DTZ exam: how many points for B1, and when you only get A2

Does the DTZ have a total score or a pass mark?

No. The Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ, "German test for immigrants") is the language exam at the end of the Integrationskurs, the integration course run on behalf of the BAMF, Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. It is one test for two levels: your certificate says A2 or B1, or you get no certificate. No total decides this. Three separate results do, and listening and reading count together as one of them.

You often read that you need 60 out of 100 points. That is not how the DTZ works. Each of the three parts has its own scale and its own cut-offs:

What decides whether you get A2 or B1?

The rule is in the German regulation on integration course tests (Integrationskurstestverordnung, § 10) and in telc's practice test: you get B1 if you reach B1 in speaking and also in either listening/reading or writing. A2 follows the same rule one level lower. The BAMF describes it the same way on its page about the final exam.

• Speaking is required. Without at least A2 in speaking there is no certificate at all, however good the other parts are.
• Your speaking level is the ceiling. With A2 in speaking you get an A2 certificate at most, even with B1 in both written parts.
• One of the other two parts is enough. B1 in speaking plus B1 in listening/reading gives you B1, even if your writing was below A2.

Which certificate do you get? Every combination

telc prints eleven combinations for A2 and five for B1. We have sorted them by the speaking result and added the cases with no certificate, which follow from the same rule:

Worked examples: what ends up on the certificate?

Example B is the most common surprise: B1 in both written parts, but only 72 points in speaking. Three more points in speaking and it would have been B1. Example C is the opposite: B1 in speaking, but 31 points in listening/reading and 14 in writing. Two more correct answers, or one more point in writing, would have been enough for B1.

How many mistakes can you make in listening and reading?

Hören (listening) has 20 tasks in four parts (4, 5, 8 and 3 tasks) and takes 25 minutes. Lesen (reading) has 25 tasks in five parts (5, 5, 6, 3 and 6 tasks) and takes 45 minutes. Each correct answer is one point, 45 in total.

• For B1 you need 33 points, so you can get 12 tasks wrong.
• For A2 you need 20 points. With 25 mistakes you are still at A2.
• Because both parts count together, strong reading can make up for weaker listening: 13 of 20 in listening plus 20 of 25 in reading makes 33, which is B1.

One thing to plan for: in the listening part you hear each recording only once. That is what the model paper by the Goethe-Institut and telc says. Read the questions carefully before each recording starts.

Writing: how do you get 15 out of 20?

You have 30 minutes to write one letter or email, choosing between Aufgabe A and Aufgabe B (task A or B). Each task has four Leitpunkte (content points you must cover). There is no word count; the instruction is "Schreiben Sie möglichst viel" (write as much as you can). The text is marked on four criteria, each from 0 to 5 points:

The arithmetic: you can reach 15 points with 4, 4, 4 and 3, so you do not need the top mark everywhere. For the task criterion, what counts is how many content points you cover: 5 points only if all four Leitpunkte are covered precisely. If one is missing, that criterion drops straight away.

Speaking: where are the 100 points?

The speaking test is taken in pairs and lasts about 15 minutes (according to the regulation and the BAMF; telc's practice test says about 16 minutes). Two examiners mark you. 50 points are for the tasks and 50 for your language across the whole test:

Teil 3, with 20 points, is the largest single block. If you get "B1 met" on every line, you have 80 points, which is B1. If you get "A2 well met" everywhere, you have 60, which is A2. So the 75-point line needs B1-level performance almost everywhere. Half points exist: 74.5 is still A2.

What does "unter A2" (below A2) mean?

"Unter A2" is the lowest band of each result: 0 to 19 points in listening/reading, 0 to 6 in writing, 0 to 34.5 in speaking. One "below A2" in listening/reading or in writing cannot stop you getting a certificate. In speaking it can. If your German is below A2 overall, the BAMF says you get no certificate, only a notice of your result.

Can you retake the DTZ, or just one part?

You can retake the test as often as you like: the regulation says the exams "können unbegrenzt häufig wiederholt werden" (can be repeated without limit, § 9(3) IntTestV). It makes no provision for retaking only speaking or only writing. If you are unsure, ask your test centre before you register.

A free retake exists in one case. According to the BAMF (page dated 28 September 2026), under certain conditions you can repeat up to 300 lessons once if you completed the language course of a literacy course (Alphabetisierungskurs) in full. That approval also includes one free retake of the exam. Whether and at what price you can take the test again in other cases, your course provider or test centre will tell you.

A2 or B1: what is each result good for?

• Zertifikat Integrationskurs (integration course certificate): according to the BAMF you need an overall B1 in the DTZ and a pass in the test "Leben in Deutschland" (at least 15 of 33 questions right, § 10 IntTestV).
• Citizenship: § 10 of the German Nationality Act (StAG) requires German at level B1. Which certificates count is explained in our article German B1 test for citizenship.
• Everything else (residence, work, training): which level is enough is decided by the office that asks for the certificate. Check with them before you rely on A2.

On waiting times: on its page about the final exam the BAMF says (as of 28 September 2026) that it is currently processing tests taken up to 9 July 2026. Allow time if you need the integration course certificate for an application.

How to prepare for B1 in all three parts

1. Speaking first. It decides everything. Practise Teil 3 (planning together) with a partner: make suggestions, respond to suggestions, agree on a plan. This part alone is worth up to 20 points.
2. A second B1 part as your safety net. Decide whether listening/reading or writing is easier for you, and aim firmly for B1 there: 33 of 45 or 15 of 20.
3. Know the timing. 25 minutes of listening, 45 of reading, 30 of writing, 100 minutes in total. Do at least one full run with exactly these times, for example in our Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer practice exam.
4. Do not forget the knowledge test. If you also take "Leben in Deutschland", practise it in our Einbürgerungstest (citizenship test) section.