TestDaF Examination

TestDaF – (Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache) is a language examination for foreign learners of German who wish to study in Germany or who wish to have some form of written confirmation of their knowledge of German. It is recognised by all German universities.

TestDaF is a centralised and standardised examination which is devised and graded by the TestDaF-Institut. The Department of German as a Foreign Language at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum is a licensed testing centre and conducts the test six times a year. You can also prepare for the exam by taking a TestDaF-Intensive Course with us.

The structure of the digital TestDaF: reading, listening, writing, speaking

The digital TestDaF is conducted online on the computer and consists of four examination parts. First you work on reading tasks, followed by listening, writing and speaking. Short answers in the listening section and texts for the writing section are typed on the PC keyboard. You also use the computer for speaking: you listen to the task via headphones and your answers are recorded.

Contents of the examination parts

The topics and tasks of the TestDaF are directly related to university studies. They are based on important communicative tasks in lectures, discussions or working groups as well as other study-related activities at the university. For example, it is a question of giving an opinion on a seminar presentation by fellow students, noting down important contents of a lecture or summarising texts. As in your studies, the test combines various communicative skills. For example, you read a text, which you then summarise orally, or you listen to a lecture and read a summary of it.

You can find more information here on the page of the TestDaF-Institut.

The digital TestDaF

• The digital TestDaF includes a broader range of linguistic tasks that cover current and typical communication situations in studies, e.g. taking part in a discussion event at the university or presenting a topic in a tutorial.
• Language requirements of studies are authentically mapped, e.g. conducting a technical discussion in a seminar or participating in a student working group. You will thus be optimally prepared for your studies.
• Generally comprehensible topics that can be worked on by first-year students from all disciplines.
• Digitalisation has played a central role in society and studies for quite some time. The digital TestDaF picks up on this by processing contemporary test items with digital media; the examination is taken entirely on the computer.
• The digital TestDaF takes into account the changed linguistic requirements of studying in its tasks by combining different skills in one task, e.g. reading a text and then summarising it orally.
• You improve your competences in the areas of reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written expression, and oral expression step by step.
• In the preparation course for the digital TestDaF, teachers teach who are very experienced in dealing with media in DaF lessons and are very familiar with the TestDaF as an examination format.