Exams compared
The Goethe-Zertifikat B2 and telc Deutsch B2 test the same level under different rules. This page sets out how they differ — structure, timing, tasks, scoring and resits — and for whom each difference matters.
In short
Neither exam is easier for everyone. Goethe asks for 60 of 100 points in each of its four modules, and you resit only the module that fell short. telc adds Lesen, Sprachbausteine, Hören and Schreiben up into one written exam in which strengths and weaknesses balance out — but you hear every recording only once, and there is an extra section on grammar and vocabulary.
Based on the published exam descriptions: for the Goethe-Zertifikat the Durchführungsbestimmungen (exam regulations) of 2025, for telc its handbook, preparation guide and practice test (Übungstest). Times are exam time without breaks.
| Feature | Goethe-Zertifikat B2 | telc Deutsch B2 |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | four modules: Lesen, Hören, Schreiben, Sprechen | a written exam (Lesen, Sprachbausteine, Hören, Schreiben) and an oral exam |
| Lesen | 65 min · 5 Teile · 30 items | 3 Teile · 20 items · 90 min together with the Sprachbausteine |
| Sprachbausteine | not part of the exam | 2 Teile · 20 gaps on grammar and vocabulary |
| Hören | about 40 min · 4 Teile · 30 items · Teil 2 and 4 played twice | about 20 min · 3 Teile · 20 items · every text played once |
| Schreiben | 75 min · Forumsbeitrag (about 150 words) and Nachricht (about 100 words), both compulsory | 30 min · one semi-formal email (at least 150 words), chosen from two tasks |
| Sprechen | about 15 min in pairs · 2 Teile · 15 min preparation | about 15 min in pairs · 3 Teile · 20 min preparation |
| Points | 100 per module | 225 written + 75 oral = 300 |
| Pass mark | 60 points in each module | 135 of 225 written and 45 of 75 oral (60 % each) |
| Compensation | none between modules | within the written exam yes, between written and oral no |
| Resits | any module on its own, as often as you like | the part you did not pass (written or oral) as a partial exam |
| Result | points and a grade (Prädikat) for each module | one overall grade, once both parts are passed |
| Format | on paper or digital at the exam centre | on paper, digital, or hybrid (oral exam by video) |
How telc weights it: Lesen 75 points, Sprachbausteine 30, Hören 75, Schreiben 45, Sprechen 75. The email is 15 % of the result — at Goethe, Schreiben is a module of its own, worth 100 points and passed on its own.
When people ask which exam is “easier”, they usually mean: where am I more likely to clear the line? That is where the two exams differ clearly.
A worked example for telc: Lesen 70 of 75, Sprachbausteine 24 of 30, Hören 45 of 75, Schreiben 18 of 45 — 157 of 225, so the written exam is passed although the email reached only 40 %. At Goethe there is no such sum: the Schreiben module needs 60 of 100 points on its own, and a strong Lesen changes nothing. The other side of it: pass three Goethe modules and miss one, and you resit only that one.
Both exams test Lesen, Hören, Schreiben and Sprechen at B2, but with different tasks. Which version is harder depends on where your strengths lie.
Goethe
Five task types in 65 minutes: match nine statements to four people's opinions, put sentences back into the gaps of an article, multiple choice on a newspaper text, match short comments to the right headline, and match headings from a table of contents to the paragraphs of an official text such as a study regulation.
telc
Three reading Teile — a headline for each of five texts, multiple choice on one text, ten situations matched to twelve adverts where some situations have no match — plus two gap texts: grammar with three options each, and vocabulary from a list of 15 words. All in one 90-minute block, around 3,000 words.
If your grammar is solid, the Sprachbausteine earn you points of their own at telc. If endings and prepositions are your weak spot, Goethe has no section that tests exactly that — but its Teil 5 asks you to find your way through an official text with numbered paragraphs.
Goethe
Four Teile, 30 items: short everyday conversations, a radio interview, a discussion between three people (“Wer sagt das?” — who says this?) and a talk. Teil 1 and 3 are played once, Teil 2 and 4 twice. The recordings are in supra-regional standard German.
telc
Three Teile, 20 items, all richtig or falsch: radio news, a radio interview and short announcements. Every text is played only once, and “falsch” means the text clearly says something else. The telc handbook expects interviews with dialect speakers too, so allow for regional colouring.
If listening is your weakest skill, it helps at Goethe that two Teile are played twice. At telc every item has only two options, but you never hear a text a second time.
Goethe
Two texts in 75 minutes, both compulsory: a Forumsbeitrag giving your opinion (about 150 words, 60 points, all four Inhaltspunkte) and a Nachricht to a named person (about 100 words, 40 points, with greeting and sign-off). If a task gets an E for Erfüllung, the whole task scores 0.
telc
One semi-formal email in 30 minutes — typically a request for information or a complaint — chosen from two tasks: at least 150 words, three of four Leitpunkte (or two plus a point of your own), with subject line, greeting and sign-off. It counts for 45 of 300 points.
If you write slowly or reluctantly, Goethe asks more of you: two text types and a module of its own that needs 60 points by itself. At telc it is one text that the rest of the written exam can carry — but 30 minutes leaves little time for a draft.
Goethe
Two Teile in front of two examiners: a talk of about four minutes on one of two topics you first see in the preparation time — with introduction, main part and conclusion, followed by questions — and a discussion of one controversial question. 15 minutes' preparation.
telc
Three Teile: talking about your own experience (one topic from a list of seven that you prepare at home), a discussion based on a newspaper text, and planning something together. 20 minutes' preparation. You mainly talk with each other, not with the examiners.
If you prefer to speak prepared, telc lets you know the topic for Teil 1 in advance. At Goethe you build a structured talk on a new topic in 15 minutes — but there are two Teile instead of three.
Neither exam is easier in itself; each is easier or harder for particular strengths and weaknesses. These points help you decide.
It is harder for you if one skill lags well behind the others — above all Schreiben: two compulsory texts and 60 points that no other module can make up for.
It is harder for you if listening is your weak spot — every text is played once, regional accents included — or if you read slowly under pressure: Lesen and Sprachbausteine share 90 minutes.
Both certificates are widely accepted proofs of German at B2. But whether a particular exam counts is always decided by whoever you show it to — the authority, the employer, the university or the recognition office. Ask them before you register. If they name one exam, the decision is made.
Dates, formats and fees are set where you sit the exam, not on this page. What the exam descriptions do say:
You sit both exams at an exam centre: the Goethe-Zertifikat at Goethe-Instituts and the centres that offer it, telc Deutsch B2 at centres that run telc exams. Which exam is offered near you, and when, you find out there — often the next free date settles the question.
The Goethe-Zertifikat is held on paper or digitally on a computer at the exam centre, with the same tasks, timings and criteria. telc offers paper, digital and hybrid exams — in the hybrid form the oral exam takes place by video — with the same content. The centre decides which form you get.
At Goethe every module is certified on its own, with points and a grade. Since the first quarter of 2026 telc issues its certificates as standard in digital form: a PDF with a qualified electronic signature whose authenticity can be checked online.
The exam fee is set by the exam centre and varies from place to place. Ask the centres in your city before you decide.
DeutschCertPrep currently prepares you for the Goethe-Zertifikat B2. Preparation for telc Deutsch B2 is in the works.
Practice for every Teil of all four modules, timed mock exams (Modellprüfungen) and Felix, our AI examiner, who marks your Schreiben and Sprechen against the Goethe-Zertifikat's criteria (all except Aussprache) in the Exam Prep and Complete Prep passes — as an estimate, not an official result. The first two exercises of every Teil and Textsorte and one Modellprüfung per module are free, no account needed.
Preparation in the telc format is in the works. Until it is ready, this site covers only the Goethe format — if you have chosen telc, practise in the telc format.
Neither, in general. telc adds up the written sections, so strengths and weaknesses balance out, and asks for only one text in Schreiben — but every listening text is played once, and there is an extra section on grammar and vocabulary. Goethe needs 60 points in every module, but plays two of its four listening Teile twice. Which exam is easier for you depends on your strengths.
Both are widely accepted proofs of German at B2. What binds you, though, is what the body you show the certificate to asks for — an authority, an employer, a university or a recognition office. Ask them which exam they accept before you register.
At Goethe, yes: each of the four modules is passed on its own and can be resat as often as you like, and the modules you passed stay passed. telc Deutsch B2 can be taken as a partial exam: according to telc's exam material, a part you did not pass — written or oral — can be retaken in the same or the following calendar year. Your exam centre has the current conditions.
A section only telc has: two gap texts with ten gaps each. In the first you choose the grammatically correct form from three options; in the second you fill the gaps from a list of 15 words, five of which are left over. Together they are worth 30 of 300 points. The Goethe-Zertifikat B2 has no separate grammar section — grammar counts there as the criterion Strukturen in Schreiben and Sprechen.
At Goethe, 60 of 100 in every module you take — in Lesen and Hören that is 18 of 30 correct answers. At telc, 135 of 225 points in the written exam and 45 of 75 in the oral exam; the two cannot make up for each other.
Not yet. DeutschCertPrep currently prepares you for the Goethe-Zertifikat B2; preparation for telc Deutsch B2 is in the works. Because the formats differ so much, practise for telc in the telc format.
DeutschCertPrep is an independent preparation service. We are not affiliated with, authorised by or endorsed by the Goethe-Institut, telc gGmbH, ÖSD or the BAMF, and we do not issue certificates. “Goethe-Zertifikat”, “telc” and “ÖSD” are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here only to name the exams our material prepares for. Felix’s marking is a practice estimate, not an official exam result.
