German language exams

When completing a language course at any of our schools you will normally receive a certificate of attendance with details of the level you have reached. This is sufficient for most students but some will require a more formal and recognised qualification. If you are planning to attend a German university or apply for a job in Germany, you may find that you need to pass an official exam, such as the TestDAF, Goethe Institute and Telc exams.

We offer exam preparation courses for all of these exams. If you are required to take one of these exams by an employer or university/education institute then we do strongly advise that you check which exam you will require and at what level. The exam preparation courses usually focus on getting you ready for the exam, so if you are not currently at the level at which you wish to take the exam, we would recommend taking a ‘normal’ course prior to your ‘Exam Preparation’ course.

Please note that the exam fee is not included in the course price.

Goethe Institute and Telc

The Goethe Institute is an internationally recognised institution whose certificates are recognised by the majority of employers and further education institutes in many countries. The exam levels correspond to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and, therefore, range from A1 to C2 (normally the lowest level exam for which we offer a preparation course is B2). Whilst the certificates awarded do not expire, most employers and further education institutions do expect them to be no more than two years old.

The exam dates are fairly regular but do vary slightly depending on the location. The B2 level exam is usually offered once per month and the other level exams (C1 and C2) are usually offered once every two months. Please contact us for further information.

Schools which offer ‘Exam Preparation’ courses for the Goethe Institute exams:

• Augsburg
• Berlin Mitte
• Berlin Prenzlauerberg (school is actually an examination centre)
• Freiburg (school is actually an examination centre)
• Heidelberg
• Munich Historic Centre

TestDaf

The TestDaf relates to level C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The content focuses on university related topics as this is international students wishing to take a course at a German university are usually required to take this exam to demonstrate their level of German.

The exam itself takes a little over three hours and assesses all four key skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). You cannot fail the exam as it is designed simply to assess your current level of German. However, you will need to achieve level TDN 4 (C1 according to CEFR) in all 4 key skills in order to study at a German university (except for music and art courses).

After taking the TestDaf exam it will take approximately 6-8 weeks for your certificate to be sent to you. As you will need this to enrol at a university, it is recommended that you take the exam by April at the very latest if you intend to start a course at a German university in October. Of course, this does mean that the April exam date does tend to book up very quickly, so we do strongly advise that you book well in advance for this.

Schools which offer ‘Exam Preparation’ courses for the TestDaf exams:

• Augsburg
• Berlin Prenzlauerberg (the school is also an examination centre)
• Freiburg
• Heidelberg
• Munster

Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch (OSD)

This exam is advocated by the Austrian government and is recognised in many different countries and by many employers and institutions as proof of a student’s level of German.

The levels correspond to the CEFR and are as follows:

• A2 Grundstufe Deutsch (GD) – usually sufficient proof of level of German when applying for permanent residency in Austria or Austrian citizenship
• B1 Zertifikat Deutsch (ZD) – widely recognised by employers as sufficient evidence of proficiency in German and improves employability
• B2 Mittelstufe Deutsch (MD) – accepted by some Austrian universities as proof that student has sufficient level to enrol on a course
• C1 Oberstufe Deutsch (OD) – accepted by Austrian and some German universities as proof that student has sufficient level to enrol on a course
• C2 Wirtschaftsprache Deutsch (WD) – illustrates that student is able to converse on business topics in German

Our German school in Vienna, Austria, is an examination centre for the OSD exams and also offers preparation courses. The course start dates and OSD exam dates in 2015 are as follows:

Hopefully this blog gives you a better idea of the options available, but if you do have any questions at all about our German Exam Preparation courses, please do not hesitate to contact us!

Anne Marie