DTZ Model Test for Free: Where to Practice Online and Simulate the Exam

Yes, free DTZ model tests do exist

If you want to practice the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ), you don’t have to spend money. The most important providers offer complete model tests for free:

• g.a.s.t. / telc (gast.de): official model set plus several practice sets as PDFs, with audio files for listening and with solutions.
• BAMF (bamf.de): model sets for free download with sample tasks for all exam sections.
• Klett Publishing: a free DTZ model test for download.
• telc-trainer.de: the first model test is available online for free and without registration; you work through the exam as if at a computer.

These tests have exactly the format of the real exam. This way you practice under realistic conditions before you go to your exam date.

What is tested in the DTZ?

The DTZ is a special exam: it tests A2 and B1 in a single test. Depending on your score, you receive a certificate at level A2 or B1 at the end. So you can’t “fail” in the classical sense; rather, you achieve a level.

The exam has two parts.

Written section (about 100 minutes)

• Listening: You hear short texts like announcements, messages, or conversations and mark the correct answer.
• Reading: You read advertisements, short articles, and letters and answer questions about them.
• Writing: You write a letter or email for a given situation.

Speaking section (about 15 minutes)

The speaking section is usually a conversation between two people with another test-taker, in front of two examiners. It has three parts: introducing yourself, speaking about a topic, and planning something together (for example, organizing a party).

How many points do you need for B1?

Important to understand: the sections listening and reading, writing, and speaking are graded separately. Your overall level results from these individual scores.

For a B1 certificate you must:

1. achieve level B1 in speaking and
2. also achieve B1 in at least one written area (listening and reading or writing).

If you don’t manage that, you still receive a certificate, but at level A2. For many pathways (for example, naturalization) B1 is the standard language level. A higher level like C1 is normally not necessary; it only plays a role in the rarer, expedited naturalization process.

Practice with the model test in 5 steps

1. Download an official model set (gast.de or BAMF). Print it out or open it on your screen.
2. Simulate the real time. Set a timer and work without breaks. This way you’ll notice how much time you really have.
3. Listen to the audio files only once per task (or as many times as the exam allows). This is crucial in the listening section.
4. Write the letter completely and then check against the solutions: did you answer all points? Is the greeting and closing correct?
5. Practice the speaking section aloud, ideally with another person. Speaking in your head isn’t enough; you need real speaking practice.

Completed the model test but still unsure?

A model test shows you honestly where you stand. If you notice that writing or speaking in particular is still difficult, regular, structured learning helps more than ten more practice tests. That’s exactly what a complete course is for: it builds grammar and vocabulary step by step, instead of just training the exam format.

At V-IZ you learn B1 as a video course with a real, certified German-as-a-Foreign-Language teacher and the Hueber textbook “Schritte plus Neu”. An AI trainer corrects exactly the areas that often cost points on the DTZ: speaking, pronunciation, and letters. This way you don’t just practice the test, but the German behind it, and come to the exam with more confidence.

Anyone who works through the B1 course is well prepared for the DTZ, but also for telc B1 and Goethe Certificate B1, because all three test the same language level.

In brief

Free DTZ model tests are officially available from gast.de and BAMF, as well as online from providers like telc-trainer.de. Use them to practice the format and timing. For a good B1 result, what matters most is speaking and a well-written letter. Once you’re confident here, there’s little standing between you and the B1 certificate.