MSB Medicine Selection Test 2027: Complete Preparation Guide

Nine areas, running from the cell outward to whole-body physiology and closing on method.

• Cell biology (Zellbiologie): cell theory and cell types, prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, animal and plant cells, organelles and their functions, membrane structure and transport (diffusion, osmosis and active transport), the cell cycle and mitosis
• Molecular biology (Molekularbiologie): DNA and RNA compared, nucleotides, chromosomes, genes and alleles, replication, from gene to protein (transcription, translation, the genetic code), mutations and their consequences, and the basic biotechnology vocabulary: PCR, gel electrophoresis, restriction enzymes
• Genetics (Genetik): meiosis and variation, Mendelian basics, dominant and recessive, genotype and phenotype, monohybrid crosses and the Punnett square, sex-linked inheritance, blood groups, pedigrees, and simple inheritance probabilities
• Cardiovascular system and blood (Herz-Kreislauf-System & Blut): heart chambers and valves, pulmonary and systemic circulation, arteries, veins and capillaries, blood pressure, and the components of blood and clotting
• Respiration and gas exchange (Atmung & Gasaustausch): the airways and lungs, the mechanics of breathing, gas exchange in the alveoli, haemoglobin and the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide, and the effects of exercise and altitude
• Digestion, metabolism and the kidney (Verdauung, Stoffwechsel & Niere): the digestive tract from mouth to large intestine, digestive enzymes and their substrates, nutrients and absorption, cellular respiration in outline, the kidney and the nephron (filtration, reabsorption, secretion), and homeostasis through osmoregulation and temperature regulation
• Nervous and endocrine systems (Nerven- & Hormonsystem): neuron structure, resting and action potential, the synapse and neurotransmitters, the reflex arc, CNS and PNS, the principle of hormonal control and negative feedback, insulin and glucagon, and nervous against hormonal signalling
• The immune system (Immunsystem): innate and acquired immunity, barriers, inflammation and phagocytes, antigens and antibodies, B cells and T cells, immune memory and vaccination, allergy and autoimmunity
• Evolution, ecology and experimental method (Evolution, Ökologie & experimentelles Arbeiten): natural selection and adaptation, selection pressure, ecosystems, food chains and energy flow, population dynamics and human impact, experimental design (independent and dependent variables, the control group, sources of error), and reading data from charts and tables

The calculation-heavy subject on this paper. A non-graphing calculator is permitted, so stoichiometry, concentration and pH work should be automatic rather than laboured.

• Atomic structure (Atombau): protons, neutrons and electrons, atomic number, mass number and isotopes, electron shells and valence electrons, ions and ionic charge
• The periodic table and bonding (Periodensystem & Bindung): the structure of the periodic table, groups and periods, metals and non-metals, periodic trends in electronegativity, atomic radius and ionisation energy, ionic, covalent and metallic bonding, polar bonds, intermolecular forces and hydrogen bonding, Lewis structures and molecular geometry
• Stoichiometry, solutions and concentration (Stöchiometrie, Lösungen & Konzentration): balancing equations, amount of substance, molar mass and the Avogadro constant, reaction ratios and the limiting reactant, yield, concentration in mol/L and g/L, and dilution with c1·V1 = c2·V2
• Acids, bases and pH (Säuren, Basen & pH): Brønsted acids and bases and conjugate pairs, the pH value and powers of ten, strong and weak acids, neutralisation and salts, buffers, and the shape of a titration curve
• Redox chemistry (Redoxchemie): oxidation and reduction as electron transfer, assigning oxidation numbers, oxidising and reducing agents, the galvanic cell and electrolysis
• Equilibrium, kinetics and thermochemistry (Gleichgewicht, Kinetik & Thermochemie): dynamic equilibrium, Le Chatelier's principle applied to temperature, concentration and pressure, reaction rate, catalysis and activation energy, exothermic and endothermic reactions, and energy diagrams
• Organic chemistry (Organische Chemie): hydrocarbons including alkanes and alkenes, the functional groups (alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, amines, amides), isomerism, the reaction types of addition, substitution, esterification and hydrolysis, and the basics of nomenclature
• Biochemistry and laboratory basics (Biochemie & Laborgrundlagen): the four biomolecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids), amino acids, enzymes and their specificity, the effect of temperature and pH, denaturation, ATP as an energy carrier, and laboratory fundamentals including hazard symbols, glassware and the difference between accuracy and precision

MSB does not state whether a formula sheet is provided, so treat every relationship below as one you need to know rather than one you will be given.

• Measurement, units and kinematics (Messung, Einheiten & Kinematik): SI units and prefixes from milli to mega, unit conversion, scientific notation and orders of magnitude, velocity and acceleration, v = s/t, distance-time and velocity-time diagrams, and free fall
• Forces, work and energy (Kräfte, Arbeit & Energie): Newton's laws, mass and weight, friction, work, kinetic and potential energy, power, conservation of energy, momentum in principle, and pressure as force per unit area
• Fluids and the gas laws (Fluide & Gasgesetze): density and pressure in liquids, hydrostatic pressure and its variation with depth, buoyancy, flow and continuity, laminar and turbulent flow, Boyle's and Charles's laws, and their link to breathing and the circulation
• Heat and thermodynamics (Wärme & Thermodynamik): distinguishing temperature from heat, quantity of heat and specific heat capacity with Q = m·c·ΔT, heat transfer by conduction, convection and radiation, states of matter and phase transitions, and conservation of energy
• Electricity and magnetism (Elektrizität & Magnetismus): charge, current, voltage and resistance, Ohm's law U = R·I, series and parallel circuits, electrical power P = U·I, magnetic fields, the electromagnet and induction
• Waves, optics and radiation (Wellen, Optik & Strahlung): amplitude, wavelength and frequency, v = f·λ, the electromagnetic spectrum, sound and ultrasound, reflection, refraction and lenses, the eye and its defects, ionising and non-ionising radiation, half-life, X-rays and radiation protection

The subject that props up the other three. Expect some of its content to arrive inside a chemistry or physics question rather than announcing itself as mathematics.

• Arithmetic and algebra (Arithmetik & Algebra): fractions, decimals and percentages, percentage change, ratios and proportionality, rounding and estimating, rearranging expressions and solving for one unknown, linear and quadratic equations, powers, roots and logarithms
• Functions and graphs (Funktionen & Graphen): linear functions with gradient and intercept, quadratic functions, exponential growth and decay, and interpreting or comparing functions from the shape of a curve
• Geometry and trigonometry (Geometrie & Trigonometrie): angles, areas and volumes, Pythagoras' theorem, sine, cosine and tangent in a right-angled triangle, and the circle and cylinder in volume and liquid problems
• Probability and statistics (Wahrscheinlichkeit & Statistik): the basics of probability, independent and dependent events, simple conditional probability and its link to genetic crosses, mean, median and mode, spread, standard deviation and the normal distribution in principle, and correlation against causation
• Data interpretation and scientific calculation (Dateninterpretation & wissenschaftliches Rechnen): reading charts and tables correctly, checking axis labels and units, interpolation against extrapolation, percentage points against per cent, recognising misleading graphics, and cross-subject calculation with unit conversion, dilution, half-life and rates

It is Medical School Berlin's own internal admission test for its Human Medicine degree: a 90-minute multiple-choice written paper covering Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics, delivered online on the kuraCloud platform and sat in German. It counts 25% of the admission decision, with the remaining 75% coming from a 20-minute video interview with an integrated case simulation.

No, and MSB does not accept the TMS in its place. The TMS is Germany's public aptitude test for medical-school places, built from nine subtests with no science content. MSB writes its own content-based knowledge test in four school subjects and requires that one specifically.

Online. The written test is computer-based and delivered fully online on the kuraCloud platform, with no webcam required for that part. A calculator is permitted provided it is not a graphing calculator, and no other aids are allowed: phones, smartphones and tablets included. The separate interview stage runs over Microsoft Teams.

German. The Human Medicine programme is a German-taught Staatsexamen degree and the written test is sat in German, even though the school appears in English-language listings internationally. This catches applicants out regularly, so confirm the language of instruction and testing directly with MSB before you commit to preparing.

MSB does not publish this. The rules would sit in its Zulassungs- und Auswahlordnung, which is not published, and MSB's own FAQ says its examination regulations and module handbooks are not publicly accessible to prospective students. There is no published question count, option count, marking scheme or pass mark. What is published is the weighting: written test 25%, interview 75%.

Neither is published. MSB admits 'NC-frei', without the fixed school-grade cut-off that governs entry to Germany's public medical faculties, and it publishes no minimum written-test score. That does not make admission automatic: it means the bar is set inside a selection procedure rather than announced as a number in advance.

MSB has never published a figure. The confirmed facts are that the test runs 90 minutes and is multiple-choice across four subjects. One anonymous 2020 candidate forum post describes 60 questions in 90 minutes and a paper mixing multiple-choice items with right/wrong judgement tasks; it is the only first-hand account that has surfaced, it is uncorroborated, and it is recorded here as exactly that rather than as a fact to plan around.

A selection committee of one professor from human medicine and one from psychology or the social and health sciences, or a person from medical practice: that is how the Wissenschaftsrat's November 2025 institutional reaccreditation report on MSB describes it. The committee weighs the written test at 25% and the video interview with case simulation at 75%.

MSB does not publish a seat count, an applicant volume or an acceptance rate for its Human Medicine programme, so any percentage quoted elsewhere is an estimate rather than a school figure. The size of the programme is on record: the Wissenschaftsrat's November 2025 report counts 1,060 students enrolled in Human Medicine in the winter semester 2024/25, of 3,201 at MSB as a whole.

Within the EU, yes: it is a German Staatsexamen medical qualification, and the route to practice in Germany runs through the Approbation granted by the state authorities. Outside the EU recognition isn't automatic as a rule, but the UK is an exception. Under the Medical Act 1983 (section 21B, as in force on 12 October 2026), the German state examination certificate (Zeugnis über die Ärztliche Prüfung), to which MSB's Staatsexamen programme leads, is a 'relevant European qualification', so a graduate who applies to the GMC with one, whatever their nationality, is not asked to show the knowledge and skills other international graduates prove through PLAB/UKMLA; evidence of English is still required, and the rule is UK policy that can change. US-bound graduates need ECFMG certification via USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK, the same requirement every international medical graduate faces.

Yes. The IvyTest simulator runs MSB-format practice (Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics in a single timed 90-minute block) in timed, tutor and review modes, with a free demo of the simulator available without payment. Because MSB publishes no question count or marking rule, the simulator is built to the confirmed shape of the paper rather than to an invented specification.

MSB's admissions page listed two selection dates on 12 October 2026: 3-4 December 2026 and 4-5 February 2027 (the 22-23 October 2026 date it showed in September is no longer listed). There is no application deadline: MSB takes applications all year and assigns each complete application to the next round with places available, and candidates who pass get a place for the next possible semester, starting 1 April or 1 October. Applicants who receive their Abitur after applying can take part, subject to passing it.

The written test is 90 minutes of multiple-choice questions on mainly basic scientific knowledge (MSB's words: 'vorwiegend naturwissenschaftliches Grundlagenwissen') in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. MSB publishes no syllabus, so the topic list on this page is IvyTest's reconstruction at Abitur level. The 20-minute video interview asks subject-related questions, looks at your suitability, motivation and resilience, social engagement and any training or earlier study, and includes a case simulation.

MSB publishes no pass mark, no applicant numbers and no acceptance rate, so its difficulty cannot be put in figures. What makes it demanding is what MSB does publish: four sciences in a single 90-minute paper, in German, with no syllabus, question count or marking scheme to prepare against. And the written test is only 25% of the decision, so a strong paper cannot make up for a weak interview, which counts 75%.

MSB publishes no sample test, no past papers and no syllabus. Prepare Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics at school level in German, sit full 90-minute mocks with only a non-graphing calculator, and rehearse the interview, which counts 75%. MSB itself offers help: a free student counselling service (Studentische Beratung Humanmedizin), run by medical students of its partner university HMU in Potsdam, that supports preparation for the selection procedure, and regular virtual information events. The practice questions on this page are IvyTest's own.

MSB's information sheet for its December 2024 round, the latest one we could read, describes it: access details by email ahead of the day; a virtual welcome video on the kuraCloud platform at 08:30; the written test from 09:30 to 11:00, with a non-graphing calculator and no other aids and no webcam needed; then the 20-minute individual interviews over Microsoft Teams, in fixed slots from 12:30 across the two days that cannot be swapped. For first-hand experiences, MSB's Studentische Beratung offers personal tips and experience reports from medical students at HMU Potsdam, MSB's partner university.

MSB charges €1,500 a month in the first and second study sections and €300 a month in the practical year until the third medical state examination, plus a one-time €100 enrolment fee and a €500 fee per application procedure. Full-time students must also buy the semester ticket for Berlin's ABC zone, currently €195 for six months. By IvyTest's arithmetic, the first two sections (five years) cost €90,000 in tuition. MSB's FAQ says full-time students can apply for BAföG, as at a public university.

You need the Allgemeine Hochschulreife (an Abitur or equivalent); there is no Numerus Clausus. Apply online or by post with the signed admission application, a CV, copies of your Abitur certificate and ID, a motivation letter of 1-4 A4 pages and, if relevant, proof of training, work, social engagement or earlier study; originals are needed only after an offer. If your school-leaving qualification is not from the German school system, or is an IB Diploma, first get a uni-assist VPD, which can take up to 6 weeks. MSB's FAQ asks international applicants for German, as a rule at level 4 (DSH, TestDaF or another recognised certificate).

In three sections, ending in the Staatsexamen and the right to apply for the Approbation. The first section (4 semesters, the 'Vorklinik') teaches anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, histology and other foundations at MSB's sites in Berlin, mainly in Wilmersdorf, and ends with the first part of the medical state examination. The clinical second section (6 semesters) runs at the Helios Klinikum Berlin-Buch, and the practical year in semesters 11 and 12 is three 16-week tertials there or at another approved hospital. A three-month nursing service, first-aid training and a four-month Famulatur come on top; MSB's programme flyer lists the modules.

MSB stands for MSB Medical School Berlin, Hochschule für Gesundheit und Medizin: a private higher-education institution with state recognition from the State of Berlin. Its Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Natural Sciences are university faculties (MSB labels them 'Universität'), its Faculty of Health Sciences a university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule). The Wissenschaftsrat's statement on its institutional reaccreditation dates from November 2025; it counts 1,060 of MSB's 3,201 students in Human Medicine in the winter semester 2024/25.

Not as a degree. MSB's list of Staatsexamen, Bachelor's and Master's programmes on 12 October 2026 has no Medizintechnik course; the closest is the Master's in Digital Health Management. Its Human Medicine page names medical technology and e-health among the career fields open to doctors.