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Kolloquium (oral examination)

A Kolloquium is an oral examination in conversation format, in which you set out your knowledge of a defined block of topics. At many European medical faculties, Kolloquien take the place of the large German multiple-choice exams.

Latin colloquium = conversation, discussion

oral examination, subject discussion

oral examination, colloquium

In a Kolloquium, one lecturer usually examines two to five students together. The questions are about how things connect rather than tick-box knowledge, often directly on a specimen, a model or a case.

The format has a real advantage: if you are examined orally on a regular basis, you practise expressing yourself as a doctor from the start – exactly the skill you need later at the bedside, on ward rounds and in your specialist examination.

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