Neuruppin, 7 May 2021

The second class of medical students at the MHB Theodor Fontane has successfully passed the written state examination M2, according to the central evaluation by the German Institute for medical and pharmaceutical examinations IMPP.

In a first statement, Prof. Markus Deckert as Dean of the MHB Faculty of Medicine and Psychology congratulates all successful examinees and is pleased to note that MHB students advanced in the ranking, even surpassing several renowned medical schools. Unfortunately, two MHB candidates did not pass the exam. Prof. Deckert points out that results in general are close together, and that nationwide results of this particular exam were below average performance: “We shall again study the results in detail to identify aspects of instruction and exam preparation that need to be amended.

Prof. Stefanie Oess, Vice Dean for Curricular and Student Affairs, believes that the second class has profited from experience won by the first class, and generally enjoyed better study conditions compared to the pioneering first cohort of MHB students at a new and evolving medical school. She underlines that results of a written examination should, in principle, not be overestimated as indicators of the academic quality of a university or the professional capabilities of its medical graduates.

The expert committees at the IMPP who prepare and evaluate state examinations also include MHB professors. “Meticulous preparation and excellent standards notwithstanding, such examinations primarily test memorized factual knowledge. But this is not part of the criteria applied in our selection procedures, nor is it of highest priority in a physician’s daily routines. Precisely this aspect of conventional medical training has met with frequent criticism and is the main reason for current nationwide revisions of medical education and a stronger orientation towards model curricula such as ours”, so Prof. Deckert.

According to MHB president Prof. Edmund Neugebauer, the continuous efforts of all involved at the MHB to improve teaching and research, organizational development and academic administration are beginning to bear fruit: “The predominantly positive performance at this year’s state examination should not be overrated. Nevertheless I take the opportunity to thank all people concerned for their support and trust in our first years at the MHB. Our thanks go likewise to all those who contribute to our success on a daily basis and can justifiably be proud of their achievements.”