SIP, Stichprobentest, Kenntnisprüfung: what is the difference?
Next official sitting
SIP4a (MedUni Vienna)
Exam: 18 November 2026
- MedUni Vienna: registration deadline passed (19 October 2026). Source: MedUni Vienna, read on 21 October 2026
Next registration window
Exam: 19 February 2027
- MedUni Vienna: registration from 4 January 2027 to 18 January 2027. Source: MedUni Vienna, read on 21 October 2026
SIP5a (MedUni Vienna)
Exam: 17 November 2026
- MedUni Vienna: registration deadline passed (19 October 2026). Source: MedUni Vienna, read on 21 October 2026
Next registration window
Exam: 15 February 2027
- MedUni Vienna: registration from 4 January 2027 to 18 January 2027. Source: MedUni Vienna, read on 21 October 2026
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.
The answer
SIP4a and SIP5a are overall exams of the Vienna medical degree, for which nostrification applicants register for the parts prescribed to them. The Stichprobentest is not an exam under the Universities Act but a measure in the nostrification investigation procedure, where it is admissible as evidence. The postgraduate exam of the Austrian Academy of Physicians is called “Prüfung zur Ärztin/zum Arzt für Allgemeinmedizin (Arztprüfung)”; its page does not use the word “Kenntnisprüfung”.
SIP4a and SIP5a
SIP stands for Summative Integrierte Prüfung. SIP4a and SIP5a are overall exams of the medical degree at MedUni Vienna: the SIP4a covers one semester's material, the SIP5a one study year's. Nostrification applicants register for the parts prescribed to them with a dedicated form; the nostrification decision (Bescheid) sets which exams must be taken.
Stichprobentest
The Stichprobentest is not an exam under the Universities Act but a step in the nostrification investigation procedure. It serves as evidence when assessing whether a foreign degree is equivalent.
Where the word Kenntnisprüfung is used
Not officially confirmed
The Austrian Academy of Physicians calls the postgraduate general practice exam “Prüfung zur Ärztin/zum Arzt für Allgemeinmedizin (Arztprüfung)”. It tests competences from training after the degree.
The word “Kenntnisprüfung” does not appear on that official page; that the Austrian Medical Chamber calls the exam this is not confirmed. The German Medical Association (Bundesärztekammer) uses “Kenntnisprüfung” for an exam in the German recognition procedure.
What MedPrüf practises
MedPrüf's Vienna question bank holds curated practice questions for SIP4a and SIP5a at MedUni Vienna, not for the Arztprüfung. There are also practice questions for the Stichprobentest and for pharmacology and Rezeptierkunde.
Free 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 the Stichprobentest an exam?
Not under the Universities Act. It is a step in the nostrification investigation procedure and serves as evidence.
Is the general practice exam in Austria called Kenntnisprüfung?
This is not confirmed. The Austrian Academy of Physicians calls it “Prüfung zur Ärztin/zum Arzt für Allgemeinmedizin (Arztprüfung)”; the word Kenntnisprüfung does not appear on its page.
Where is it set which exams I must take?
In the nostrification decision (Bescheid). It sets which exams must be taken.
Does MedPrüf practise for the Arztprüfung?
No. The Vienna question bank holds curated practice questions for SIP4a and SIP5a at MedUni Vienna.
SIP4a (MedUni Vienna): when is the next official sitting?
SIP4a (MedUni Vienna): 18 November 2026. MedUni Vienna: registration deadline passed (19 October 2026). Next registration window: SIP4a (MedUni Vienna): 19 February 2027. MedUni Vienna: registration from 4 January 2027 to 18 January 2027. Source: MedUni Vienna, read on 21 October 2026.
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?
- German for doctors in Austria: when do you need C1, and when the Medical Chamber's language exam?
- 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?
- What does the MedPrüf free sample include?
Sources
- MedUni Wien, Ergebnisaushang SIP4a (SIP4a-2026-07), read on 14 October 2026
- MedUni Wien, Allgemeine Information zum Prüfungswesen, Studium Humanmedizin (UN 202), read on 14 October 2026
- MedUni Wien, Anmeldemodalitäten SIP-Prüfungen, read on 14 October 2026
- MedUni Wien, Nostrifizierung: Ermittlungsverfahren, read on 14 October 2026
- Österreichische Akademie der Ärzte, Prüfung Ärztin/Arzt für Allgemeinmedizin, read on 14 October 2026
- Bundesärztekammer (Deutschland), Ärztliche Tätigkeit in Deutschland: Drittstaaten, read on 14 October 2026
Content checked on 14 October 2026