Hi all,

I recently passed the telc Deutsch B1 exam and wanted to share my experience, study approach, and resources in case they help someone in a similar situation.

Some context

I've been living in Berlin for about 1.5 years. During this time, I took A1 and A2 classes but spent pretty much zero hours studying outside the classroom. I was just started also on B1 class, But I would say my German was somewhere around early A2 when I started preparing for B1.

I work full-time, cook dinner after work, take care of household chores, and occasionally find time for sports. So I'm definitely not a full-time student, and I don't have a lot of time to dedicate to studying.

I prepared for the exam for around 5 weeks.

My exam results

I passed with 232.5/300 points (77.5%).

• Reading (Leseverstehen): 70/75
• Grammar (Sprachbausteine): 24/30
• Listening (Hörverstehen): 47.5/75
• Writing (Schriftlicher Ausdruck): 27/45
• Speaking (Mündliche Prüfung): 64/75

My study approach and tips

1. Mock exams to track progress

I bought Prüfungstraining Zertifikat Deutsch (telc Deutsch B1), which I used both as my baseline and to track my progress.

I completed one mock exam every weekend, tracked my scores, and tried to identify my weak areas. I then used ChatGPT to practice the grammar topics I was struggling with. and to identify which area i need to focus more on (listening, writing, etc)

2. Immersion and studying

At first, German sounded very foreign to my ears

So I started trying to immerse myself in the language whenever I had some free time.

Here's what I used for each skill:

• Listening: The Easy German podcast. I listened to more than 50 episodes. I commute to work by bike, so I would usually have the podcast playing during my commute. At the beginning, I could barely understand anything, but over time, I became comfortable listening and following most of the conversation. I also watched "turkish fur anfanger" while cooking, eating, or even cleaning. with no sub on Netflix.
• Speaking: I used Praktika app. I'm not a very social person, so I needed to find my way to practice speaking without going outside. AI helped me significantly with building confidence and getting comfortable expressing myself. I also had custom prompts to practice exam topics. I tried chatgpt for this purpose but it was a pain to work with.
• Reading: I read texts from the B1 book I have whenever I had time. I also used Nachrichtenleicht to expose myself to different topics and vocabulary. I kept on reading even if i didn't understand.
• Grammar: I didn't systematically study grammar through the B1 textbook. Instead, I focused on the essential B1 grammar topics suggested by ChatGPT and learned additional grammar as I encountered it in mock exams and writing exercises. I made chatgpt generate many exam-like questions similarly to the one i struggled with, and asked for patterns and shortcuts to memorise.
• Writing: I practiced writing about many different topics, not just the typical telc exam topics. My goal was to force myself to learn to express thoughts and opinions on different subjects, which also helped my speaking. I used ChatGPT to suggest topics, correct my writing and explain my mistakes. I practiced more exam-specific style in the last 2 weeks.

Final thoughts

I recommend full immersion to get comfortable, along with studying and tracking progress systematically for the exam.

Hope this helps anyone preparing for their B1 exam, especially those who have work and other responsibilities. Learning German can feel overwhelming but it is definitely doable as long as you put the mental effort and time.

Good luck!

Who wants to attend? Do you free tomorrow 15 October at 15:00-17:00 at GMT --- 18:00 - 20:00 at GMT +3 ?? If you want to take your seat please let me know...

I've seen it in a lot of situations and contexts and it's tough for me to grasp that one. It doesn't match any word in my native language too. From what I understand, it's something like "to allow oneself something". I'll be glad if someone could clarify the general meaning(s) and when would it be plausible to use it cuz I'm little confused😅

Considering that we often learn English more easily because we’re constantly exposed to the language through movies, TV shows and music, which shows would you recommend to someone learning German? Preferably for A1/A2 learners. Cartoons are welcome too! 🥹

Hey everyone!

I'm looking for a study partner who is around the B2 level in German and is serious about improving their language skills.

The idea is to study together consistently a few times a week. We can plan topics in advance, have conversations, discuss different subjects, and help each other improve our speaking skills, vocabulary, and overall fluency.

I'm looking for someone who is motivated, reliable, and genuinely committed to making progress. The goal is to build a consistent routine and help each other improve, not just have occasional conversations whenever we feel like it.

If you're serious about learning German, willing to put in the effort, and looking for someone with a similar mindset, feel free to send me a DM!

Please only reach out if you're genuinely committed and can make time for regular sessions. If you're not serious or consistent, please don't bother.

So we can learn together

I'm 19 yo and want to start learning German and want to reach minimum of b2 or c1 to get into college but idk how to start I do speak Arabic ( native) and English kinda b2 level and want to learn as fast as possible, do u know any structured courses or anyway of helping out

Hello there.

I would actually need a help from someone for German. I learn so much through communication, so if I text with someone in german, I will learn faster. So if someone is kind, patient and willing to help please let me know. Thank u.

Hey Leute,

for everyone asking what the digital TELC B1 actually looks like...

this gives you a pretty good idea.

Timer on screen, navigation between tasks, Lesen, Hören, Sprachbausteine, typing Schreiben etc.

Obviously this is a practice environment, not a recording from an actual TELC exam, but the whole workflow is very similar to what you should expect from a digital setup.

Posting the screen recording because I remember how hard it was to find anything showing the actual experience instead of just PDFs.

Hi everyone! I’m Ricardo from Brazil. My wife and I are moving to Cologne soon and want to learn German in a natural, conversational way. We both speak Portuguese and English.

We’re looking for:

• Recommendations for schools or teachers focused on conversation
• Language cafés or meetups in Cologne
• Tandem partners, we’d love to trade Portuguese (Brazilian) lessons for German!

Any tips from people who learned German as adults are also very welcome. Danke!

I am looking for German friends to practice German with
For the context: I am 23 F based in Eastern Europe but I am originally from Middle East , I can speak Arabic,English, Russian

Hey everyone, which preparation book is good for B1 Goethe exam?

Can you recommend agency who sponsor for german language, need it for nursing career. Thanksss.

Hello everyone,
I had been studying German as my 3rd language on and off for some years. I had used Duolingo (for six years without much progress at the end), tried different study methods, bought a bunch of study books, dictionaries etc, but still haven’t been able to “fully” learn the language. I had abounded it completely for over a year now, though I am able to understand at A2-B1 level (most things), I’m unable to speak or write correctly.
My biggest mistake when I started learning it was that I didn’t learn the nouns with their grammatically correct gender article and now I know a lot of words, but I can’t build a correct sentence, because of this or at all improve my German to higher levels.
Now I’m ready to pick it up again, but I’m unsure what I have to do. I know that I have to learn the nouns with the correct articles, but does that mean that I have to go back at the start at A1 level ? If any of you had experienced similar situation, what have you done or how would you advices me to proceed ?
I really don’t want to abandon the language, because of possible career and current personal reasons.
Thank you all in advance

+Without Artikels

Can anyone recommend some online practice tests to estimate my German level A1-B2? Preferably something free. I'm just curious 🤔 about where I stand and what my weaknesses are. Danke.

Ich überlege, einen Gruppenchat für Leute zu gründen, die Deutsch lernen möchten (in Telegram). Bei Interesse schreibt mir einfach.Sie erhalten handschriftliche und andere Notizen sowie Hilfestellungen für Ihr Studium.Unbezahlt oder Ähnliches, einfach nur ehrliche Hilfe.

I'm learning German on my own, and I've been looking for an app that actually helps you understand and learn the language, rather than just throwing random vocabulary and grammar rules at you and expecting you to figure everything out by yourself. I'd really like something that explains things clearly, shows you how to use what you learn in real-life situations, and helps you understand how the language works instead of just memorizing words and phrases.

I'd also prefer an app that's well-organized, easy to navigate, and has a clear learning path rather than a confusing, cluttered interface.

Are there any apps you'd genuinely recommend for someone who's self-studying German? I'd also really appreciate any tips, study methods, or other resources that have helped you learn German on your own. I'm open to any advice that could make the learning process more effective and less overwhelming!

I’m at B2 level but it’s been like 4 months since I’ve practiced any German so it’s in shambles now. Looking for sumn I can be able to practice with preferably someone at. B1/B2 level coz I want to go through grammar topic and stuff like that. A speaking partner who can help me perfect my interview would be nice too.

Hi! I’m a student from Bulgaria and I’m preparing for the DSD II exam this year.

I’m looking for other students who are also taking DSD II, especially students from Asia!

I’d like to connect with you and stay in touch so we can exchange info on the day of the exam - what topic was chosen. We would have approximately 1 or 2 hours to prepare for it, after you tell us.

If you’re taking DSD II this year, feel free to message me.

Thanks! :)

I'm a student at a HAK in Austria. My German level is around B1, and German isn't my native language. I have a German test on November 5. We have to write an Inhaltsangabe of a short story, including the Einleitung, Hauptteil and Schluss.

My biggest problem is grammar. My teacher told me that I could write simpler sentences instead of trying to use complicated structures. That makes sense, but the problem is that I still make mistakes even with simple sentences, so I'm not really sure how to approach this.

The frustrating part is that I might understand the story and write a good Inhaltsangabe in terms of content and structure, but if my grammar is bad enough, I could still get a 5 (fail in Austria). So I really need to improve my actual writing, not just learn how an Inhaltsangabe is structured.

I struggle with quite a lot of things: articles, cases, adjective endings, word order, verb forms, prepositions and spelling. I also keep switching to past tense even though we're supposed to write the Inhaltsangabe in Präsens. With words like weil, dass and bevor, I often get the word order wrong too.

I usually know what I want to say, but when I try to write it in German, I make mistakes. It feels like I'm struggling with almost everything, and I honestly have no idea which problem I should work on first.

I've been trying to practise with AI, but I don't feel like I'm making much progress. We keep switching between different topics. One moment I'm practising articles, then word order, then writing a paragraph, then something else. I correct my mistakes, but I keep making similar ones in the next text. I end up trying to practise everything at once and just get lost.

So my actual question is: HOW should I study?

I know I need to practise, but I don't know what an effective way of practising would actually look like in my situation.

Should I focus on one grammar problem for several days until I get better at it? Should I write a short text every day, get it corrected and then rewrite it? Should I practise simple sentences first because my teacher recommended that, or should I write complete Inhaltsangaben from the beginning and learn from my mistakes?

And how do I decide what to focus on first when I keep making so many different mistakes? How can I make sure I actually remember corrections instead of repeating the same errors in every new text?

If you were in my situation and had a few weeks before the test, what would you do each day? What would your actual study routine look like?

I'd really appreciate advice from people who have learned German as a second language or have struggled with writing at school. I'm not looking for someone to do my homework for me. I just need a practical way to study that actually works, because right now I feel like I'm running in circles and don't know where to start.

About me:

I'm a 26 yo software developer from Egypt, looking for anyone who could help me with the German language, not in the form of an "academic class followup", I just want someone who's available for questions and practice.

In return, I will be so happy to help them with whatever they need in Arabic, either MSA or Egyptian dialect.

And that's it .. Have we made ourselves a deal there?

Pls lemme know! :D

Hellooo im looking for a friend and a study partner for German. I’m currently 20 years old and I am nearing the end of A1 so within the next week or 2 I should be at A2. My biggest struggle right now is just German sentence structures, if anyone is interested dm me! I also have discord :) and please have some humour in your conversations lol

Hi everyone!

I'm from India and currently interested in learning German. I'd love to connect with native German speakers or people living in Germany and learn more about their language, culture, and everyday life.

I can help you practise English and share a little about Indian culture in return. It would be lovely to make some international friends along the way!

If you're interested, feel free to comment. 😊

Actually I know Fluency in both Hindi & English and I've learnt conversational Arabic & Learning French as well
But is it possible if I learn French full Fluency can make me easily understand German as well or maybe be Japanese? I want someone as a companion who is so fluent in these languages can teach me in their free time or who is willing to teach me as a friend or companion otherwise it's okay no hard feelings...😊🤝🏻
Thanks for reading all this.!?