DTZ or B1? Which test counts for what

The Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ, the German test for immigrants) is a B1 exam — but a special one. It examines two levels at the same time, A2 and B1, and the result you receive is the level you actually reached. A DTZ with the overall result B1 is a proof of German at B1 recognised by the BAMF and is just as valid for Einbürgerung (German naturalisation) as a Goethe-Zertifikat B1 or a telc Deutsch B1. A DTZ with the result A2 is not.

Data checked: 3 September 2026. The sources are the BAMF handbook on the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (exam objectives, test description) and the BAMF list of recognised proofs of German at B1. Check the current position with the BAMF and with your course provider.

What is the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer?

The DTZ is the final exam of the Integrationskurs (integration course). Anyone attending a BAMF integration course sits this test at the end — the course provider registers you and organises the date.

It was developed on behalf of the Federal Ministry of the Interior; the framework curriculum was drawn up under the leadership of the Goethe-Institut, and the exam itself in cooperation between the Goethe-Institut and telc. It is administered nationwide to uniform standards, and specifically by integration course providers authorised by the BAMF — not at any language institute you choose.

Two formal conditions are worth knowing: you must be at least 16 years old and able to use the Latin alphabet.

The decisive difference in design is stated in the BAMF handbook itself: the DTZ is a scaled exam. “The aim of the scaling is to document the language level reached in the individual areas of language competence in a differentiated way.” So you do not simply fail — for each area you are certified at the level you reached.

What is the difference between B1 and the DTZ?

	Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer	Goethe-Zertifikat B1 / telc Deutsch B1
Level examined	A2 and B1 at the same time	B1 only
Result	A2 or B1 per area	passed or not passed
Who takes it	participants in an Integrationskurs	anyone, freely bookable
Where	only at BAMF-authorised course providers	at the Prüfungszentren (examination centres) of the respective provider
Written	100 minutes	approx. 165 or 150 minutes
Oral	paired exam, approx. 10 minutes per person	approx. 15 minutes paired exam
Topics	everyday life in Germany: public offices, work, housing, health	general language, broader
Cost	included in the Integrationskurs	fee of the Prüfungszentrum
Recognised as B1 proof	only with the overall result B1	yes

In content the DTZ is cut more closely to life in Germany: telephone announcements, public address announcements, adverts, forms, a formal letter. The other B1 exams cover a broader, more general range of topics.

How does the DTZ work?

The exam consists of a written individual exam and an oral paired exam.

Part	Tasks	Duration
Listening	20 items (announcements, radio, conversations, opinions)	25 minutes
Reading	25 items (directories, adverts, press, leaflets)	45 minutes
Writing	1 task: a short message / a formal letter	30 minutes
Written total	45 items in listening and reading	100 minutes
Speaking	3 parts: introduce yourself, give information, negotiate something	approx. 10 minutes per person

The 45 listening and reading items are combined into one result — which matters for understanding the marking.

How is the result calculated?

This is worth looking at closely, because this rule decides your certificate.

Listening and reading are added together. The BAMF handbook puts it like this: “If candidates have correctly solved at least 20 of the 45 items on ‘listening’ and ‘reading’, level A2 is confirmed in the certificate, and from 33 of 45 items, level B1.”

Writing and speaking are marked separately. Two examiners decide on the basis of criteria whether the performance corresponds more to A2 or to B1. If both have ticked B1 for the majority of the criteria, B1 applies for that skill.

And then comes the rule many people do not know:

“For the overall result of the exam the following applies: if level B1 was reached in ‘speaking’ and in at least one written part (‘listening’ and ‘reading’, or ‘writing’), B1 is confirmed in the certificate as the overall result.”

In plain terms: speaking at B1 level is compulsory. Without B1 in the oral part there is no overall result of B1, however good the written parts are. In addition you need B1 in at least one of the two written areas — either in listening/reading or in writing. It does not have to be both.

For your preparation this produces a clear order of priority: speaking is the part to work on first — it is the only area that can block the overall result on its own. Speaking is best practised out loud and regularly; on this site you can do that with the picture description, which trains exactly the skill the DTZ asks for in the “give information” part.

What happens if you only reach A2?

An A2 result is not a “fail” in the usual sense — you receive a certificate for the level you reached. For most residence and citizenship purposes it is not enough, though, because B1 is required there.

If you attended the Integrationskurs properly and did not reach B1 in the DTZ, you can apply to the BAMF for a one-off repetition of 300 teaching hours together with a new DTZ. You submit the application in writing and before you start the repeat course; your course provider issues you the confirmation of proper attendance. For the repeat hours a personal contribution is usually payable again, unless you are exempt from it — ask the BAMF or your course provider for the current amount.

Anyone not on an Integrationskurs can instead sit one of the freely bookable B1 exams. How those differ is explained in telc B1 or Goethe-Zertifikat B1; the general route after a failed attempt is in B1 not passed.

Which test should you take?

• Are you on an Integrationskurs? Then take the DTZ — it belongs to the course, is paid for within it, and at B1 it gives you exactly the proof you need.
• Are you not on an Integrationskurs? Then the DTZ is generally not your route, because it takes place at authorised course providers within a course. Book one of the freely accessible B1 exams.
• Do you already have an A2 result and need B1 quickly? Pursue both routes in parallel: repetition via the BAMF on the one hand, a freely bookable exam on the other. Which date comes sooner often settles the matter.

Practice is the same for both routes: the skills are identical. A practice pack in the format of the B1 exam will show you in a little over two hours where you stand — and whether your speaking is already where the DTZ needs it.

Which proof is accepted in your particular procedure is decided by the responsible authority. If in doubt, ask there before booking an exam.