, read on 21 October 2026.
Read more
Guides to nostrification in Austria
- Nostrification in Austria: how do you get a foreign medical degree recognised in Vienna?
- Stichprobentest in Innsbruck, Vienna or Graz: what is tested and how do you prepare?
- Nostrification exam dates in Austria: when are the SIP, Stichprobentest, Rezeptierkunde and Gerichtsmedizin?
- Rezeptierkunde and forensic medicine: why are they part of every positive nostrification decision?
- Pharmacology for the Rezeptierkunde exam in Vienna: what is tested and how do you prepare?
- SIP 4a and SIP 5a in Vienna: which exam parts do nostrification candidates take?
- Nostrification in Innsbruck: which exams come after the Stichprobentest?
- Nostrifying a medical degree in Austria: how long does it take and what does it cost?
- After nostrification: how do you get into the Ärzteliste and the right to practise in Austria?
- Specialist or general practice training in Austria: does your training from abroad count?
- Stichprobentest and SIP while working: how do you plan your preparation?
More short answers
- Where are the exam announcement and the exam calendar published?
- What does exam registration for the SIP, Rezeptierkunde, Gerichtsmedizin and the Stichprobentest need?
- What does “eliminiert” mean in the SIP result and feedback?
- When is it known whether the SIP is held as MC or KAF?
- Stichprobentest: what do the MedUni Vienna and Innsbruck deadlines say?
- SIP, Stichprobentest, Kenntnisprüfung: what is the difference?
- What does the MedPrüf free sample include?
Sources
- MedUni Wien, Merkblatt Nostrifizierung Humanmedizin, read on 19 October 2026
- MedUni Wien, Nostrifizierung: Ermittlungsverfahren, read on 19 October 2026
- Österreichische Akademie der Ärzte, Sprachprüfung Deutsch, read on 19 October 2026
- Österreichische Akademie der Ärzte, Sprachprüfung Deutsch: Prüfungsablauf, read on 19 October 2026
- Anlaufstelle für Personen mit im Ausland erworbenen Qualifikationen, Infoblatt Nostrifizierung Humanmedizin, read on 19 October 2026
Content checked on 19 October 2026