What is the TestDaF? (Was ist der TestDaF?)
TestDaF stands for Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache (test of German as a foreign language). The TestDaF is a uniform exam that is administered externally by the TestDaF Institute. This takes place at hundreds of TestDaF centers around the Globe on the same day. The standard and quality of the exam are reviewed from time to time.
To study at a German university or college, international students must establish sufficient German language skills. This can be achieved with the TestDaF (German for Foreign Languages). It is accepted as an entrance exam at all universities in Germany because it assesses the four language skills of reading, listening, writing, and speaking.
Recognition of the Language Certificate TestDaF (Anerkennung des Sprachzertifikats TestDaF)
The TestDaF is a nationwide accepted language certification for admission to higher education as well as an internationally recognized language certification for the sciences and academic professions. It covers all proficiency levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) from B2 to C1+.
The TestDaF allows you to register for studies in Berlin and all of Germany as a foreign student. It is comparable to the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) and the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).
There are five levels of application for the TestDaF certificate:
1) You picked up your university qualification at a foreign school and would like to initiate studying in Germany.
2) You are pursuing your ongoing studies abroad and would like to continue your studies in Berlin or Germany.
3) You need to certify your German Language Proficiency skills.
4) You are involved in an exchange program and need to certify your German skills.
5) You need a certification of your German Language Proficiency skills for a scientific job that you would like to pursue.
Once you have passed all four exam parts of the TestDaF with the proficiency level 4, your “report card” counts as a language certificate needed for admission to nearly all subjects and degrees at German colleges and universities.
What does TestDaF – Level 4 mean? (Was bedeutet TestDaF – Niveau 4 ?)
The exam assesses the B2 / C1 level using internal differences. However, TDN4 is required for access to higher education. TDN4 is short for TestDaF-proficiency level (= Niveaustufe).
The description of proficiency level 4 is as follows:
Reading Comprehension (Leseverstehen)
You recognize written text, its details, and context. These texts are taken from university-related day-to-day life or interdisciplinary scientific fields.
Listening Comprehension (Hörverstehen)
You understand spoken text, its details, and context. These texts are taken from university-related day-to-day life or interdisciplinary scientific fields.
Written Expression (Schriftlicher Ausdruck)
You can express yourself in writing regarding university-related daily life as well as interdisciplinary scientific fields in a largely logical, structured, and appropriate manner; possible linguistic deficiencies do not affect your comprehension of text.
Topics include reports for your scholarship provider, protocols, theses, etc.
Oral Expression (Mündlicher Ausdruck)
You can express yourself verbally regarding university-related day-to-day life as well as interdisciplinary scientific fields, largely according to the circumstances; possible linguistic deficiencies do not affect your communication.
Day-to-day situations include your enrollment, registering for seminars/classes, social-political discussions, etc.
Taking the oral exam at a computer takes a bit of getting used to, i.e., you will need to talk to a bot (computer). Hence, your discussant will not be a university teacher from your field of study.
The preparation course for the TestDaF from German4Germany is meant to help you successfully pass the test and, accordingly, allow you to study at a German university.
1) You will learn details about the scope, structure, and concept of the content. The TestDaF especially checks whether you accurately receive (reading and listening) texts written in a methodical language, in order to be able to join seminars and courses at universities in Germany. Hence, your communicative skills are more important than a precise repetition of grammar rules or structures, for example. A lot of topics revolve around studies and everyday university and student life in Germany.
2) In the following weeks of your preparation course for the TestDaF, you will advance your proficiency in four areas: reading and listening comprehension, written and oral expression. Training your written expression as the core of the exam is vital here. We deliberately practice writing methodically, argumentation, and discussions on a university level.
3) Furthermore, we intensively train your oral expression with seven different tasks. These include hypotheses, assumptions, and forecasts, providing advice or obtaining information over the phone. Our collection of oral expressions supports you in this matter.
4) Further special attention is given to the description of graphics. To do so, we utilize a specially designed and optimized program to get the most out of your verbal skills. We can also flexibly react to requests by individual candidates as part of the preparation course for the TestDaF.
5) The grammar scale especially covers nominalization, subject-verb combinations, genitive prepositions, and sentence conjunctions or prepositional groups, subjunctive I, passive forms, and adjectives of participles. In addition, we will uninterruptedly increase your vocabulary by working with texts.
At the end of the intensive preparation course for the TestDaF, you will have acquired the right strategy to master the exam.
Instruction Materials and Concept for the Intensive Preparation Course TestDaF (Lehrmaterialien und Konzept des Intensiv-Vorbereitungskurses TestDaF)
Our trainers have accumulated an extraordinary, intelligent concept for you and will develop it together with you using an assembled file. We are excited by the fact that numerous candidates of our intensive preparation course have already passed the test “German as a Foreign Language” with the help of German4Germany!
Trainers of the Intensive Preparation Course TestDaF (Trainer des Intensiv-Vorbereitungskurses TestDaF)
Our trainers have taught the intensive preparation course for TestDaF, for what feels like a thousand times, and are thus absolute pros in this field. They teach the German language at various levels with a specialty in higher education admission tests.
Contents of the Exam Sub-tests (Inhalte der Prüfungsteilbereiche)
Digital TestDaF
As you may already know from the German4Germany preparation course, many of the topics and tasks in the Digital TestDaF are directly related to university studies.
All topics are based on important German communicative skills that can be used in classes, discussions, study groups, as well as other parts of your studies.
Reading Comprehension (Leseverstehen)
This sub-test lasts for 55 minutes (Dieser Prüfungsteil dauert 55 Minuten)
The time limit and the number of tasks may vary. All candidates will be given a test of the same length.
Candidates will complete seven types of tasks in a set order. Candidates may move on to the next task as quickly as they like; however, they will not be able to return to a previous task once they move on. The number of tasks may vary, as you may also complete some sample tasks that will not be included in the exam results.
Listening Comprehension (Hörverstehen)
This sub-test lasts for 40 minutes (Dieser Prüfungsteil dauert 40 Minuten)
Candidates will complete seven types of tasks in a set order. Candidates may continue to the next task as quickly as they would like; however, they may not return to previous tasks once they have moved on. The same conditions apply as in the reading comprehension subtest.
Written Production (Schriftliche Ausdrucksfähigkeit)
This sub-test lasts for 60 minutes (Dieser Prüfungsteil dauert 60 Minuten)
In the writing sub-test, candidates will complete two types of tasks in a set order. Please be aware that they will be writing on a computer. As in the previous sub-tests, the same conditions apply to the pacing as well as the sample tasks, which will not be graded.
Oral Production (Mündliche Ausdrucksfähigkeit)
This sub-test lasts for 35 minutes (Dieser Prüfungsteil dauert 35 Minuten)
Candidates will complete this sub-test via computer. They will simultaneously listen to the instructions on a headset and read them on the screen.
Candidates will then have a set amount of time to prepare their answers before speaking.
Candidates will hear a fictitious speaking partner (a bot) that will prompt them to begin speaking. Their answers will be automatically recorded. The same conditions apply to the order and speed of the exam as well as the sample tasks.
