first section of the dental state examination

When and how is the examination taken?

§ 28 ZApprO sets the earliest date at the end of the fourth subject semester. § 29 ZApprO prescribes the format: an oral examination. Four units are examined: the subject groups Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with Chemistry, Microscopic and Macroscopic Anatomy with Biology, and Physiology with Physics, plus the subject Dental Propedeutics. At least a pass grade is required in each unit, and the overall mark is the average of the four numerical scores. Two resits are permitted per subject group. The summons is issued by the competent authority under § 31 ZApprO no later than five calendar days before the date; examinations take place during the semester break in small groups of at most four students per session.

What has changed compared to the old regulations?

Until 2021 the dental preliminary examination followed five semesters, preceded by the science preliminary examination. The First Section consolidates both and moves forward to four semesters; Dental Propedeutics is also added as a dental subject in the pre-clinical period. For transitional cases § 134 ZApprO governs the changeover: anyone who had not been admitted to the dental preliminary examination by 10 February 2025 transfers to the new rules, and anyone who had already passed the science preliminary examination is exempt from Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.

What applies to students from EU countries?

Universities in Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, or Croatia have their own preliminary examinations, but there is no German First Section. It becomes relevant primarily in the context of a study transfer to Germany: anyone transferring to a higher subject semester must sit the German examination, and whether credits obtained abroad are recognised as equivalent is decided by the competent state authority on a case-by-case basis. This recognition is a genuine bottleneck, because places in clinical semesters are scarce and the procedures can take several months. In practice, two bodies decide separately: the university on the semester placement, and the state authority on admission to the examination.

Common misconceptions

The First Section is not the Physikum of medical students, even though the subject areas overlap. Anyone who has passed the First Section of the Medical State Examination need only sit Dental Propedeutics under § 29 ZApprO.