Online preparation for telc exams in German and other languages

telc stands for The European Language Certificates. The organisation behind it is telc gGmbH in Bad Homburg, Germany, a non-profit subsidiary of the German Adult Education Association. It develops language exams in eleven languages and, by its own count, offers more than 100 exam formats. Candidates sit them at over 3,000 licensed exam centres worldwide, which in Germany are often adult education centres (Volkshochschulen) and language schools.

All telc exams refer to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The CEFR is the Council of Europe's six-level scale, from A1 for beginners to C2 for near-native command. telc is also a full member of ALTE, the Association of Language Testers in Europe. In this association European exam providers commit to shared quality standards.

Everyone involved gains something from this system. Adult education centres and language schools can offer a recognised final exam for their courses and collect the exam fee. telc writes the tasks, trains and licenses the examiners and marks the written part centrally. Authorities, universities and employers in turn receive proof produced under the same rules at every exam centre.

For German, telc lists 24 exams. They differ by target group and by level. The levels follow the CEFR, the European scale from A1 to C2.

Many of these exams cover two levels. A dual-level exam such as telc Deutsch A2/B1 tests two levels in one sitting, and your result shows which of the two you reached. This helps if you sit between two levels, because you do not have to choose one in advance.

The German test for immigrants (Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer, DTZ) is the final exam of Germany's state integration courses and tests A2 and B1. The Goethe-Institut and telc developed it together, and participants take it as part of their course.

telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule is designed for people who want to study or do academic work at a German-speaking university. The framework for German language exams for university study (RO-DT) sets out which German exams German universities accept. Its 2025 version explicitly exempts holders of this certificate from further language proof. That puts telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule alongside the DSH, the TestDaF and the Goethe-Zertifikat C2.

The gap-fill section is called Sprachbausteine, literally language building blocks. You fill gaps in a text with the right word or form, so the task tests grammar and vocabulary in context. In the oral exam you first summarise content and answer questions about it. Then you discuss a set topic with the other candidate.

You pass if you score at least 60 percent in the written part and at least 60 percent in the oral part. A strong written result therefore cannot make up for a weak oral exam.

For healthcare professions telc has built exams whose tasks come from daily work. A nurse writes an admission or patient history report, for example. If you are aiming for professional recognition in Germany, you train language and work situations at the same time.

The nursing exam is available digitally and on paper, while the specialist exam for doctors is paper-only. Neither can be taken in parts, so you either pass the whole exam or retake it.

For doctors, the licensing authority of the German state or the regional medical association decides which specialist language exam it accepts. The licensing authority is the office that grants permission to practise medicine. telc does not publish a list of states on its exam page, so clarify the question in writing with your authority before you book.

Besides German, telc offers certificate exams in Arabic, English, French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Ukrainian. English alone has 22 exams, including versions for school, work, technical staff, hotels and restaurants, and a dual-level university exam at B2 and C1.

The telc Remote Tests are a special case. With these tests you sit a B2 exam without visiting an exam centre, at home or at work, under remote supervision. Remote supervision means software and a human proctor monitor you through your camera and microphone during the exam. For adults the tests exist in 14 languages: Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Ukrainian. telc does not offer a remote test for German.

You need a PC or laptop with a camera and microphone and the Safe Exam Browser, a program that locks all other applications during the exam. Dictionaries are not allowed. The result arrives by email as a digitally signed PDF that notes the exam was supervised online.

According to telc, results arrive 4 to 6 weeks after the exam. The time depends on how many exams are being marked. If the written and oral parts take place on different days, no more than 7 days may lie between them.

Each exam centre sets its own fee, so telc does not publish standard prices. Ask the adult education centre or language school whether the fee includes a preparation session or practice material.

telc certificates carry no expiry date. Whether an older certificate is enough for a particular purpose is up to the office that asks for it. The digital telc certificate has the same validity as the paper one. telc archives results for ten years, and during that time you can order a duplicate for a fee.

You may retake an exam as often as you like. Whether you repeat the whole exam or only one part depends on the exam. Every result stays valid, even if you sit the exam again later.

The exam centre registers every exam with telc at least 14 days before the exam date. Your own registration deadline is therefore usually well before exam day.

For many exams telc publishes free practice tests with audio files, a handbook with the learning objectives and preparation tips with marked sample answers. For telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule, telc also runs its own live online exam training in small groups. A good online course from another provider builds on the same materials.

1 Gap-fill grammar as its own training block

The Sprachbausteine are gap-fill texts on grammar and vocabulary that appear in many telc exams. Without targeted training they cost points, because the gaps often require fixed phrases and prepositions.

2 Writing marked against telc criteria

A trained teacher marks your texts against the criteria in the handbook and gives you a score. Sample answers from the telc tips show what a text on the pass borderline looks like.

3 Speaking in a pair exam

Many telc oral exams, such as C1 Hochschule and B1/B2 Pflege, usually take place in pairs. Practise with a regular partner who plans to sit the same exam.

4 Work situations for nursing and medicine

In nursing and medicine, reports, handovers and conversations with patients count. A general German course does not cover these situations.

Good preparation starts with choosing the right exam. It ends with several timed mock exams.

This plan assumes you have roughly reached the target level. If your placement test is a whole CEFR level lower, you need a regular language course first. The CEFR levels are the six steps of the European framework from A1 to C2.

Many problems start before the exam, with the choice of exam and the registration.

1. You register for a general exam although your authority expects a specialist exam such as telc Deutsch B1/B2 Pflege.
2. You book a remote test for a visa application, although these certificates are not accepted for it.
3. You miss the registration deadline because the centre must register the exam with telc 14 days in advance.
4. You skip the gap-fill grammar in your training and lose easy points there.
5. You prepare the oral exam alone, although many telc exams take place in pairs.
6. You leave too little time for the result, although it can take 4 to 6 weeks.