The highest award: Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom (GDS).

The Große Deutsche Sprachdiplom (GDS) requires more advanced language skills than any other examination offered by the Goethe-Institut. It exceeds the highest level (C2) on the six-level scale of competence laid down in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

After passing the examination, you will be able to do the following, for example:

• prove that you have excellent language skills,
• perform a linguistic and stylistic analysis of both literary and scientific texts and satisfactorily answer questions on them,
• master standard German to the highest level.

Further information and exercises for the
Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom (GDS)

Exam guidelines (PDF, 633 KB)
Terms and conditions for exam administration (PDF, 140 KB)
Supplement to the terms and conditions for exam participants with
   special needs (PDF, 594 KB)
Information for examination candidates with special needs (PDF, 61 KB)

The Goethe-Institut New York does not offer this examination.

Examination centers for Goethe-Institut exams:
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All examination centers in Germany
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