The Best Apps to Prepare for the Fachsprachprüfung and telc Pflege Exams (2026)
By Bengi Coskun, Co-founder, OGIMA · Last updated 2026-08-01
Before you buy anything, work out which exam you need. This sounds obvious and it is the most expensive mistake in this field: doctors and nurses take different German exams, requirements vary by Bundesland, and people lose months preparing for the wrong one.
Once that is settled, the second thing to know is that the oral part is where prepared candidates fail. The written modules reward the study habits you already have, so that is where the hours go, and then you sit down opposite an examiner with a clock running and a task you have not seen before. This guide covers which exam is which, and which tools actually move the oral.
Which exam do you need?
| You are | Exam | Level | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| A doctor | Fachsprachprüfung, commonly telc Deutsch B2·C1 Medizin | B2 general, C1 specialist | Approbation (medical licence) |
| A nurse | telc Deutsch B1·B2 Pflege | Dual-level, B1 or B2 by result | Professional recognition |
| A nurse | Goethe-Test PRO Pflege | B2 | Professional recognition |
Notes that matter:
- telc Deutsch B2·C1 Medizin demonstrates work-specific German at B2 and specialist medical language at C1, and is a step in the Approbation process (telc).
- telc B1·B2 Pflege is dual-level. You sit one exam and receive either a B1 or a B2 certificate depending on how you perform. It has run since 2013 and has the deepest pool of practice material.
- Goethe-Test PRO Pflege has been available since 2019 at B2, recognised by the authorities, with an adaptive digital format for listening and reading (Goethe-Institut).
- The Fachsprachprüfung for doctors is administered by the state medical chambers, and the exact requirements differ by Bundesland. Confirm with the authority handling your file before you book.
The best apps to prepare in 2026
For the oral part — the one that decides it
- OGIMA: scenario-based German speaking practice built around specific situations rather than lessons, which maps closely onto how these orals work — you are given a situation and have to talk. The Doctors and Nurses community covers ward and clinical scenarios directly, including the simulated patient in front of a real licensing panel. Free to start.
- italki / Preply: a tutor is the closest thing to an examiner you can buy. Filter for medical German or exam preparation experience. Even fortnightly sessions change the oral outcome more than any app.
- Speak: voice-first AI German for general spoken fluency and daily reps. No exam format, but it builds the underlying ability to produce German at speed.
- Langua: natural-pace AI German conversation, useful for training your ear on real speech rather than exam-recording speech.
For terminology and exam format
- ApproLearn (Medical German): built for international doctors and nurses preparing for German medical-language exams and licensing in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The closest thing to a purpose-built FSP study app.
- German for Nurses: ward vocabulary, patient-care phrases, and doctor-to-nurse dialogue, aimed at the nursing side.
- Medical German Language: a few hundred medical terms and expressions for healthcare work in German-speaking countries.
For the general German underneath
- Babbel: solid for structure and the grammar these exams assume you already have.
- Pimsleur: audio-led with spoken repetition, better than tap-based apps at pushing you toward production.
- Duolingo: a daily habit and early vocabulary. Nothing exam-specific.
| Tool | Best for | Helps the oral? | Exam-specific? | Free option? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OGIMA | Rehearsing clinical scenarios out loud | Yes | Scenario format | Yes |
| italki / Preply | Examiner-like correction | Yes, most | If tutor knows the exam | No |
| Speak | General spoken fluency | Yes | No | Limited |
| Langua | Natural-pace listening and speaking | Yes | No | Limited |
| ApproLearn | Medical terminology and exam format | Indirectly | Yes | Limited |
| German for Nurses | Nursing vocabulary | Indirectly | Partly | Limited |
| Babbel / Pimsleur | Underlying German | Partly | No | Trial |
The free resource almost everyone skips
Both telc and Goethe publish model tests. They are free, they are the actual format, and a startling number of candidates never sit one under timed conditions before exam day. Do that first, before you buy anything — it tells you whether your problem is terminology, listening speed, or speaking under pressure, and those three problems need three different tools.
A four-week plan for the oral
Assuming you already hold roughly the right level and the exam is the gate:
- Week 1 — sit a model test cold, timed. Note which part collapsed. Load terminology gaps from a vocabulary app in short daily bursts.
- Week 2 — daily out-loud rehearsal of the exam’s spoken tasks. Record yourself. It is unpleasant and it is the fastest feedback available for free.
- Week 3 — add a tutor session or two specifically on the oral format. Bring your recordings.
- Week 4 — full timed run-throughs, with a partner if the exam is paired. Reduce new input to near zero; this week is performance, not study.
The detailed breakdown of the nursing oral — its three parts, the scoring criteria, and the scenarios that come up — is in the telc B1·B2 Pflege speaking guide.
Should you just use ChatGPT?
For terminology and format questions, it is genuinely useful and free. For the oral, it has the same two problems it has everywhere: it is text-first by default, and it is agreeable, so it will not tell you that your answer would have scored badly. It cannot simulate examiner pressure, and pressure is the variable the exam is actually testing. Use it to study, not to rehearse.
How do you choose?
- You are a doctor heading for Approbation: confirm the requirement with your Bundesland, then ApproLearn for terminology plus a tutor for the oral.
- You are a nurse choosing between telc and Goethe: telc unless you have a reason to prefer Goethe — more practice material, more widely known, and the dual-level result is a useful safety net.
- You already have the level and just need the exam: skip the courses, do model tests and timed spoken rehearsal.
- You are still building general German: that comes first. The realistic timeline is in how long it takes to learn German.
The day-to-day ward version of this, rather than the exam version, is in the best apps to practise medical German for nurses. The whole recognition path is in how to learn German for nursing.
Frequently asked questions
Which German exam do I need, FSP or telc Pflege?
It depends on your profession. Doctors seeking Approbation take the Fachsprachprüfung, which many sit as telc Deutsch B2·C1 Medizin. Nurses seeking recognition take telc Deutsch B1·B2 Pflege or Goethe-Test PRO Pflege. They are not interchangeable, and requirements vary by Bundesland, so confirm with the authority handling your file before booking anything.
Is Goethe-Test PRO Pflege as good as telc B1·B2 Pflege?
Both are accepted by the German recognition authorities. telc has been running since 2013, is more widespread, and has far more practice material available, which is why most nurses choose it. Goethe-Test PRO Pflege arrived in 2019 at B2 and uses an adaptive digital format for the receptive parts. telc is dual-level, so one sitting yields either a B1 or a B2 certificate depending on your result.
What is the best app to prepare for the Fachsprachprüfung?
No app prepares you for the whole exam, and be sceptical of any that claims to. Use a medical German app like ApproLearn for terminology and exam-format familiarity, then rehearse the spoken parts out loud with a tutor or a speaking-first app. The oral is a performance, and performances are prepared by performing.
Why do candidates fail the oral part?
Because they prepared for it by reading. The written modules reward study, so study is where the time goes, and then the oral arrives with an examiner, a clock, and a task you have not seen. Candidates who know more than enough German freeze. The fix is reps under time pressure, not more vocabulary.
How long should I prepare for the oral part?
Four weeks of daily out-loud rehearsal is enough for most candidates who already hold the underlying level. What matters is that the practice is spoken and timed. Four weeks of reading about the exam format is not the same thing and does not produce the same result.
Can I prepare for these exams for free?
Partly. Both telc and Goethe publish model tests, which are the single most valuable free resource and the thing most candidates skip. Add a language exchange partner for spoken reps and free-tier AI conversation practice. What you cannot get free is an examiner-like assessment of your speaking, which is what a tutor is for.
Sources
- telc Deutsch B2·C1 Medizin, the medical Fachsprachprüfung: telc.
- telc Deutsch B1·B2 Pflege, the nursing exam: telc.
- Goethe-Test PRO Pflege compared with telc B1·B2 Pflege: Goethe-Institut.
- German language requirements for Approbation by Bundesland: Marburger Bund.