Studying medicine without an A-level: HAM-Nat makes it possible
Over 1200 prospective students were invited to Magdeburg to take part in the HAM-Nat science test in order to improve their prospects of gaining a place to study medicine.
Once again this year, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg offered prospective students the opportunity to take the HAM-Nat science test to gain a place on a medical degree programme. The applicants took advantage of this opportunity in 2025 and underwent the demanding selection process in Magdeburg on 7 and 8 March.
Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg has been using the HAM-Nat to select future medical students since 2012. This procedure gives applicants without an A-level in particular the opportunity to improve their chances of admission through a combination of test result and A-level grade. In addition to Magdeburg, the HAM-Nat is also used at other universities such as Hamburg and Greifswald, in some cases supplemented by other test procedures. This year, however, the HAM-Nat was only carried out in Magdeburg and Hamburg.
Photo: HAM-Nat selection test 2025 for medical studies in lecture theatre 7 on the campus of the University Medical Centre Magdeburg. Photographer: Melitta Schubert/University Medicine Magdeburg
‘The HAM-Nat opens doors to medicine for talented young people with passion and potential. It is our guide to ensure that committed applicants with the right skills and knowledge can find their way to medical school to realise their dream of becoming a doctor. We see it not only as a selection process, but also as a bridge to medical school for prospective doctors,’ explains Dean Prof Dr Daniela C. Dieterich.
The test includes questions from the medically relevant basic subjects of biology, chemistry and physics as well as the test modules ‘Figural Matrices’ and ‘Arithmetic Problem Solving’. After the evaluation, participants receive a certificate that can be used for applications to the Foundation for University Admissions and is also valid the following year.
Background
The allocation of study places for human medicine is based on a quota model in which the HAM-Nat is taken into account both in the ‘university selection procedure’ (AdH) and in the ‘additional aptitude quota’ (ZEQ). The latter quota is based on aptitude criteria independent of school grades. In Saxony-Anhalt, there is also the option of obtaining a study place via the ‘Landarztquote’ or the ‘Amtsarztquote’. These paths are open to applicants who commit to working as a doctor in Saxony-Anhalt for ten years after completing their studies and further training.
A total of 196 study places are available at the Magdeburg Medical Faculty for the winter semester 2025/26. Further information can be found here.