Overview
The Test für Medizinische Studiengänge (TMS), sometimes called the "Medizinertest," is a scholastic aptitude test used in applications to study human medicine, dentistry, and some related subjects (such as veterinary medicine and pharmacy at certain universities) in Germany. It is developed and scored by ITB Consulting GmbH on behalf of the participating German universities, and registration runs through the official site tms-info.org. Taking the TMS is voluntary, but almost all public medical faculties in Germany weight it in their own university-run selection procedure (Auswahlverfahren der Hochschulen, AdH) and in the additional-aptitude quota (Zusätzliche Eignungsquote, ZEQ), so a good score can meaningfully improve admission chances.
Important
Autumn 2026 is scheduled to be the last administration of the TMS in its current form. Starting with the winter 2027/28 admissions cycle, Germany is introducing a successor test, TMSnat, which can be taken more than once per year. TMS results from the spring and autumn 2025 and 2026 sittings are reported to remain usable in applications through the summer 2028 semester. Confirm the current transition rules on tms-info.org before relying on an older TMS score.
Note
The official tms-info.org domain could not be fetched directly in this environment, so the facts below are corroborated from German-language secondary sources that cite ITB Consulting's own published material (FAQ pages, information brochure, registration timelines). Verify exact dates, fees, and subtest timings on tms-info.org before relying on them.
The TMS is specific to Germany and should not be confused with Austria's MedAT or Switzerland's EMS. All three are aptitude tests used for medical-school admission in German-speaking countries, but they are run by different bodies, follow different formats, and are not interchangeable: a TMS score is not accepted in place of the MedAT in Austria or the EMS in Switzerland, and vice versa.
Who can apply
Anyone who holds, or will obtain during the current or following school year, a general or subject-restricted German higher-education entrance qualification (Hochschulzugangsberechtigung) can register. This covers German nationals, nationals of other EU/EEA states, and non-EU nationals who obtained their entrance qualification at a German Gymnasium. Taking the TMS does not itself count as an application to study medicine; it is a separate test whose result is later submitted alongside a university application.
Exam pattern
The TMS has 8 subtests with 184 tasks in total (158 of them scored), run over about 307 minutes on a single test day, split into a morning and an afternoon part. Candidates are assigned to a test centre and sit on one of two days (Saturday or Sunday) during each test weekend.
| Subtest | Tasks | Time | What it tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pattern assignment (Muster zuordnen) | 24 | 30 min | Matching a target pattern to the correct option among visually similar figures |
| Tube figures (Schlauchfiguren) | 24 | 15 min | Spatial reasoning — tracking a path through a tangle of tubes |
| Medical-scientific basic understanding | 24 | 60 min | Applying basic school-level biology, chemistry, and physics concepts |
| Quantitative and formal problems | 24 | 60 min | Mathematical and logical problem-solving |
| Figure learning (Figuren lernen) | 20 | 4 min study + 5 min recall | Memorising and later recognising abstract visual figures |
| Fact learning (Fakten lernen) | 20 | 6 min study + 7 min recall | Memorising and later recalling short factual statements |
| Text comprehension (Textverständnis) | 24 | 60 min | Reading and reasoning about complex, medicine-related texts |
| Diagrams and tables | 24 | 60 min | Reading and interpreting data presented in charts and tables |
Marking and results
Each subtest and the overall test are scored and reported as a percentile rank (0–100, showing what share of that day's candidates scored the same or lower) and a standard score (scaled to a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 10, typically reported on a 70–130 scale). The standard score is renormalised separately for each test date, so scores from different sittings are comparable to each other but reflect that sitting's candidate group.
Universities decide for themselves how heavily the TMS result counts within their AdH quota, and in the ZEQ — where the Abitur grade plays no legal role — some universities weight the TMS at up to 100%.
Important dates
For 2026, the TMS is offered twice:
Spring TMS: Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 May 2026, with online registration in January 2026 (February 2026 for repeat test-takers).
Autumn TMS: Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November 2026, with online registration in July 2026 (August 2026 for repeat test-takers). Reports indicate this is the final scheduled TMS sitting before TMSnat replaces it.
Exact registration windows and test-centre allocation are published on tms-info.org ahead of each sitting; confirm current deadlines there.
Fees
For 2026, the participation fee is reported as €100, payable online at the time of registration by instant bank transfer or credit card.
How to apply
Registration is online, through tms-info.org, during the registration window for the chosen sitting (spring or autumn). Applicants provide their personal and eligibility details, pay the fee to confirm registration, and select a preferred test centre, subject to availability.
Candidates may sit the TMS at most twice in total, and a second attempt is only permitted within 12 months of the first attempt.
After the exam
Results are issued by ITB Consulting after the test date and can then be submitted as part of a medicine (or related subject) application, typically through the central hochschulstart.de process and/or directly to individual universities' own selection procedures, depending on how each university uses the TMS in its AdH and ZEQ quotas.
Preparation tips
Practise all 8 subtests, not just the ones that feel intuitive — the figure-learning and fact-learning subtests have an unusual study-then-recall format that is worth rehearsing in advance so the timing does not come as a surprise.
Work on pacing for the strictly timed subtests (about 1 to 2.5 minutes per task depending on the subtest); practising under timed conditions matters as much as knowing the content.
Refresh basic school-level biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics for the medical-scientific and quantitative subtests, since these draw on general science rather than university-level material.
Check tms-info.org directly for official sample tasks and the current information brochure before the test, since timings and formats have changed in the past (for example, the pattern-assignment subtest's time limit was extended in 2022).
Is the TMS compulsory to study medicine in Germany?
No. Taking the TMS is voluntary. However, almost all public medical faculties in Germany use it within their own selection procedure (AdH) and the additional-aptitude quota (ZEQ), so most applicants take it to improve their chances.
How many times can the TMS be taken?
At most twice in total. A second attempt is only allowed within 12 months of the first attempt; after that window, the result from the first attempt stands.
Is the TMS the same test as Austria's MedAT or Switzerland's EMS?
No. The TMS, MedAT, and EMS are separate aptitude tests for medical-school admission, run by different organisations for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland respectively. A score on one is not accepted in place of another.
Will the TMS still be offered after 2026?
Reports indicate that autumn 2026 is the last scheduled TMS sitting, and that a successor test, TMSnat, replaces it from the winter 2027/28 admissions cycle. Confirm current transition arrangements, including how long existing TMS results remain valid, on tms-info.org.