This checklist protects the performance you already have
On the day of the exam you do not suddenly learn better German. But you can make your actual performance unnecessarily worse through lateness, hunger, the wrong entrance or missing documents. A good checklist is therefore not a lucky ritual but risk management.
The invitation and the local rules of your exam centre always take precedence. Compare this list against them and clarify any contradictions directly with the centre.
Three days before: finish the organisation
Check not only the street address but the building, the entrance, the floor and the registration time. Find a main route and a backup route. If you are travelling in from another city, check the return journey as well: Speaking (Sprechen) can take place later than the written modules.
Put these things together:
- the accepted identity document, in the original;
- the invitation or booking confirmation;
- the place, the time and the modules you booked;
- the phone number of the exam centre;
- the writing materials permitted according to the invitation.
The name in the booking should match the identity document. If you spot a mistake, report it immediately, not at the entrance check. If you have not booked yet, use the booking check on fees and dates.
The evening before: 40 minutes, then stop
A complete model test on the last evening no longer produces any insight you can train in time. What it can cost you is sleep and confidence. Use a short wrap-up instead:
- Explain the sequence of the four modules to yourself without any materials.
- Read through your five most frequent personal errors.
- Say two repair phrases out loud for a pause in Speaking (Sprechen).
- Pack clothes, documents, water and something to eat in the break.
- Set two alarms and stop studying.
If the order is still unclear to you, read Goethe B1: structure and format once. Do not start a new grammar lesson.
What goes in the bag?
| Take with you | Check with the centre beforehand |
|---|---|
| valid identity document in the original | which types of document are accepted |
| invitation / booking confirmation | paper or digital version |
| water and a small snack | where and when eating is allowed |
| glasses and any necessary medication | whether a special arrangement is needed |
| backup route and contact number | whom to reach in case of a delay |
Dictionaries, mobile phones and other aids are not permitted in the exam. Follow the instructions on where electronic devices are stored. Remember smartwatches too: “I only look at the time” does not make a device that is not allowed unproblematic.
In the morning
Eat something familiar and do not experiment with triple the usual amount of coffee. Plan for the time buffer the centre requires. “Start 9:00” normally does not mean that you open the door at 8:59; the identity check, the briefing and the allocation of seats happen before that.
Do not learn twenty new words on the way. Go over your process instead:
- read the task instruction and its constraints;
- move on after a missed listening detail;
- tick off every content point in Writing (Schreiben);
- react to your partner in Speaking (Sprechen);
- calmly inform the invigilator if there is a problem.
These are actions you can control, not motivational slogans.
During Reading and Listening
In Reading (Lesen), check the time after blocks of tasks. If a question is holding you back, decide provisionally and carry on. Seven minutes spent on an uncertain answer can cost you three easy answers at the end.
In Listening (Hören), a piece of information you miss is gone. Do not keep replaying it in your head while the next question is already running. Breathe out briefly, direct your eyes to the current task and start listening again. The right strategy for the different numbers of playbacks is explained in Listening: once or twice?.
If there is an objective technical problem, for instance no sound, raise your hand immediately. Do not wait until the end of the module, and do not adjust the equipment yourself.
During Writing
At the start, make sure you can see all three tasks. Divide up the 60 minutes. An elegant first email is of little help if the third task stays unfinished.
Before you hand in, check in this order:
- Are all content points covered?
- Is the communicative intention recognisable?
- Does every sentence have a comprehensible structure?
- Do the salutation, the sign-off and the tone fit?
- Are there unfinished drafts or conspicuous typing errors left?
The article Writing: structure and assessment shows the full procedure.
Before and during Speaking
Do not discuss the answers from Reading or Listening during the break. You can no longer change them, and you still need your attention.
In the preparation time, note keywords rather than a manuscript. Speak to your partner, listen to their suggestion and develop the conversation. If they are quiet, bring them in with a question. If they talk for a very long time, come in politely: „Darf ich kurz etwas ergänzen?“ — may I add something briefly?
For a blackout, a rehearsed three-step routine helps:
- breathe out for longer than you breathe in;
- repeat the topic in simple words;
- begin with a concrete experience of your own.
For example: „Einen Moment. Bei diesem Thema denke ich an meinen Arbeitsweg. Dort habe ich erlebt, dass …“ — one moment; on this topic I think of my journey to work, where I experienced that … That turns the pause into a transition.
When something goes wrong
Lateness: contact the centre immediately. Only they can decide whether taking part is still possible.
Illness: inform the exam administration. Cancellation, medical proof and a possible rebooking are governed by the local conditions.
Unclear instruction: you are allowed to put organisational questions to the invigilator. The content of a task is not explained; read the wording and the example through carefully once more.
A block that feels like a total failure: one difficult block is not yet a result. Do not mentally give up on the next module. Every module is assessed independently.
After the exam
Note down only useful observations: where did time get tight? Which strategy worked? How stable was your speaking? Do not reconstruct or share exam tasks. Then wait for the official notification from the centre.
If nervousness regularly disrupts you more than your language level does, prepare the strategies against exam anxiety practically and in advance. A good exam day does not require perfect calm; it requires a plan for the case in which you are not calm.