How does the knowledge test for pharmacists work?

It is oral, takes place on one day and lasts 30 to 60 minutes per person (§ 22d AAppO). A board of three members examines in German.

How long do I have to decide?

Until four weeks after you submit your application (§ 10c(2) BApO). Once the four weeks pass, you stay on the standard route, the knowledge test.

How do I tell the authority my decision as a pharmacist?

The law prescribes no form. Ask the competent authority for a form. How to find the competent authority is explained on the page about jurisdiction and moving between states.

Is the document assessment more expensive than the test for pharmacists?

The test costs €170 to €710 in the eight states that state a fixed fee. The report costs €1,773 in four states. Baden-Württemberg charges only €300.

How often can I retake the pharmaceutical knowledge test?

Twice (§ 22d(6) AAppO), so you have three attempts in total. Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Brandenburg require you to take all subjects again in a retake.

What if I cannot obtain my documents?

Then you take the knowledge test. The law requires it where documents are missing for reasons beyond your control (§ 10c(3) BApO).

As a pharmacist: oral exam or document assessment?

If you studied pharmacy outside the EU, the standard route is the pharmaceutical knowledge test (Kenntnisprüfung). It is oral, lasts one hour at most and takes place on one day. On your request the authority assesses your study documents instead (document assessment, Unterlagenbewertung). You choose exactly once, within a deadline set by law.

This choice exists only if your qualification comes from outside the EU, the EEA or Switzerland. With an EU qualification, see the overview for pharmacists.

Four weeks from your application

If you want your documents assessed instead of taking the knowledge test, you must declare this within four weeks of submitting your application (§ 10c(2) BApO). The day you apply is what counts. After that, the knowledge test remains.

The choice binds you for the whole procedure, and the authority must inform you of the option and its consequences. Decide before you apply. Filing also starts the four weeks, so apply for the recognition grant before you file.

Standard route

The knowledge test for pharmacists

The pharmaceutical knowledge test is oral and takes place on one day. It lasts 30 to 60 minutes per person, depending on the extent of the differences found (§ 22d AAppO). As a rule you are examined alone, and up to four people may be examined together.

Three subjects are always examined: pharmaceutical practice, special legal fields for pharmacists and a third subject that the authority picks from the subjects with substantial differences. Counselling skills of a pharmacist are part of it. A board of three members examines in German.

You may retake the test twice (§ 22d(6) AAppO). Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Brandenburg require you to take all subjects again in a retake.

The test fee is between €170 (Lower Saxony) and €710 (North Rhine-Westphalia) in the eight states that state a fixed fee. All 16 states are on the fees page. Waiting times differ between states. Rhineland-Palatinate names about six months, Bavaria usually 1 to 6 months and Bremen aims to hold the exam within three months of registration.

In its favour: You need no curriculum and no hour-by-hour transcripts. The test is short, oral and done in one day, and the fee is comparatively low.
Against it: The subject special legal fields for pharmacists is always included, even if you have practised for years. In several states a retake covers all subjects again.

On request

The document assessment for pharmacists

The authority compares your pharmacy degree with the German one. If it is equivalent, you are licensed without the test. If substantial differences remain, you take the oral test anyway. Professional experience can make up for differences (§ 10b(6) and (7) BApO). Seven states list the hour-by-hour overview per subject as a mandatory document.

The equivalence report (Gleichwertigkeitsgutachten) costs €1,773 in four states, according to their information. Higher amounts are stated by Bavaria (up to €3,000) and Saarland (up to €2,000). Clearly lower are Baden-Württemberg at €300 and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania at €150 to €350. Hesse and Hamburg state only €145 for the authenticity check and €417 for establishing the reference qualification for pharmacists.

Berlin and Bavaria expect more than a year in individual cases, Rhineland-Palatinate gives four months for the whole procedure for third-country qualifications and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania up to six months for a new application.

In its favour: With a fully documented degree the test can fall away, including the subject special legal fields for pharmacists.
Against it: In most states the report costs more than the test. If substantial differences remain, you pay for both.

Who prepares the report depends on the state

In Baden-Württemberg the state pharmacists' chamber prepares a flat-rate report for €300, which you commission with a declaration to cover the costs when you apply. In Lower Saxony the expert body at the Central Office for Foreign Education prepares the report, not the GfG. In Schleswig-Holstein you commission an external expert yourself with form 06.

Which starting point fits which route

These five situations are the most common among pharmacists:

1. You have worked in a pharmacy for years but do not know German pharmacy law.
The subject special legal fields for pharmacists belongs to every knowledge test (§ 22d(1) AAppO). Plan time to study it. The document assessment can spare you the test if the authority finds your degree equivalent.
2. You can document your degree completely.
Ask your university whether it issues the curriculum with hours, how quickly and at what cost. Find out early whether it issues the hour-by-hour overview per subject. We check with you before you apply whether your documents can be obtained.
3. You decide by cost.
The test costs €170 to €710 in the eight states that state a fixed fee, the report €1,773 in four states. Anyone who goes by price alone will usually choose the test. Baden-Württemberg is the exception with a flat-rate report for €300.
4. Your university cannot issue documents.
Then the knowledge test applies regardless of your choice. The law requires it where documents are missing for reasons beyond your control and the authority could examine the application only with disproportionate effort (§ 10c(3) BApO). Examples are destroyed university archives or a home country without a functioning administration. Choose the test straight away.
5. You want to work as a pharmacist again soon.
Until you are licensed, you can apply for a temporary permit (Berufserlaubnis, § 11 BApO) of two years in total, across all states. The usual condition is non-independent work under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. Requirements and limits are explained on the temporary permit page (in German). The test is held in German, and a specialist language test is needed on both routes (details in German). Plan time to prepare before the test route. Structure, subjects and retakes are on the knowledge test page.

Worked example from the states of the pharmacists

A pharmacist applies in Brandenburg. The knowledge test costs €700 there and the report €1,773. If your degree is found equivalent, you pay €1,073 more than on the test route. If substantial differences remain, the €700 for the test are added, €2,473 in total.

In Baden-Württemberg the relationship turns around: the test costs €600, the flat-rate report of the chamber only €300. On success you save €300; with substantial differences you pay €900. Translations, certifications and the specialist language test are not included in any of these figures.

The cost calculator adds up both routes for your state: the option "My training is assessed on the basis of documents" adds the equivalence report.

The knowledge test Fees in all states

Frequently asked questions

How does the knowledge test for pharmacists work?: It is oral, takes place on one day and lasts 30 to 60 minutes per person (§ 22d AAppO). A board of three members examines in German. The knowledge test in detail
How long do I have to decide?: Until four weeks after you submit your application (§ 10c(2) BApO). Once the four weeks pass, you stay on the standard route, the knowledge test.
How do I tell the authority my decision as a pharmacist?: The law prescribes no form. Ask the competent authority for a form. How to find the competent authority is explained on the page about jurisdiction and moving between states. Jurisdiction and moving states (in German)
Which subjects does the knowledge test for pharmacists cover?: Pharmaceutical practice, special legal fields for pharmacists and a third subject that the authority picks from the subjects with substantial differences (§ 22d(1) AAppO).
Is the document assessment more expensive than the test for pharmacists?: The test costs €170 to €710 in the eight states that state a fixed fee. The report costs €1,773 in four states. Baden-Württemberg charges only €300. What both routes cost
How often can I retake the pharmaceutical knowledge test?: Twice (§ 22d(6) AAppO), so you have three attempts in total. Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Brandenburg require you to take all subjects again in a retake.
What if I cannot obtain my documents?: Then you take the knowledge test. The law requires it where documents are missing for reasons beyond your control (§ 10c(3) BApO).