Preparation for the German exam Test DaF

Tips for passing the TestDaF exam

For successful delivery oral parts of the TestDaF exam:

1) you need to hone the use of clichéd constructions to automatism, since all tasks are typical, then for each of the tasks you must have an answer plan, where you string replicas on the topic on ready-made clichés.

2) Timing. For each answer, you are given a certain period of time in which you need to meet and at the same time logically complete your answer. For this you need to practice a little. For this, a plan is needed: see item 1.

3) It is necessary to use vocabulary suitable for levels B2-C1, I provide such an approximate lexical minimum.

4) Use of appropriate grammatical structures, e.g. sentences with conjunction während, je ... desto ..., indem (introduction of adverbial phrases), etc. The purpose of using such constructions: You show knowledge of the German language at the appropriate required level for the successful passing of the exam)

For successful delivery written parts of the TestDaF exam:

1) You need to learn how to write the written part without a draft, as you will not have enough time. On the draft, you can plan your essay.

2) When writing an essay, strictly follow the plan, structure and logic of your essay. Your arguments must be evidence-based. Your essay should use lexical means of communication so that the essay looks structured and logical.

3) Regarding charts, the following types of charts are commonly used: Saulendiagramm, Kurvendiagramm, Kuchendiagramm, Balkendiagramm.
When describing graphs, not only the numbers themselves are important, but also the meaning, the content that stands behind them.
Once again, I urge you to read the text as carefully as possible and decipher the graph (to describe the graph, use special cliches - see above).

4) Important: you can not rewrite the text. Everything must be formulated by yourself.
When writing this part, you should be familiar with the following tools. This toolkit is important when writing all essays, where you also need to prove your point of view (USE in German, DSD)

1) Here it is important to understand the difference between such concepts as:

Meinung (opinion)
Begrundung (justification)
Beleg (proof)

2) The second point is the adduction of several arguments followed by the conclusion, for example,

Opinion: Ich bin fur die Abschaffung von Hausaufgaben in der Grundschule.
Argument 1: Kinder brauchen Zeit zum Spielen und sollen nicht ganztags diszipliniert sein.
Argument 2: Wenn man den Kindern die Zeit zum Spielen nicht lasst, fuhrt das zu Frustrationen mit den Hausaufgaben.
Argument 3: Wenn die Kinder frustriert Hausaufgaben machen, brauchen sie langer, und der Lerneffekt verringert sich.
Conclusion: Unter diesen Umstanden kommt den Kindern dann die Hausaufgabe wie eine Strafma?nahme.

5) Important: in the essay it is necessary to take into account all the pros and cons, use arguments and draw a subsequent conclusion.

Plus: samples of oral answers are given. This book is convenient for self-preparation for the TestDaF, as exercises are given for using the appropriate vocabulary that you need to use in your answer.

Here, some tasks are given in an outdated format, that is, it is not very convenient to use the book for self-preparation for TestDaF, the content of some oral tasks is very extraordinary, which provides the effect of surprise. This is important in preparation.

Plus: there are excerpts from essays that show how to properly argue your idea. When evaluating the results of the exam, they take into account not only the vocabulary used, but also the ability to argue their point of view. This is the only manual in which, unfortunately, very little attention is paid to this aspect.

Here, too, an outdated exam format. From this book I take only a few tasks.

This book is completely unknown in our educational literature market. It doesn't prepare directly for TestDaf, but it does have some good writing tips.

I am very grateful to Nadezhda Alexandrovna for her help in preparing for TestDaf!
In all parts of the exam, I received the highest score of 5.

Her help was invaluable as I needed to master the format of the exam in the shortest possible time: in 2 weeks.
The fact that I had chosen a suitable teacher became clear at the very first lesson: Nadezhda Alexandrovna did not waste a single minute on extraneous things, she immediately got down to business.
The most important thing is that Nadezhda Alexandrovna listened to me and carefully followed the gaps that needed to be eliminated, tried to explain to me as clearly as possible the places in which I “sagged” and trained me on the most difficult tasks of the test.
I am very pleased with the result and recommend Nadezhda Alexandrovna as an extremely competent teacher!

Alena Fedina

TestDAF without problems, or why the devil is actually not so scary

Horverstehen - 5

Lesevertsehen-4

Schriftlicher Ausdruck-5

Mündlicher Ausdruck - 5

I remember how, at the very beginning of my training, I was scouring the Internet for advice and recommendations. There was quite a lot of information, and it was very important to highlight the most important and necessary for yourself. In this article, I structure all the information that was useful to me, and which ultimately helped to achieve the above results. For those who are now in the process of preparing for this "terrible beast" called TestDAF, it can be a good help and guide. I do not in any way claim to be the "discoverer" of these tips, but simply pass them on to you in an orderly manner. To use them or not is a personal matter for each of you. At least they won't do any harm.

I started learning German in Germany in October 2011. Before that, I had an A1 level, but we will not take it into account. And exactly 1 year later, in September 2012, I completed the B2 level course. Then I had a choice - to study the next C1 level or prepare for the TestDAF. After reading the information on the Internet, I came to the conclusion that my level for passing the test was quite enough (some people managed to take it with level B1, at least that's what they wrote on the forums). First of all, I signed up for the test at the end of November, and I have 2 months left for everything about everything. As it turned out, this was quite enough. So how did the preparation go?

I found on the Internet books on preparing for testDAF, chose those that are most recommended. Prepared for two: "Training TestDaF" and "Fit fur den Test DaF". I recommend these books to everyone, especially the first one. Also, I worked out an example of the TestDaf Musterprufung 4 test.

Strictly memorized test structure, sequence of tasks, how much time is given for which part and how to do them. This is written in detail in the books from paragraph 1.

Listened to news radio in German (at least 2 hours a day). It is not a radio with music, but a radio with news. When I did any work, I put on headphones and listened. He wrote out unfamiliar words that met most often.

Communicated daily with the Germans. I didn't have any other choice. I lived in Germany, in a German family.

If there are no Germans nearby, you can find services on the Internet where people from different countries help to learn other languages. These services are free, for example http://www.tandempartners.org

You register, find a partner there and communicate. It is easier for girls, you can find partners for communication in social networks, the Germans are happy to make contact. It is also worth visiting the conversation club.

Wrote essays and described graphs/diagrams/tables. I wrote one essay and one description every day. It is not necessary to have hundreds of topics, you can have 10-15 and write on them. When all the themes have been used, start again from the first one. When training the written part, it is very important to make for yourself a list of frequently used expressions, transitions from one part to another, useful phrases, i.e. everything that can be used in any essay or in any description of the graph. Some of them I just memorized and used in the test, it helped a lot. By the way, it's all there as in the books that I mentioned above.

When you pass the oral part of the exam, then at least 10 more people will speak with you in the room, and all this at the same time. It makes sense to practice speaking with background noise. How I did it: turned on the broadcast of football, or a TV show and answered questions on the test, while recording myself on a voice recorder. After that, you can listen and identify your main mistakes.

Every day I replenished my vocabulary by at least 10-20 words. I learned words from the category "The most used verbs in the German language". To do this, I used a computer program in which I had to perform several short exercises with each word. You can teach without programs, by other methods. The main thing here is to teach.

Walked, relaxed. I do not accidentally mention this point. It is very important that there is a balance between study and recreation, and I say this as a teacher, not as a student. No need to overload your head, it is important that the preparation brings pleasure. Fresh air will also help, at least 30 minutes every evening.

This is how my preparation took place, which took exactly 2 months. I studied without a tutor, but if self-organization, self-control and motivation are not your strengths, then it makes sense to take individual lessons a couple of times a week.

Remember: when preparing for the testDAF, as well as just learning a language, it is not the duration of the lessons that matters, but their regularity. Better less, but more often.

If you make some effort for this preparation and approach it wisely, then the result will surely please you. "The devil is not as scary as he is painted."

The DaF test is designed for foreign students who already have a good enough command of German and are going to study at a German university or who require a certificate confirming their knowledge of German.

The DaF test includes levels from B 1.2. up to level C 1.2. and assumes that about 700-1000 hours of German are listened to by the student. This exam can be taken several times, there are no restrictions. After successfully passing the exam, there is no fixed date for registration in a German university. This exam can be taken worldwide at licensed centers so you can take the exam in your home country.

The DaF test tests the knowledge required to study in Germany. All parts of the exam are related to the topics of education, a typical student day, science.
The DaF test tests a student's language ability. The results are distributed according to the following levels: TDN 3, TDN 4, TDN 5 (Test DaF-Niveaustufe).

If you pass the DaF Test with TDN level 4 in all parts, you will be accepted to study at a German university.

The exam consists of four parts: Leseverstehen (reading), Hörverstehen (listening), Schriftlicher Ausdruck (writing), Mündlicher Ausdruck (speaking).

Leseverstehen (reading)

This part of the exam consists of 3 texts and 30 points. Rekh is about 3 different texts with increasing complexity. The total time is 60 min. 50 minutes are allotted to read the texts and 10 minutes to transfer the answers to the appropriate form.

Hörverstehen (listening)

This part consists of 3 texts for listening and includes 25 points. These texts are related to the subject of the university and are of increasing complexity. 40 minutes are allotted for this task: 30 minutes for listening and 10 minutes for transferring the answers to the appropriate form.

This part consists of one written assignment. You must show that you are able to compose a text on a given topic. In the first part of the text, you must describe the graph or table. In the second part, you must justify your answers to the discussion question. The total time for this task is 60 minutes.

Mündlicher Ausdruck (speaking)

This part consists of 7 tasks with varying degrees of difficulty. You must respond in a stable manner to the task at hand. All topics are related to education. Your answers are written to disk. The oral part of the exam lasts 35 minutes along with instructions. The degree of difficulty of the tasks is as follows:
Task 1: TDN 3
Task 2: TDN 3
Task 3: TDN 4
Task 4: TDN 5
Task 5: TDN 4
Task 6: TDN 5
Task 7: TDN 3

If you are going to study in Germany, you will first have to go through several bureaucratic procedures: get a visa, submit the necessary documents, and so on. "Several" in German - this in Russian usually means very, very much.

One of the most difficult tasks for many, which certainly confronts every applicant, is the need to confirm that your knowledge of the German language is sufficient for studying in Germany.

Most universities in this country require TestDaF test results. In order to pass it well, all applicants, without exception, need to properly prepare for it.

It is not uncommon for people whose German level is very high to fail this test. And vice versa. Some of those who have only recently started learning German pass it successfully.

The secret is that they spent the necessary amount of time and prepared well for the test itself. We will talk about how the poor applicant can best prepare for the TestDaF, as well as the procedure for passing the test itself, below.

To begin with, we will answer frequently asked questions that are most relevant for applicants most often.

1. When should I take the TestDaF exam?

We recommend taking this test in February or April if you plan to start your university studies in October. If the academic year starts in the summer, then the exam must be passed no later than November, and even better in September.

The fact is that it will most likely take 6 to 8 weeks for you to receive the “paper” test results. Add to this the time required to go through all the bureaucratic procedures in the admissions office, and it turns out that you will have just enough time for admission.

2. How long does the TestDaF take?

Just over three hours, not including breaks. Most often, the test begins in the morning, and the last part - oral - ends in the afternoon. The duration of each part of the exam is different:

• Reading - 60 minutes;
• Listening - 40 minutes;
• Written part - 60 minutes;
• Conversational part - 30 minutes.

3. TestDaF: what results should we aim for?

The TestDaF is similar in assessment methodology to the TOEFL. Based on its results, you cannot get a “failure”. The test evaluates your current level of knowledge of the German language, and the passing score is different, depending on the goals:

• TDN 5 - this is more than enough for studying at German universities;
• TDN 4 - level C1. It must be obtained in order to study at a university in Germany;
• TDN 3 - try noch einmal, bitte ;) Fortunately, you can take this test as many times as you like. But please, pay the full cost each time. There are no discounts for "regular customers". TDN 3 is only enough to study music or arts.

4. What happens if, for example, I do well in listening but fail in speaking?

You will have to take the test again. A brilliant result in one part of the test does not compensate for a failure in another. You need to get TDN 4 in each part of the test.

5. How does the speaking part of the TestDaF work?

In it, you turn into a student who tells something to his classmates or a teacher. The last two in the process of passing the TestDaF are replaced by a computer with a sound recording device turned on.

For example, you will be asked to talk about your country or ask the teacher something. In this case, your ability to correctly and coherently express your thoughts, as well as communicate with teachers, will be tested.

In addition, your vocabulary and pronunciation will be assessed. Therefore, try to speak loudly and clearly pronounce all the words.

6. What are the texts in the Reading part about?

Usually they are about various everyday topics, as well as about current socio-political and scientific issues. But the main criterion for such texts is that in order to understand them, you do not have to own any special field of knowledge.

7. What is the best way to prepare for the TestDaF?

You can do it yourself using the learning materials that are freely available online. But only a few will be able to effectively prepare for the exam in this way.

It is much better to take courses or prepare for a text with a German tutor. For example, you can sign up for online courses at the Helena Reicherd Center. The trial lesson is completely free. We will discuss the pros and cons of each method in more detail below.

8. How long is the TestDaF certificate valid?

For ages. But in fact, most German universities require recent results of such a test, which are no more than one, two or three years old. Therefore, we recommend that you immediately find out this question on the website of the university you like after you have chosen it, or in the selection committee.

9. Can I dispute the test results?

Undoubtedly. In the results of even such an authoritative test, there are sometimes errors. You can file an appeal within four weeks of receiving your test results. To do this, you need to highlight those parts of the test where, in your opinion, the points were calculated incorrectly.

In Germany, such an additional check costs 30 euros. After some time, you will receive the results of such a re-check. If it suddenly turns out that you are right, you will be reimbursed for the cost of re-verification, and, of course, a new certificate will be issued.

Pass TestDaF successfully and without stress

Here are five things you should keep in mind just before and during the exam:

1. Take an identity document with you. Fresh fingerprints or a blood test won't work. And without an ID, they won't let you in for the test. Of course, you can come to try your hand an infinite number of times, but 170 euros (the approximate cost of the test if you pass it in Germany) will forever sink into oblivion.
2. Read the instructions carefully. The test consists of four parts, each of which tests your skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening to German.
   The test is large, there are a lot of tasks in it, and time is limited. Therefore, it is better to familiarize yourself with the TestDaF structure in advance and mentally prepare for what awaits you.
   Usually people get most confused during the oral part of the TestDaF. Here you will have to literally "talk to a computer" that records your every word.
   In order not to get into trouble, try to do this procedure at home with your laptop. Turn on the sound recording, talk to the machine about some topic of the day, and then listen to what you got. Please note that “in combat conditions”, that is, directly during the test, it will be at least 3 times harder.
3. Grab a couple of spare pens. Usually they stop writing at the most inopportune moment. During the test, you can use pens with blue and black ink.
   In addition, in this case, you can help your less thrifty test neighbor. Even if everything is in order with you, then the pasta will probably end with your colleague sitting next to you. Taking a couple of spare pens with you, you will get rid of possible stress, which in this case will be very inopportune.
4. Don't drink too much before the test. Any drinks. You are allowed to use the toilet during the test only if you suspect that you are seriously ill. In other cases, you will have to endure. Therefore, a cup or two of coffee or homemade smoothies can be skipped after the test is over.
5. Don't waste time. Take a few mock learning tests in advance. When passing the TestDaF, it is very important to wisely allocate time for each of the tasks. If you continue to make entries on the answer sheet after time has expired, you will be disqualified.

Passing TestDaF "on the go" is very difficult. In order to get a good result, we recommend spending several months or even a year on intensive training. Below are some tips on how to make the preparation process as efficient as possible.

1. Don't prepare yourself. The efficiency of self-training is usually very low. Unless you are one of the 1% of those polyglots who do not need assistants in the course of learning a language at all.

If you have neither the physical nor the financial ability to prepare for the test with the help of a tutor, then you should certainly be helped by study materials, which are freely available on the Internet.

Firstly, on the TestDaF website itself, you will be told about the structure of the test, as well as what you have to do in each of its parts. There you can also read general tips on how to improve your language skills.

When preparing for TestDaF, it is very important to get used to the structure of the test. We recommend that you go through several trial options on the official website for this. They are in the public domain and can be downloaded for free. The site also offers many useful materials for self-preparation.

To practice speaking, look for a German partner. Ask him to talk to you about various topics and, in the process, voice the main mistakes that you make.

Please note that although your level of spoken German should improve significantly as a result of such classes, you will not prepare specifically for the tasks that you will be offered on the TestDaF. Therefore, we recommend that you also prepare purposefully for the test itself.

In addition to the official site, there are many other free resources with very valuable materials. The main thing is to sensibly calculate your time and opportunities. For example, if you have only one month left before the test, then the most that you have time to master is the structure of the test and the order of the test.

If you are more prudent and puzzled by this question a year or even two before the planned date of passing the TestDaF, then you can do a lot, including in general, significantly improve your knowledge of the German language.

1. Group preparation. If you study with an experienced German teacher, your chances of passing the TestDaF will increase dramatically.

There are a lot of preparatory courses. They are, for example, at the Goethe Institute or in any other specialized language institutions. Great happiness to study directly with the examiner. Such a person knows the “kitchen” from the inside and will surely tell you how to pass the test in the best way.

The undoubted disadvantage of studying in a group is that several people will be studying with the teacher at the same time. That is, if there are 10 people in the group, then in one academic hour you will get exactly 10 times less attention from the teacher than if you took private lessons from him.

But if you are feeling financially constrained or if you cannot find a good tutor, then group lessons will still have a much better effect than self-study.

1. Individual lessons with a teacher. This is the best option "for the elite".

The teacher pays attention to only one student, can observe the entire procedure for passing the test and promptly point out mistakes, as well as cut off the attention of his ward from those aspects of teaching German that are not useful for passing the TestDaF, paying attention only to the most important.

After classes with a good tutor, the final test result can be 50% better. You can count on such success by taking TestDaF preparation courses with one of the teachers at the Elena Reicherd Center.

Of course, the cost of a tutor may be higher, but later they will pay off handsomely. In addition, you do not even need to leave your home to study at the Helena Reicherd Center. All that is needed is to move to a study room with Wi-Fi and a laptop with skype installed.

Natalya Glukhova

DAF German test - how to prepare?

04/06 2018

Good afternoon friends!

Are you planning to study at a German university? To do this, you will definitely need to pass the daf test in German. Then the preparation needs to start in advance, because you need a good level of language proficiency. That's what we'll talk about now.

From this article you will learn:

DAF test - what is it and why is it needed

It will come in handy for those students who are planning. Not for beginners, but for those who already know German. He will prove that your knowledge is enough to study on a par with German students.

I must say right away that DAF is not a German exam. DAF determines a person's readiness to study at a German university!

Judge for yourself, because DAF is suitable for confirming levels from B1.2 to C1.2 - this already means that a person is fluent in a foreign language or knows it very well.

Usually, I give up after 700-1000 hours of listening to German.

Adapted specifically for students, you will immediately notice this. The topics of all sections of the test, we are also talking about them, are related to learning, here:

• student life;
• education;
• classes at a German university;
• professions;
• solving everyday student problems;
• the science…

As you can see, all topics are necessary and vital for the student.

You can take DAF not only in Germany. There are centers around the world that accept DAF and issue certificates. Of course, these should be legalized centers, the certificates of which are accepted in German universities.

Receive confirmation of payment and reservation of a place in the exam. Take this document with you, and also - your passport!

Registration starts about 8 weeks before the exam, and ends about a month before. I do not recommend pulling to the last, because every year there are more and more people who want to. And the number of places is limited.

Exam dates for the year are known in advance. If you didn’t make it to one exam, take into account the mistakes, sign up in advance for the next one.

A month after the exam you will know the results! Everything is very simple, right?

What is included in DAF

The test includes the following sections:

• Leseverstehen - test your reading skill;
• Hörverstehen - how you perceive information by ear;
• Schriftlicher Ausdruck - the written part of the exam;
• Mündlicher Ausdruck - colloquial speech.

Nothing superfluous, during training, of course, all this will come in handy. Now more about all the parts.

Leseverstehen

You will have 3 texts. Each one is harder than the previous one. And then to all texts there are questions on understanding.
This part lasts 60 minutes - 50 minutes to read and understand, and another 10 minutes to answer questions. Answers are entered in a separate form. There will be 30 questions in total.

Horverstehen

There are also 3 texts that are invited to listen. They have 25 questions. This part only takes 40 minutes.

Schriftlicher Ausdruck

A topic will be given on which to write, let's say, an “essay”. Again, all on the subject of student life. In addition, there will be a graph or table, you need to describe them. Available for all 60 minutes. I do not advise you to waste time on excessive literature here, check the grammar.

Mundlicher Ausdruck

Your answers to 7 questions will be written to disk. No live communication with the examiner! You have 35 minutes. A situation will be described and the student verbally responds to it.

The total time is 3 hours and 10 minutes. Maybe a little longer or a little faster - depending on the center.

results

They won't be right away. Usually after a month or more. Get the answer in 4 digits:

4545, 4444, 5555, 4345…

The evaluation uses values ​​from 3 to 5 - TDN3 - TDN5.

TDN3 - approximately B2;
TDN4 - something in between B2 - C1;
TDN5 - C1 and above.

In order to enter without any problems, you need a TDN 4 level in all parts of the exam.

If you get 5, it means that the level is even higher than necessary, which is great. With all the “fives”, you don’t have to worry when choosing a specialty - you can enter any. But, it rarely happens that a person gets all the "fives". More often there is a mixed situation - 4455, 4544 ...

If you got one or two "triples", don't be upset either. On the website of each educational institution there is a list of requirements - some accept even with “triples”. Not with all, of course, but with one or less often with two they can.

Training is waiting for you! Worth the effort!

Using test results

Needed for university admission. Note! Some specialties require very high results. For example, medical faculties, German studies.

Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss anything and get a phrase book in English, German and French as a gift. It has Russian transcription, so even without knowing the language, you can easily master colloquial phrases.

It is clear that in a week or even a month you cannot prepare for DAF from scratch. If you plan to enter a German university, it is better to start learning German in 2-3 years, and preferably in all 5 years. Of course, someone learns a foreign language faster, someone needs a lot of time.

Be sure to sign up for the test preparation course! They can take a trial DAF. There are special textbooks. This is also important in order not to get lost on the main test. Delivery methods are unusual, so a child, and an adult, may not immediately understand what and how to do. And if you go through the trial version 1-2 times, then later you will already know exactly what and how to do.

A couple more tips from those who successfully passed the DAF and got admitted:

1. German should become part of your life. He will be when you enter the university. Listen to songs, watch films in German, look up information on .de websites, chat with friends…
2. Be sure to practice reading! Every day at least 1 German text, but read! During active preparation, you will need to read much more. Choose texts that are more difficult than your current level. You must learn to deal with unfamiliar words, know exactly the rules of reading. So even a complex and long word, and in German there are more than enough of them, is no longer difficult.
3. It is important to write essays. Small. Here's an interesting tip for you - start keeping a diary in German. Every day write notes, texts ... The choice of words should not create problems either, expand your vocabulary. Practice, check the spelling. The path will be short, but regular. You can also make pen pals with your native German. In social networks, this is not difficult.
4. You don’t even need to buy books for preparation - they are freely available on the Internet online. They have lists of topics - you will need to work through all of them.
5. Record your speech on a voice recorder - it will be easier to look for mistakes later.
6. You will need materials for preparation: Fit für den TestDaF; TestDaF Training 20.15; Mit Erfolg zum TestDaF; testdaf.de
7. Start active preparation 5-3 months before the exam itself.
8. Practice! Just 10 minutes for the official trial http://www.testdaf.de/teilnehmer/tn-vorbereitung_test.php?id=1

Of course - no need to worry! Concentrate, you have learned everything and know everything. I wish good luck to everyone who will take the DAF in the near future, and I wish everyone else success in their preparations. If you have questions about the test or need advice - write in the comments.