Nursing language exam (Fachsprachprüfung, B2)
For recognition as a nurse you need German at B2 level. Which certificate counts is decided by your federal state. Here are the three exam routes and the rule for each state.
Content created with AI assistance from authority websites, application forms and the BIBB Anerkennungs-Finder — details may change
Translated from the German original, which is authoritative.
The three exam routes
Fachsprachenprüfung B2 Pflege (FSP)
3 × 20 minutes, individual and scenario-based: simulated patient conversation, conversation with a colleague/doctor, writing a typical nursing document. Pass mark 60 %.
Where: At the recognition authority or organisations it commissions — introduced in HB (09/2022), HH (01/2023), MV (07/2023), SH (01/2024), BE (04/2024), ST (08/2025), NI (02/2026); Bavaria has its own FSP since 12/2025, RLP via the Landespflegekammer (state nursing chamber). Recognised across all states.
Good fit if you are seeking recognition in an FSP state or want to train exactly the exam format that matches your everyday work.
telc Deutsch B1·B2 Pflege
Scaled exam (result B1 or B2). Written 115 min. (listening, reading, language elements + report following instructions, 30 min.), oral approx. 16 min. in pairs (describe a picture, short presentation, discussion). Speaking is the gatekeeper: B2 in the oral part is required for the B2 certificate.
Where: At licensed telc centres (VHS, language schools), approx. 170–205 €, often monthly. Can only be retaken as a whole — no partial exams.
Good fit if you want a nationally common certificate and prefer to take the exam at a language centre.
Goethe-Test PRO Pflege
Digital and adaptive: reading + listening (60–90 min.), writing (75 min., reports/messages), speaking (15 min.: simulated patient conversation and handover).
Where: At Goethe-Instituts and partner centres; since 2019, recognised nationwide.
Good fit if you want the patient conversation and handover in the exam too, but the FSP is not (yet) offered in your state.
Language certificate by federal state
Baden-Württemberg
No own FSP- Accepted:
- General B2 (ALTE providers: Goethe, telc, ÖSD …)
- Authority:
- Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart (state-wide)
- Note:
- Proof only needed when the certificate is issued (Checkliste II), not when you apply.
Bavaria
Own language exam- Accepted:
- B2 list: Goethe B2 / B2 PRO Pflege, telc B2 / B2 Pflege, TestDaF (TDN 3), ÖSD, ECL, DTB, among others
- FSP:
- FSP Pflege Bayern since 12/2025 (voluntary alternative, 3 × 20 min.)
- Authority:
- Bayerisches Landesamt für Pflege (LfP), Amberg
- Note:
- Proof only before the certificate (the LfP requests it — do not send it with the application). Exemptions include training completed in German.
Berlin
FSP B2 Pflege- Accepted:
- B2 from Goethe, telc, TestDaF, ECL (telc from Serbian language schools excluded)
- FSP:
- FSP B2 Pflege introduced 04/2024
- Authority:
- LAGeSo, Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe
- Note:
- Certificate max. 3 years old; not needed when you apply.
Brandenburg
No own FSP- Accepted:
- B2 (no fixed list of providers published)
- Authority:
- LAVG, Landesprüfungsamt, Potsdam
- Note:
- Proof can be submitted later.
Bremen
FSP B2 Pflege- Accepted:
- General B2 OR FSP Pflege certificate
- FSP:
- Pioneer: FSP B2 Pflege since 09/2022 (PBW, on behalf of the state)
- Authority:
- Senatorin für Gesundheit, Referat 20, Bremen
- Note:
- Proof only at the very end (for the licence, after the Kenntnisprüfung [knowledge test]).
Hamburg
FSP B2 Pflege- Accepted:
- B2 language certificate
- FSP:
- FSP B2 Pflege introduced 01/2023
- Authority:
- Sozialbehörde, Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe
- Note:
- The certificate is part of the application documents.
Hesse
FSP B2 Pflege- Accepted:
- Broad list: FSP Pflege, telc B2 / B2 Pflege / B2 Beruf, Goethe B2 / Test PRO Pflege, TestDaF, ÖSD, ECL
- FSP:
- FSP Pflege is accepted as proof
- Authority:
- Hess. Landesamt für Gesundheit und Pflege (HLfGP), Darmstadt
- Note:
- Proof only for the licence, not when you apply.
Lower Saxony
FSP B2 Pflege- Accepted:
- B2 (ALTE) OR nursing-language competence exam (pflegefachsprachliche Kompetenzprüfung) at a Lower Saxony nursing school
- FSP:
- FSP introduced 02/2026. Special feature: a passed Kenntnisprüfung [knowledge test] replaces the language proof!
- Authority:
- Nds. Landesamt für Soziales, Jugend und Familie, Lüneburg
- Note:
- Submit the certificate only AFTER the Gleichwertigkeitsbescheid [equivalence decision].
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
FSP B2 Pflege- Accepted:
- B2 only from: Goethe, telc, ÖSD, TestDaF, DSD II (fixed list)
- FSP:
- FSP adopted 07/2023 according to NDZ; not mentioned in the LAGuS checklist 01/2026 (unverified)
- Authority:
- LAGuS M-V, Landesprüfungsamt für Heilberufe, Rostock
- Note:
- Proof at the latest when the certificate is issued.
North Rhine-Westphalia
Own language exam- Accepted:
- B2 from reliable providers (GBerNachwVO NRW); FSP of the Pflegekammer NRW as an option
- FSP:
- Fachsprachprüfung at the Pflegekammer NRW (voluntary)
- Authority:
- ZAG-PuG, Bezirksregierung Münster (state-wide)
- Note:
- The only state with a codified 3-year limit for the proof.
Rhineland-Palatinate
Own language exam- Accepted:
- B2 (ALTE: Goethe, telc, TestDaF, ÖSD, AFU) OR Deutsch B2 Pflege FSP RLP
- FSP:
- FSP RLP at the Landespflegekammer since 2024 (telc-based)
- Authority:
- LSJV, Referat 53.3, Landau
- Note:
- Proof is requested after the equivalence assessment (Gleichwertigkeitsfeststellung) (original, returned to you).
Saarland
No own FSP- Accepted:
- B2 (details unverified — check the authority's website manually)
- Authority:
- Landesamt für Soziales (LAS), Zentralstelle für Gesundheitsberufe, Saarbrücken
- Note:
- The authority's website blocks automated queries; information partly unverified.
Saxony
No own FSP- Accepted:
- B2 broad list: telc, Goethe, TestDaF 4, ÖSD, DSH-1, DTB, DSD II
- FSP:
- FSP from other states is recognised (max. 3 years old)
- Authority:
- Kommunaler Sozialverband Sachsen (KSV) — not the Landesdirektion!
- Note:
- Certificate max. 3 years old. Exemptions include training completed in German.
Saxony-Anhalt
FSP B2 Pflege- Accepted:
- General B2 for a transition period; goal: FSP B2 Pflege mandatory
- FSP:
- FSP since 08/2025 (Bildungszentrum Magdeburg); FSP from other states recognised
- Authority:
- Landesamt für Soziales, Jugend und Gesundheit (State Office for Social Affairs, Youth and Health; formerly Landesverwaltungsamt), Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe (State Examination Office for Health Professions), Halle
Schleswig-Holstein
FSP B2 Pflege- Accepted:
- General B2; FSP B2 Pflege as a voluntary alternative
- FSP:
- FSP introduced 01/2024 (passage/NDZ)
- Authority:
- SHIBB, Kiel (took over responsibility from the Landesamt in 2025)
Thuringia
No own FSP- Accepted:
- Complete B2 certificate: Goethe, telc, ÖSD, TestDaF, ECL
- Authority:
- Thüringer Landesverwaltungsamt, Weimar
- Note:
- Certificate must show exam parts + points; due only before the professional licence (Berufserlaubnis).
As of 07/2026, researched from the recognition authorities’ websites. Rules change — check with your authority which certificate currently applies before you register.
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