What the B1 exam costs

There is no nationwide price for the B1 exam. Neither the Goethe-Institut nor telc gGmbH sets a fixed fee: the exams are administered by individual, licensed Prüfungszentren (examination centres), and every centre sets its own fee. The only binding figure is therefore the one in the price list of the centre where you register — not in a guide article and not on a forum.

Data checked: 3 September 2026. We deliberately do not name a fixed fee here. In the published price lists of German examination centres the fees for a complete B1 exam in September 2026 ranged roughly between about 150 and 270 euros — depending on the place, the provider and your status. That range is guidance, not a promise. What is binding is solely the current price list of your Prüfungszentrum.

How much does the B1 exam cost?

The question can only be answered once three things are settled: which exam, at which centre and with which status you are sitting it. Those three details produce the fee — and they explain why people in the same city pay very different amounts for the same exam.

What the price depends on

Factor	Effect on the price
Prüfungszentrum	The single biggest factor. Volkshochschulen (adult education centres), private language schools and institutes calculate very differently.
Attending a course at the same place	Many centres have two prices: a lower one for their own course participants, a higher one for external registrations.
Whole exam or one part	In the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 individual modules cost considerably less than the full exam. In the telc Deutsch B1 a single part — written only or oral only — is cheaper than the full exam.
When you register	Some centres charge a surcharge for registrations after the regular closing date.
City and region	In conurbations with high demand the fees tend to be higher.
Extra services	A replacement document if you lose yours, expedited marking or a second correction are charged separately — where they are offered at all.

Where to find the binding figure

1. Look for the Prüfungszentren near you through the provider sites — goethe.de for the Goethe-Zertifikat B1, telc.net for the telc Deutsch B1.
2. On the centre’s site, open the price list or the dates and registration page. The fee for the specific date is given there.
3. Watch for two prices — internal and external. If the lower price is tied to attending a course, it will say so there.
4. Ask the centre what is included in the fee: is the oral exam included? Does a second copy of the certificate cost extra? What happens to the fee if you fall ill?

The last point is the most expensive one to underestimate: the withdrawal and illness rules are in the centre’s terms, not in any general law. Read them before you pay. In many cases the fee is not refunded for a late cancellation, while a medical certificate submitted in time often leads to a full or partial refund.

The DTZ is a special case

If you attend a BAMF Integrationskurs (integration course), the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer is part of the course as its final exam — you do not book or pay for it separately. The contribution towards the cost of the Integrationskurs is a separate matter and can be waived on application.

Anyone who does not reach B1 in the DTZ can apply to the BAMF for a one-off repetition of 300 teaching hours together with a new test. A personal contribution per teaching hour is generally payable again for that, unless there is an exemption — the BAMF or your course provider will tell you the current amount. The details of this route are in DTZ or B1?.

Where you actually save — and where you do not

This really helps:

• Register with the provider whose resit model suits you. That is the biggest saving of all, but it only becomes visible at the second attempt. In the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 you repeat only the one module that did not work out, and pay only for that. In the telc Deutsch B1 you repeat the written or the oral part. Anyone unsure about the first attempt should factor this into the choice of provider — see telc B1 or Goethe-Zertifikat B1.
• Compare the prices of several centres. The difference between two centres in the same region is often bigger than the difference between two providers.
• Ask about funding. Depending on your situation the employment agency, the Jobcenter, an education voucher or your employer may come into question. Asking costs nothing, and many people never ask.
• Only sit the exam when the level is there. The most expensive option is an exam booked too early. Do a complete practice pack in the exam format against the clock beforehand — free of charge, and in a little over two hours it shows whether the date is realistic.

This achieves nothing, or does harm:

• Choosing a centre in another city just to save 20 euros. Travel costs, an early train and the tension on the morning of the exam eat up the advantage.
• A “cheap certificate without an exam”. Offers like that are fraud. A bought certificate is a criminal offence and is checked by the institutes on request — more on that in B1 not passed — what now?.
• Buying expensive material and not practising. Practice books only help if they are used. You can practise here free of charge: writing with AI assessment and the German course for the basics.

Costs people forget to budget for

• A preparation course. It is often the biggest item of all — usually considerably more expensive than the exam itself. Whether you need one is settled by the article The B1 exam without a course.
• Travel and a day off. Reckon on half a day to a whole day at the Prüfungszentrum.
• The second attempt. Better to budget for it than to be surprised by it.
• Certified copies for the application to the authority.
• A replacement document should the certificate be lost. Keep the original safe and make a scan immediately.

All the figures in this article are guidance. What is binding is the price list and the terms of participation of your Prüfungszentrum — read both before you transfer the fee.