DSH listening comprehension: how the lecture works and how to take notes

How does the listening part work?

The frame is set by the framework regulation for German language exams (RO-DT) of the German Rectors' Conference and the Standing Conference of Education Ministers. Each university writes its own texts, but the procedure is the same everywhere:

1. Introduction: before the lecture the examiner may give hints: on the topic, names, dates, difficult technical terms, often with an outline of the lecture.
2. First listening: you hear the whole lecture and take notes.
3. 10 minutes: you read the tasks and sort your notes.
4. Second listening: you hear the lecture again and fill the gaps.
5. 40 minutes: you answer the tasks in writing.

How long and how fast is the lecture?

The RO-DT only fixes the text length, not the pace. We measured the published listening texts of four universities (Bonn, TU Dortmund, Göttingen, Fulda): all sit inside that range at about 6,500 to 7,000 characters. The speech runs at roughly 86 to 126 words per minute; with pauses, the recordings last about 9 to 14 minutes. So the pace differs between universities, and pauses for note-taking are part of it.

Some universities play a recording, others have an examiner read the text aloud. The RO-DT allows both.

Which tasks come up?

The tasks follow the structure of the lecture. In the sample exam of the DSH handbook published by FaDaF, the professional association for German as a foreign language, they include:

• completing a table, for example fields of study and their research topics,
• short answers with a given number („Name the two …“),
• yes/no statements, where a single word often makes the difference,
• explaining the difference between two terms,
• stating a conclusion („State what this suggests.“).

The task sheet usually says: answer the tasks only on the basis of the lecture. Your own knowledge does not count, even if it is correct.

How do you take good notes?

1. Use the outline. Before listening, divide your page into the sections of the outline. Then you always know where you are in the lecture.
2. Listen for signal words. Phrases like „Im zweiten Teil …“, „erstens, zweitens“ or „Daraus folgt …“ mark the next section and the number of points.
3. Write keywords, not sentences. Numbers, names, technical terms and examples first. Symbols like ↑ (rises), → (leads to) or ≠ save time.
4. Plan the second listening. In the 10 minutes, read the tasks and mark what is missing. In the second listening, look for exactly that.
5. Answer completely. If a task asks for two points, give two. Small grammar mistakes cost no points here; missing content does.