Write full words in German reports

Write medical words in full in your German language exam report. Clear units such as mg, ml, mmHg, and °C are fine beside a number. Short forms like “AZ reduziert” can confuse the examiner and cost marks.

The written report is one part of the medical language exam for doctors (Fachsprachprüfung). You are showing that a colleague can read your patient report without guessing.

What the examiner needs to read

The examiner needs a clear patient story. They need symptoms, examination findings, test results, your suspected diagnosis, and the next steps.

Picture a junior doctor reading your report at 7am. They should understand the patient without asking what one short form means.

• Use full sentences for symptoms, such as “The patient reports chest pain since yesterday.”
• Write full medical words for diagnoses, such as “arterial hypertension.”
• Write the drug name, dose, and frequency, such as “Ramipril 5 mg once daily.”
• Write the measurement with its unit, such as “blood pressure 160/95 mmHg.”

Short forms that are low risk

Use short forms for units that sit directly after a number. These units save space without making the sentence hard to understand.

• 5 mg
• 500 ml
• 38.5 °C
• 160/95 mmHg
• 120/min

Short forms to write out

Write these words in full, even if you use them daily on a ward. A report examiner has no time to decode your personal shorthand.

• Write “general condition reduced” instead of “AZ reduziert.”
• Write “condition after appendectomy” instead of “Z. n. Appendektomie.”
• Write “without abnormal findings” instead of “o. B.”
• Write “intravenous” instead of “i.v.”
• Write “oral” instead of “p.o.”

Why this matters in the exam

The medical language exam is a language exam, not a medical knowledge test. The written report follows a patient interview, so your German must be clear and complete.

The exam lasts 60 minutes in 3 parts of about 20 minutes. One part is writing the patient report after the interview.

Use this simple rule

If the short form could have 2 meanings, write the full word. If it is a unit beside a number, use the short form.

What to do before exam day

1. Make a personal list of 20 short forms you use at work or in study notes.
2. Rewrite each one as a full German phrase.
3. Write 3 patient reports with full words, then check every line for shorthand.
4. Ask your language teacher to mark unclear words in red.
5. Keep only units like mg, ml, mmHg, and °C as short forms.

Stand: 2026-10-19. This is a guide, not legal advice. Every German state has its own rules, and rules change. Check with your state's [medical chamber (Landesärztekammer)](https://www.bundesaerztekammer.de/aerztekammern) before you act.