The B1 exam in Germany: format, parts and timings
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A B1 exam always has four parts: reading, listening, writing and speaking. You sit the three written parts on one day in the examination room; the oral part you usually take in a pair with another candidate. In the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 (the Goethe-Institut certificate) the written part takes about 165 minutes excluding breaks; in the telc Deutsch B1 it is 150 minutes. The oral exam takes about 15 minutes in both.
Data checked: 3 September 2026. The figures in this article come from the Goethe-Institut implementation rules (as of 1 September 2023) and from the telc gGmbH practice test. Exam regulations change. Check the current details before registering on your provider’s site — goethe.de or telc.net — and with your Prüfungszentrum (examination centre).
What do you actually do in the B1 exam?
You work through four areas. Each one asks for a different skill:
- Reading (Lesen) — you read adverts, emails, newspaper texts and information leaflets and answer questions on them. You write nothing yourself; you mark your answers on an answer sheet.
- Listening (Hören) — you listen to announcements, radio items, conversations and opinions from a recording and complete tasks on them. Each text is played once or twice, depending on the task.
- Writing (Schreiben) — you write a text yourself: an email, a letter or a forum post.
- Speaking (Sprechen) — you talk with a second candidate and with the examiners. Beforehand you are given preparation time.
Two things surprise many candidates. First: there is no pure grammar test as there was at school. Grammar is examined, but inside the tasks — in the telc Deutsch B1 there is a separate section for it called “Sprachbausteine” (grammar and vocabulary items). Second: you may not use a dictionary or a phone.
How long does the B1 exam take?
That depends on the provider. The two most common exams in Germany are the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 and the telc Deutsch B1.
Goethe-Zertifikat B1
| Module | Duration |
|---|---|
| Reading (Lesen) | 65 minutes |
| Listening (Hören) | approx. 40 minutes |
| Writing (Schreiben) | 60 minutes |
| Written total | approx. 165 minutes (excluding breaks) |
| Speaking (Sprechen, paired exam) | 15 minutes + 15 minutes preparation |
A break of at least 15 minutes is scheduled between the written modules. So plan for half a day at the Prüfungszentrum, not for just under three hours.
telc Deutsch B1
| Exam section | Duration |
|---|---|
| Leseverstehen (reading comprehension) and Sprachbausteine (together) | 90 minutes |
| Hörverstehen (listening comprehension) | approx. 30 minutes |
| Schriftlicher Ausdruck (written production) | 30 minutes |
| Written total | 150 minutes |
| Mündlicher Ausdruck (oral production) | approx. 15 minutes + 20 minutes preparation |
The differences between the two exams — and which one suits you — are explained in detail in telc B1 or Goethe-Zertifikat B1.
What do you need to be able to do at B1?
B1 is the third of six levels in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR, in German GER). At this level you count as an independent user of the language. In concrete terms:
- You understand the main points when the topic is a familiar one from work, school, leisure or everyday life — even if you do not understand every word.
- You cope in most everyday situations: an appointment at a public office, a conversation with your landlady, a phone call to the doctor, a complaint in a shop.
- You can tell a connected story — about your experiences, your plans, an event — and give your opinion with a short reason.
- You can write simple connected texts, for example an email in which you explain something, apologise or ask for information.
Linguistically you mainly need: Perfekt and Präteritum, subordinate clauses with weil, dass, wenn, obwohl, the passive, adjective endings, Konjunktiv II for polite requests, and a vocabulary of roughly 2,000 to 2,400 words. None of it has to be perfect — B1 asks that you are understood, not that you speak without mistakes.
How many points do you need to pass?
This is where the two exams differ clearly, and it is the most important practical difference.
In the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 each module is marked separately out of a maximum of 100 points. The implementation rules state: “A module is passed if at least 60 points, that is 60 %, are achieved.” Each module counts on its own — so a very good reading result does not rescue a weak writing result.
In the telc Deutsch B1 there are 300 points in total: 225 for the written and 75 for the oral exam. telc puts it like this: “In order to pass the exam, candidates must achieve 60 % of the maximum possible points in both the written and the oral exam. This corresponds to 135 points in the written and 45 points in the oral exam.” Here the written part counts as a whole — you can offset a weak writing task with a good reading result.
Exam day — what happens in practice
- Arrive and show identification. Bring a valid identity document. Without one you may not take part. Arrive 20 to 30 minutes early.
- Fill in your details. Before each part you enter your details on the answer sheet. The actual exam time starts only afterwards — those minutes are not lost to you.
- The written parts in order. It usually starts with reading, then listening, and writing last. Phones and bags stay outside the room.
- Transfer your answers. In the Goethe-Zertifikat you first mark the question papers and transfer your solutions to the answer sheet at the end. Allow about five minutes for that within the exam time. Anyone who forgets loses points for answers they actually had right.
- The oral exam. It often takes place on the same day, sometimes on a different date. Beforehand you are given preparation time in a separate room and may take notes, which you are allowed to bring with you.
- The result. How long it takes is set by the Prüfungszentrum — usually a few weeks. Ask about it when you register, especially if you need the certificate for an application to a public authority.
How to practise the format before it counts
The most common mistake is not missing grammar but missing routine: anyone seeing a task type for the first time in the exam itself loses time reading the instructions.
On this site you will find practice packs in the format of the B1 exam — with listening texts, reading tasks, writing and speaking, built like the modules of the real exam. They are not real exam papers but our own practice material in the same format. If one area is particularly hard for you, practise it on its own: writing with AI assessment checks your text for task fulfilment, vocabulary and accuracy, and anyone who wants to catch up on the basics will find them in the German course.
A realistic plan: first do a complete pack against the clock to see your starting point. Then train the weakest parts deliberately for two to three weeks. In the last week, repeat one full pack with a clock once more.
This article describes the exam in general terms. What is binding is always the current exam regulations of your provider and the information from your Prüfungszentrum.