The Goethe-Zertifikat C2: Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom (GDS) is a German exam for adults. It certifies that candidates have acquired extremely advanced language skills and corresponds to the sixth level (C2) on the six-level scale of competence laid down in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Announcement

Important Notice | 11/05/2026

Due to the current situation all exams will be suspended temporarily. Our onsite language classes will be held online until further notice.

As the situation is still developing, we cannot give you general information on how we are going to resolve the resulting issues.

We are working our way through by an exam-to-exam basis and we will reach out to you individually.

Please understand that we cannot respond to each individual request at the moment. We kindly ask you for your patience.

It is our understanding that these measures will be in place until May 31st at least. We are constantly evaluating the situation, and the date is subject to change.

As soon as we have any additional information, we will make it available on our official channels.

Passing the exam demonstrates that you can ...

• effortlessly understand virtually everything that you read or hear in German,
• summarize information from various written and spoken sources, logically recounting reasons and explanations,
• express yourself spontaneously with a high level of fluency and precision and make finer nuances of meaning clear when discussing more complex topics. 

The Goethe-Zertifikat C2: Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom entitles foreign students to study at a German university or institution of higher education and is recognized in many places as evidence of the language skills required to teach German.

• Framework Regulation on German Language Exams to Study at a German University or Institution of Higher Education (RO-DT) (PDF, 395 kB)

The exam is recognized as official evidence of the language competence needed to teach throughout Germany. Further information on this is available from accredited institutions in each of Germany’s states, such as the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs, the Office for Teacher Training, the District Council or the Senate Committee.
 
On 1^st January 2012, the Goethe-Zertifikat C2: Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom exam replaced the three previously existing exams, namely the Goethe-Zertifikat: Zentrale Oberstufenprüfung (ZOP), the Kleines Deutsches Sprachdiplom (KDS) and the Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom (GDS).