The German integration course (Integrationskurs) ends with two tests: a language exam, the German Test for Immigrants (Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer, DTZ), and the test on life in Germany (Leben in Deutschland). This guide explains what each test asks, what an A2 or a B1 result means for you, and how to practise for B1.
The integration course ends with the DTZ, rated A2 or B1, and the "Leben in Deutschland" test (15 of 33 correct; 17 for citizenship). B1 plus a pass earns the course certificate. No DTZ mock here: Goethe or telc B1 is the nearest practice and also proves B1.
Source: bamf.de ·
The integration course has a language part and an orientation part (Orientierungskurs), where you build basic knowledge of the German legal and social order. Each part ends with its own test. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge, BAMF), which is responsible for the integration courses, calls the two together the final test (Abschlusstest).
A German exam written for immigrants. It has a written and an oral part, and your result is given as level A2 or B1.
Leben in Deutschland (Life in Germany) is a question sheet with 33 questions that checks what you learned in the orientation course.
Pass the language exam at B1 and pass Leben in Deutschland, and you receive the integration course certificate (Zertifikat Integrationskurs).
These are the figures the BAMF publishes for the final test.
| Test part | What you do | Time or pass mark |
|---|---|---|
| DTZ, written | Listening and reading tasks, plus a short letter | 100 minutes |
| DTZ, oral | Introduce yourself, then talk about set topics with the examiners and another candidate | About 15 minutes |
| DTZ, result | One overall level for the whole exam | B1 or A2 on the certificate |
| Leben in Deutschland | A question sheet with 33 questions | 60 minutes; pass with 15 correct |
| Leben in Deutschland for citizenship | The same 33 questions | 17 correct needed |
The DTZ was developed between 2006 and 2009 for the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, jointly by the Goethe-Institut and telc, and was written specifically for immigrants.
You do not choose a level before the DTZ. Everyone sits the same exam, and your overall result decides which level appears on your certificate. Only one outcome completes the course.
Your certificate shows B1. Together with a pass in Leben in Deutschland, this is the successful final test, and you receive the Zertifikat Integrationskurs.
You still receive a DTZ certificate, at A2. It is official proof of A2, but it does not earn the integration course certificate, which needs B1.
There is no certificate. You receive only a notice with your results.
If you fully attended the language course of a literacy course (Alphabetisierungskurs), the BAMF allows you, under certain conditions, to repeat up to 300 teaching units (Unterrichtseinheiten) once. Ask your course provider whether you qualify before you plan your next attempt.
The same results are proof you can show the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) and, later, the citizenship authority.
Passing the orientation course proves basic knowledge of the German legal and social order, which is required when you apply for a settlement permit. Your DTZ certificate proves the level it shows, A2 or B1.
German citizenship needs 5 years of legal residence, B1 German, the citizenship test and the ability to support yourself. A higher German level does not shorten the 5 years.
ScoreUp has no DTZ mock exam. The closest practice is a B1 exam from the two organisations that built the DTZ: telc Deutsch B1 and the Goethe-Zertifikat B1, both of which are also accepted as proof of B1. If your DTZ result comes back as A2, a separate telc or Goethe B1 certificate is another way to prove B1 for residence or citizenship later.
One exam with a written and an oral part, 300 points in total: 225 for the written part and 75 for the oral part. You need 60 % in each part separately. The written part includes a language elements section (Sprachbausteine) on grammar and vocabulary.
Four separate modules. Reading has 5 parts and 30 items in 65 minutes, listening 4 parts and 30 items in 40 minutes, and writing 3 tasks in 60 minutes. You pass each module with 60 out of 100 points and can repeat a single module.
For the orientation test, practise with our free Leben in Deutschland mock on the Leben in Deutschland practice page. Aim for 17 correct, not 15: that is the mark citizenship asks for, so one good result serves both goals. Exam fees for telc and Goethe are set locally by each exam centre, so check the price list where you want to sit the exam.
DTZ stands for Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer, the German Test for Immigrants. It is the language exam at the end of the integration course, developed by the Goethe-Institut and telc. It has a 100-minute written part and an oral part of about 15 minutes.
You still receive a DTZ certificate at level A2, but you do not receive the integration course certificate (Zertifikat Integrationskurs), which needs B1 plus a pass in Leben in Deutschland. If you fully attended the language course of a literacy course (Alphabetisierungskurs), the BAMF lets you repeat up to 300 teaching units once, under certain conditions. Below A2 there is no certificate, only a notice with your results.
The test has 33 questions and you have 60 minutes. You pass with at least 15 correct answers. If you want to use the result for German citizenship, you need at least 17 correct.
The BAMF handbook for the DTZ says the exam was built for the integration course but can also be taken by some people who have not attended the course first. Ask your local course provider or immigration office whether this applies to you before you register.
For the integration course certificate itself, the final test is the DTZ. For German citizenship, the BAMF list of accepted B1 proofs names Goethe, telc, the DTZ, ÖSD and ECL, so a telc or Goethe B1 certificate also proves the B1 level there.
No. ScoreUp offers telc B1 and Goethe B1 mock exams and a free Leben in Deutschland practice test. As Goethe and telc built the DTZ, their B1 exams are the closest practice we offer.
Yes. Passing the orientation course proves the basic knowledge of the German legal and social order that the settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) requires, and a B1 result is your language proof.