Write Exam Pending, Not Passed, On Your German CV
Until your certificate arrives, write your German exam as pending, not passed. Here is the exact wording a hospital expects to see on your CV.
Ahmed Quteishat
Assistenzarzt, Innere Medizin (Berlin) · Founder of Klaro
If your German doctor exam result is not out yet, write it as pending, not passed.
The exam is usually the medical knowledge exam (Kenntnisprüfung) or the medical language exam (Fachsprachprüfung).
A hospital's HR office can call the state medical chamber (Landesärztekammer) and check your real file.
A false 'passed' gets your CV thrown out before anyone reads page two.
What exact words go on the CV?
Write the real exam date, not the year you hope to pass.
Add the word 'pending' for the result. In German, use the word 'ausstehend' if the job advert is in German.
Example line: 'Kenntnisprüfung: exam date 14.03.2026, result pending.'
That line is true today. It stays true until the certificate (Bescheid) arrives.
Why does a hospital even check?
The chamber holds your real file: your exam date, your attempts, your result.
There are 17 chambers in Germany, one per state. Each one answers the same phone question the same way.
A head doctor hiring for a ward shift does not want surprises in week 2.
Finding out your 'passed' was not true ends more than the lie. It ends the whole application.
How long does pending usually last?
The office must confirm your paper file within 1 month. It must decide within 4 months once your file is complete (as of 2026-10).
Getting an actual exam date takes much longer. In Bavaria, the wait for the knowledge exam grew from 6 months to 21 months (as of 2026-10).
That means 'pending' can sit on your CV for well over a year.
That is normal. A German hospital reading applications from foreign doctors already knows it.
What about the language exam?
The medical language exam (Fachsprachprüfung) is one 60-minute exam in 3 parts. It covers a patient interview, a written report, and a talk with a doctor examiner (as of 2026-10).
It tests your German, not your medicine.
If you have a seat booked, write 'registered for March 2026' or 'angemeldet, März 2026'.
Keep the same wording in your cover letter, word for word.
Before you send this CV
- Write the exam date you actually have, not the year you expect to pass.
- Use the word 'pending' for any result the chamber has not issued yet.
- Match the wording in your CV and your cover letter exactly.
- Ask the HR office one direct question: do you want my exam date or my result first?
Stand: 2026-10-25. 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.
Ahmed Quteishat — Assistenzarzt, Innere Medizin (Berlin) · Founder of Klaro
Ahmed built Klaro after watching how much of a doctor's move to Germany gets lost in paperwork rather than medicine.
