The Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ) does not work like a typical multiple-choice exam with a fixed question count and a percentage cutoff. It reports your German across four skills, and knowing exactly how that scoring works before test day removes a lot of guesswork.
How many questions are on the DTZ?
The DTZ is not built around a fixed question total with a pass percentage. It has a written part lasting 100 minutes, covering Hören (listening), Lesen (reading) and a short Schreiben (letter-writing) task, followed by an oral part lasting about 15 minutes, where you introduce yourself and take part in a conversation with the examiners and one other candidate, Sprechen.
This is different from exams scored as “X correct out of Y questions.” The DTZ instead reports a level for each skill block.
What is the pass mark for the DTZ?
There is no single percentage pass mark. Each of the four skills, Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, is assessed and reported at CEFR level A2 or B1. Your overall result is decided by combining those levels, not by counting correct answers against a target score.
To reach an overall B1 result, you must reach B1 in Speaking and in at least one of the other blocks, either Listening and Reading combined, or Writing. Strong reading or listening cannot compensate for weak speaking, since Speaking is required at B1 either way. Below A2, you receive a result notice rather than a certificate.
Who administers the DTZ and why does it matter?
The DTZ is developed for the Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF) and is administered at approved test centres by telc gGmbH and g.a.s.t. It sits at the end of the state-funded integration course in Germany, and an overall B1 result is a requirement for the Zertifikat Integrationskurs, an important step toward a settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) and naturalisation.
Because most participants take it right after finishing their integration course, it is normally free the first time in that setting. Repeat or standalone attempts are chargeable, and the fee varies by provider, so always confirm current dates and costs with your course provider or the BAMF directly.
What does the DTZ actually cover?
The written and oral tasks are built around the everyday communication needs described in the Goethe-Institut framework curriculum for integration courses. The topics cluster into six broad areas:
- Arbeit und Beruf: job ads, workplace emails, notices, sick notes, shift plans.
- Wohnen und Alltag: flat listings, tenancy notices, house rules, letters to a landlord.
- Ämter und Behörden: letters and forms from public offices, appointments, registration.
- Gesundheit und Soziales: doctor visits, health insurance, pharmacy notices.
- Einkauf, Geld und Verträge: offers, receipts, bills, contracts, banking.
- Familie, Bildung und Freizeit: school and Kita letters, courses, clubs, leisure.
DTZ format at a glance
| Written part | 100 minutes (Hören, Lesen, a short letter) |
| Oral part | About 15 minutes (Sprechen, with another candidate) |
| Result levels | A2 or B1 per skill and overall |
| Overall B1 rule | B1 in Speaking, plus B1 in Listening & Reading or Writing |
| Below A2 | Result notice, no certificate |
| Run by | Developed for BAMF, administered by telc and g.a.s.t. |
| First attempt cost | Usually free at the end of a funded integration course |
Because the DTZ scores skills separately rather than tallying a single percentage, the most useful preparation is skill-balanced: strengthen reading and listening comprehension with everyday texts, learn a repeatable structure for the letter task, and rehearse speaking out loud rather than only reading silently, since Speaking at B1 is required no matter how well the other skills go.
This app is an independent study aid built around the publicly documented format of the DTZ. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge, telc gGmbH, g.a.s.t., or the Goethe-Institut, and does not reproduce official or copyrighted exam tasks.