TestDaF (Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache)

The TestDaF is a language examination at an advanced level. It covers levels B2 to C1 of the six-level scale of competence laid down in the Common European Framework of Reference. The TestDaF exam is the language qualification that facilitates admission to university and is recognized by every university in Germany.
No specialist knowledge is required.

By successfully completing your TestDaF, you prove that you can:

• find important items of information in short texts of different types,
• understand details and complete statements in journalistic and scientific texts that relate to scientific or socio-political issues,
• obtain detailed information in everyday situations,
• follow interviews or dialogues on study-related or general scientific topics,
• understand presentations on scientific topics,
• draft your own well-structured and understandable text and present arguments,
• describe, summarize and compare data,
• adopt a justified position in discussions and conversations, weigh up alternatives and also make hypotheses.

Recognition

If you have successfully completed all four partial examinations at TestDaF level 4, the certification you will then obtain is valid as a language qualification for admission to any university in Germany. The TestDaF language examination is also internationally recognized proof of your knowledge of German for scientific projects and academic professions.

Locations, prices, dates and enrolment

The TestDaF exam can be sat at licensed test centres such as the various locations of the Goethe-Institut (GI), DAAD editorial offices, universities or language schools. There are currently around 390 test centres in 80 countries. You can find a test centre close to you via the TestDaF-Institut website. The TestDaF is part of the GI’s examination portfolio.

You must pay an examination fee for the TestDaF. Enquire about the exact price at your local test centre.

You can participate in the TestDaF on six fixed dates per year throughout the world. Special dates apply in the People’s Republic of China; registration takes place at the National Education Examination Authority. In all other countries, you have to register for the TestDaF in writing at a test centre. You can obtain a registration form from the test centre or from the TestDaF-Institut’s website.

Development

The tasks of the TestDaF have been developed by the TestDaF-Institut, which is an institution run by the Gesellschaft für Akademische Studienvorbereitung und Testentwicklung e.V. (Society for Academic Study Preparation and Test Development, a registered association). The supporters of the institute are, among others, the Hochschulrektorenkonferenz (German Rectors’ Conference), the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (German Academic Exchange Service) and the Goethe-Institut.