June 16, 2026
Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ): How It's Different from Goethe and telc
If someone told you to "book the DTZ," the first thing to know is that it isn't a Goethe or telc exam you shop around for. The Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer is the single exam that sits at the end of Germany's state-funded integration course (the Integrationskurs), and it exists for one specific job: to certify that a course participant has reached A2 or B1 German. It's commissioned by the BAMF (the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees), developed by g.a.s.t., and if you're a funded course participant your first attempt is usually free. That combination, tied to a specific course, scaled across two levels, and cheap-to-free, is exactly what makes it different from everything else on this blog.
So before you spend a euro or an evening preparing, work out whether the DTZ is even the exam you want. A lot of people arrive here having been told "you need B1" and assume the DTZ and the Goethe B1 are interchangeable. They test overlapping German, but they are not the same certificate and they are not aimed at the same person.
What the DTZ actually is
The DTZ is the final language test of the Integrationskurs, the government-funded German-plus-orientation course run through BAMF-licensed providers across the country. Since 1 January 2023 it's been developed and delivered by g.a.s.t. (the same organisation behind the TestDaF), on behalf of the BAMF. Every version of the test is built to a single national standard and offered at licensed centres roughly every two weeks.
The defining feature is that it's a scaled test measuring two CEFR levels at once: A2 and B1. You don't sign up for "the B1 version." You sit one exam, and your result reports which level you actually reached. Reach the bar across the board and you get a B1 result. Fall short in part of it and the certificate can show a mixed outcome, B1 in one section and A2 in another. There's no separate "A2 exam" and "B1 exam" to choose between, which is the opposite of how Goethe and telc work, where you pick your level up front.
The certificate is titled "Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer A2–B1." It doesn't expire, and the level printed on it (A2 or B1) is what counts. A B1 result on the DTZ is a genuine B1 German certificate, it's just produced inside a specific system rather than sold as a standalone exam.
Who actually needs to take the DTZ
Take the DTZ if you're enrolled in, or eligible for, a BAMF integration course. That's who it's built for. If a Jobcenter, the immigration office, or your course provider pointed you toward it, the DTZ is your exam and you don't need to look at Goethe or telc at all. The course is designed to end with this test, the prep materials your teacher uses target this test, and the funding covers this test.
You almost certainly want a Goethe or telc exam instead if you're in any of these situations:
- You're applying to a German university or Studienkolleg and need a recognised proficiency certificate. The DTZ is not a university-admission exam. For that you're looking at TestDaF, DSH, or a Goethe certificate.
- You need a certificate for an employer, a professional-recognition process, or a visa file that names Goethe/telc specifically. Many of these ask for a named exam, and the DTZ isn't always on the list.
- You're not in an integration course and just want a clean, widely-recognised B1 or B2 certificate on your own timeline. You can register for a Goethe or telc exam directly without any course.
In short: the DTZ is course-linked, the others are open-market. If you can walk into any test centre and book, you're in Goethe/telc territory. If your route to the exam runs through a funded course, it's the DTZ.
How the DTZ differs from Goethe and telc, side by side
The exams overlap heavily in the German they test (a DTZ B1 and a telc B1 assess similar ground), but the systems around them are built differently.
| Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer | Goethe-Zertifikat | telc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Final test of the state integration course | General/academic proficiency certificate | General/professional proficiency certificate |
| Behind it | BAMF, developed by g.a.s.t. | Goethe-Institut | telc gGmbH, run via licensed centres |
| Levels | One scaled test, A2–B1 | You pick a level (A1–C2) | You pick a level (A1–C2) |
| Where you sit it | BAMF-licensed integration-course providers | Goethe institutes and partners | 3,000+ independent telc centres |
| Typical cost | Often free in a funded course; roughly €130–185 as a self-payer | ~€150–290 depending on level | ~€150–240, set per centre |
| Result | A2 or B1, scaled | Pass/fail at the chosen level, by module | Pass/fail at the chosen level, by block |
The most important row is the first one. Goethe and telc sell you a certificate at a level you choose. The DTZ measures where you landed on an A2–B1 scale as the capstone of a course. If you don't need the course context, you don't need the DTZ.
For a full head-to-head on the two open-market options, our Goethe vs. telc comparison breaks down which of those to pick and why.
The DTZ format: what's actually on the test
The DTZ has a written part of about 100 minutes and a paired oral part of about 15 minutes, same skeleton as most German exams but with its own task mix.
The written exam runs in three blocks:
- Hören (listening), ~25 minutes. Everyday conversations, announcements, and short radio-style segments, worth 25 points across several parts. This is very daily-life German: appointments, phone messages, public announcements.
- Lesen (reading), ~45 minutes. Ads, notices, letters, and short articles, again around 25 points. The texts lean practical, the kind of thing you'd actually read living in Germany.
- Schreiben (writing), ~30 minutes. You fill in a form with personal details and write a semi-formal letter or email responding to a realistic situation, like replying to a landlord, a school, or an office. That letter is the piece most people underprepare for.
The oral exam is done in pairs with two examiners in the room. It has three stages: a short self-introduction, a conversation about a given topic, and a task where you and your partner plan something together (agreeing on arrangements, negotiating a small decision). It's scored separately from the written part.
The written letter and the paired speaking task are where the DTZ rewards format-specific practice. The listening and reading reward the same exam technique as any B1 exam: read the question first, skim for the answer, and don't freeze when you miss one detail. If your teacher runs the exam simulation the course provides, take it seriously, it mirrors the real thing closely.
How the result works
Your result is scaled and reported separately for the written and the oral parts. To be certified at B1 overall, you need to reach B1 in both. It's genuinely possible to land B1 on the written exam but A2 on speaking, or the reverse, and the certificate reflects that split rather than just handing you a single pass or fail. That's the practical meaning of "scaled A2–B1": it isn't pass/fail against one bar, it's a placement across two levels.
If you don't reach B1 and you're in a funded course, there's usually a route to a single free repeat under the course rules. Confirm the exact conditions with your course provider, because they depend on your funding and how many course hours you've used.
What the DTZ costs
Inside a subsidized integration course, the first attempt is normally free, covered by the course funding. That's the common case, and it's the reason the DTZ is the cheapest way for an eligible person to walk away with a B1 certificate.
As a self-payer or external candidate, meaning you're sitting it without funded-course coverage, you pay a fee the centre sets. In 2026 that's typically in the €130–185 range, and it varies by region and provider (some centres quote a separate registration/admin fee on top). There's no single national price because the DTZ is delivered through many independent licensed providers, so ask for the total in writing before you commit. Registration goes through a licensed centre, usually a Volkshochschule or a language institute, and deadlines tend to fall one to three weeks before the test date.
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees runs the integration-course system that the DTZ concludes. Its pages explain eligibility, how to find a licensed course provider near you, and how the final DTZ fits into the course. Start here if you're checking whether you qualify for a funded place.
The organisation that develops and delivers the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer on behalf of the BAMF (and also runs the TestDaF). Its site covers the test's structure, the A2–B1 scaling, and how results are reported.
When you should skip the DTZ entirely
If you're not tied to an integration course, the DTZ usually isn't worth chasing. You'd have to find a centre that takes external candidates, pay the self-payer fee, and you'd end up with a certificate whose whole identity is "integration-course exam," when a straight Goethe or telc certificate at your target level is cleaner for university, employer, or general-recognition use.
The one scenario where an external DTZ makes sense is when a specific process you're dealing with names it as an accepted proof of A2/B1 and it happens to be the cheapest option available to you. Otherwise, pick your level and go straight to Goethe or telc. If B1 is your target and you want to compare the two mainstream routes, our telc B1 format, fees, and registration guide covers exactly what that exam looks like and how booking works.
Don't assume a "B1 requirement" always means the DTZ, and don't assume it always means Goethe/telc either. Read the actual requirement. Some processes accept any B1 certificate including the DTZ, others name a specific exam. Sitting the wrong one is an expensive way to find out, so confirm which certificate the body asking for it will actually accept before you register.
The short version: the DTZ is the integration course's exam, scaled A2–B1, usually free if you're in a funded course and roughly €130–185 if you're not. Goethe and telc are the open-market exams you book at a level you choose. Match the exam to your situation, course-linked versus open-market, and the choice makes itself.