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Exam Format

The exam is designed to ascertain whether the applicant has attained the language proficiency required for a study program at a German university, i.e., the ability to listen to and understand lectures, take notes on and assimilate content, understand and analyze program-specific, written texts, and autonomously express views in writing and in speech on a previously assigned, program-specific topic.

The German Language Examination for University Entrance consists of 4 components: reading comprehension, listening comprehension, text composition and oral communication. In the reading and listening comprehension portions you will also be expected to be able to reproduce the essential details of the passage. The test contains only very few multiple-choice tasks.

The Marburg German Language Examination for University Entrance is recognized throughout Germany. Should you reach Level DSH2 in the test, you will be eligible to enroll in a study program for most academic subjects. However, there are some subjects that require a test level of DSH3, while others require only a DSH1. Please contact the university which you would like to study at concerning the language proficiency level you will need to show documentation for.

Duration of DSH preparatory courses

Based on our experience, passing the exam requires about 1,200 hours of intensive instruction as preparation.

Exam times

Exam dates for the DSH are before the winter semester (beginning/mid September) and before the summer semester (mid/late March), respectively.