First section of the state examination in pharmacy

What is examined?

§ 17 of the Pharmacists' Licensing Regulations lists four examination subjects: general, inorganic, and organic chemistry; principles of pharmaceutical biology and human biology; principles of physics, physical chemistry, and dosage form science; and principles of pharmaceutical analytics. The examination takes place on four consecutive days. The first two papers each contain 100 questions with two and a half hours' working time; the other two each contain 80 questions with two hours. The questions are set by the Institute for Medical and Pharmaceutical Examination Questions in Mainz, and all examination venues write simultaneously nationwide. Sittings are held twice a year, in spring and in late summer.

How does one pass?

A sliding pass mark applies. Candidates pass if they answer at least half of the questions correctly, or if their performance does not fall more than 18 per cent below the average performance of all candidates at the same sitting. Each subject examination may be retaken twice under § 15 AAppO. After the second unsuccessful resit, the section is permanently failed, and starting the degree programme again does not help. Admission requires not only two years of study but also completion of the Famulatur of eight weeks, at least four of which must be spent in a community pharmacy. Anyone who plans the Famulatur too late thereby postpones the entire examination date.

What does this mean for students from EU countries?

A pharmacy degree programme in Hungary, Croatia, or Romania does not have a First Section in this form; semester examinations and a final examination structure the degree programme there instead. Anyone wishing to transfer to a German university after two or three years submits an application to the state examination office under § 22 AAppO for credit recognition of study periods and examinations. In practice the office tends to compare the certificates and the Transcript of Records individually, recognising some parts and requiring others to be made up. Certified translations and detailed module descriptions are standard for this purpose. There is no legal entitlement to a particular outcome; the authority has a margin of discretion.

Common misconceptions

The First Section is often equated with the Physikum of medical students. Its role in the course of study is similar, but the subjects and the legal basis differ considerably. Also widespread is the assumption that the papers are set by the student's own university. They come from Mainz, uniformly nationwide.