Which German exam do you need?

Choosing an exam

• Goethe B1/B2 are modular (pass and certify module by module, repeat only a failed module); telc B1/B2 are one exam with a written and an oral part that must both reach 60 %, but a failed part can normally be repeated alone within a year.
• telc has a separate Sprachbausteine part (grammar and vocabulary in gap texts); Goethe has no separate grammar part - grammar counts inside writing and speaking.
• Goethe B1 Sprechen contains a structured presentation with five slides; telc B1 Sprechen has a get-to-know-you part, a conversation about a short text or statistic, and a planning task. Both are pair exams.
• Goethe B1 Schreiben has three tasks (informal e-mail, opinion text, short formal message); telc B1 has one semi-formal/formal letter with four Leitpunkte. Goethe B2 asks for at least 150 + 100 words in two tasks; telc B2 asks for one letter of roughly 150 words or more with a choice between two tasks.
• The DTZ is free for integration-course participants, reports A2 or B1 per area, and is designed for everyday life in Germany (letters to offices, landlords, schools). It is accepted for the settlement permit and naturalisation like Goethe/telc B1; for university admission or professional recognition institutions usually ask for Goethe, telc, ÖSD or TestDaF/DSH at the required level instead.
• ÖSD (Austria) offers equivalent A1-C2 exams recognised in Germany, Austria and Switzerland; the ÖSD Zertifikat B1 is the same exam as the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 (jointly developed).
• Difficulty is comparable at the same CEFR level; choose by format preference (modular vs one exam, presentation vs statistics), availability of dates, price, and what the target institution accepts.
• Above B2, for studying in Germany (HRK/KMK Rahmenordnung RO-DT, §§ 4, 7 and 8): the DSH is set and run by each university and reports DSH-1/DSH-2/DSH-3 (DSH-2 is the usual admission level); the TestDaF is one central exam at licensed centres and reports TDN 3/4/5 per part (TDN 4 in all four parts is the usual admission level); the Goethe-Zertifikat C2: GDS, the ÖSD Zertifikat C2 and telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule exempt from the DSH/TestDaF requirement; the ÖSD Zertifikat C1 is accepted by some German universities (osd.at lists them) - for the Goethe-Zertifikat C1 or any other certificate check the institution's own list. Goethe C1/C2 and ÖSD C2 are modular; telc C1 Hochschule has a written and an oral part that must both reach 60 %.

Levels and how long they take

• CEFR levels: A2 = basic user (everyday routines, simple exchanges), B1 = independent user (main points of clear standard speech, connected text on familiar topics, describe experiences and plans, give reasons), B2 = can follow complex texts, discuss abstractly, write clear detailed texts and argue a view.
• C1 = proficient user: speaks spontaneously and fluently, knows colloquial idioms and can vary the style deliberately, keeps a high degree of grammatical accuracy (telc's description), communicates in complex social and professional contexts with a high degree of correctness and appropriateness (ÖSD's description). C2 = understands practically everything read or heard with ease, summarises information from several written and spoken sources with reasons and explanations, expresses itself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely and brings out finer shades of meaning (Goethe-Institut's description).
• Goethe-Institut recommends roughly 200-350 lessons (45 min) before A2, 350-650 before B1, 600-800 before B2, 800-1,000 before C1 and at least 1,000 before C2; the actual need depends on the learner.
• Official free practice: the Goethe-Institut publishes "Modellsatz" and "Übungssatz" sets for each level on goethe.de (with audio and answer keys); telc publishes "Übungstest" PDFs with audio on telc.net; the BAMF and telc publish DTZ Modelltests. Always practise with the current versions of these.
• Certificates do not formally expire, but universities, employers and immigration authorities often ask for a certificate that is not older than 1-2 years; check the requirement of the institution.
• Prices are set by the test centre; in Germany a B1 exam is typically in the range of about 150-300 EUR, B2 somewhat more. Registration deadlines are usually several weeks before the date.
• Recognised for German citizenship (Einbürgerung: level B1) and settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis: usually B1) are among others the Goethe-Zertifikat, telc Deutsch, ÖSD and the DTZ; check the current rules of the responsible office, they change.
• Register: learners must not mix "du" and "Sie" inside one letter; formal letters use "Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren," / "Sehr geehrte Frau X," and close with "Mit freundlichen Grüßen" (no comma after the closing, name on the next line); informal letters use "Liebe Anna," / "Lieber Tom," and "Liebe Grüße" or "Viele Grüße". After the comma of the salutation the first word is written in lower case unless it is a noun or "Sie".
• ÖSD (Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch) is a separate provider - not Goethe and not telc: a state-recognised Austrian exam system run by an independent non-profit association, with exams from the ÖSD Zertifikat A1 up to the ÖSD Zertifikat C1 and ÖSD Zertifikat C2 (plus youth and job-specific versions). Austrian universities accept ÖSD certificates between B1 and C2 - which level depends on the university and the programme - as the language proof for admission to German-language degrees (and ask for A2 already at application since the 2019 summer semester); German universities accept the ÖSD Zertifikat B2, C1 or C2 depending on the university, and under the HRK/KMK Rahmenordnung (RO-DT § 8) the ÖSD Zertifikat C2 exempts from the DSH/TestDaF requirement. Above B2 the choice is therefore Goethe C1/C2, telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule, TestDaF, DSH or ÖSD C1/C2 - pick by what the target institution lists.

Strategy and common mistakes

• Reading: read the questions first, underline key words, work through the easy Teile first (matching ads, the instruction text), skip and return, and leave about 5 minutes to transfer all answers to the Antwortbogen - only the Antwortbogen is marked. Matching tasks: cross out ads already used; expect that some people get "kein passendes Angebot"/"x" and do not force a match. Opinion tasks (ja/nein): a comment can contain "aber" - decide by the overall stance, not by the first sentence.
• Listening: use the reading time before each part to predict the topic and the kind of information asked (number, place, reason). Mark answers while listening, never afterwards from memory. In parts played twice, use the first run for the main idea and the second for checking. Do not stop on an unknown word; the next item is coming. Guess rather than leave items blank (no negative marking).
• Writing: spend 2-3 minutes planning (one line per content point), write, then keep 3-5 minutes to check verb endings, verb position in subordinate clauses (weil/dass/obwohl send the verb to the end), capitalisation of nouns, "Sie/Ihnen/Ihr" capitalised in formal letters, commas before "dass/weil", salutation and closing. Cover EVERY content point; a missing point costs more than several small grammar errors. Memorised text that does not fit the task is penalised. Respect the approximate length: clearly too short answers lose points; going somewhat over is fine.
• Speaking: react to your partner (questions, agreement, disagreement), do not deliver a monologue in a dialogue task; use the preparation time for keywords, not full sentences; when you do not understand, ask ("Könntest du das bitte wiederholen?"). Pronunciation is rated too: speak slowly and clearly.
• Typical learner errors examiners see: wrong verb position after subordinating conjunctions, missing or wrong articles/adjective endings, dative/accusative after prepositions (in + Akk = direction, in + Dat = location), Perfekt with the wrong auxiliary, "ich bin 20 Jahre" (missing "alt"), "Ich habe Interesse für" (correct: "an"), mixing du/Sie, "Mit freundlichen Grüßen," with a comma, forgetting the subject after a fronted element (verb must stay in position 2).
• Time plan (example B1): 6-8 weeks, 45-60 minutes daily; each week one full listening set and one reading set from an official Modellsatz, two timed writing tasks, three speaking sessions (record yourself), vocabulary by topic (Arbeit, Wohnen, Gesundheit, Reisen, Medien, Umwelt, Bildung, Familie, Einkaufen, Freizeit, Ernährung, Verkehr, Ämter) with gender, plural and one example sentence; a full timed mock exam in the last week.