The Best German B1 Exam Preparation in 2026: 7 Options Ranked for Berlin

The best German B1 exam preparation is the one that gets you saying German out loud, to someone who answers, well before exam day. "The German B1 exam" is mainly three exams in Berlin: the telc Deutsch B1 (the Zertifikat Deutsch), the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 and, for people in an integration course, the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ). Each has its own speaking part; in the telc exam and the DTZ you speak with another candidate.

As proof of B1, Berlin accepts, for naturalisation, usually the Zertifikat Deutsch at B1, the DTZ at B1, the scaled telc A2/B1 exam at B1, the Berlin language test for naturalisation, or school or university in Germany. B1 is also the level for a settlement permit, and it shortens the wait for settlement on an EU Blue Card from 27 months to 21. As for courses: no course is needed to sit telc B1; external candidates can register directly.

This guide is for adults in Berlin preparing for a B1 exam for a settlement permit or naturalisation, comparing what each kind of preparation costs and how much speaking it actually gives you. If you need a general German course before you focus on the exam, see German courses in Berlin compared.

How we ranked them

We compared seven ways to prepare on the five things that most help someone pass the speaking part:

1. Speaking practice per session: how much of the time you spend saying German yourself. For a class, at most the session divided by the group size.
2. Feedback: whether someone answers or corrects what you actually said.
3. Closeness to the exam: whether you rehearse the exam's own tasks, or a mock exam.
4. Flexibility: whether it fits round work, and how soon you can start.
5. Honest price: the published price for what you get, from each provider's own website. Exam fees are extra everywhere except where we say so.

School certificates of attendance did not count: the result that matters comes from telc, the Goethe-Institut or the DTZ. Prices were checked in November 2026.

We compare other exams the same way: fide test preparation in Zurich for Switzerland, DELE A2 preparation, DELF A2 preparation, CIPLE preparation, inburgering exam preparation and CILS B1 Cittadinanza preparation.

Should you use more than one?

Yes, and it is the cheapest way to prepare well. Use the free practice test to learn the format: the written papers, the timing and what the speaking tasks look like. Then use a speaking practice every day so the German comes out when a partner and the examiners are waiting for it. Reading a task sheet tells you what to say; saying it fifty times is what lets you say it in the room.

If you are choosing between an app and an online school for the German itself, see Lingoda vs Babbel for German.

When to upgrade from your first pick

There often comes a point before the exam when you know the tasks and can manage the sentences, but have never done the whole thing under exam conditions. That is the moment for a mock exam. DeutschAkademie's online telc intensive includes several, at about €250 for 25 hours; WBS Training's live online course, about €300, adds a platform with five mock exams; dates are given on request. If writing is the weak part, Kapitel Zwei corrects three telc B1 writing tasks online for about €99. A tutor from a marketplace costs about €24–31 an hour on average on Preply, though most are not exam specialists. For evening classes that build your German before you turn to the exam, see German courses in Berlin compared.

Which one should you choose?

Pick the one that fixes where you get stuck.

• You don't know what the exam looks like: the free telc practice test.
• You understand German but freeze when you have to speak: Echoa, every day, for €39 a month.
• You want a small telc class with a teacher, in person: Sprachenatelier Berlin.
• You are already at B1 and want a short telc course this month: Kapitel Zwei.
• You are sitting the Goethe exam and want a teacher to yourself: GLS one-to-one.
• You want a week of Goethe preparation and a cheaper exam: the Goethe-Institut's online group.
• You have a month of free afternoons: die deutSCHule.

Most people will want the practice test and one other. If speaking is the part that worries you, make the other one Echoa: lesson 1 takes about 15 minutes, and the first 3 lessons are free. No card needed.

Frequently asked questions

Which German B1 exam should I take in Berlin?

Berlin accepts, for naturalisation, usually the Zertifikat Deutsch at B1, the DTZ at B1, the scaled telc A2/B1 exam at B1, the Berlin language test for naturalisation, or school or university in Germany. The Goethe-Zertifikat B1 is not named on the Berlin VHS page, though the Berlin Willkommenszentrum lists Goethe certificates among official exams; check with your authority before you book it. The DTZ is only for people in the integration course system: at least one integration-course module first; registration in person at a VHS German advice office. Outside an integration course, the choice is between the telc and Goethe exams.

How much does the German B1 exam cost in Berlin?

telc Deutsch B1 at private exam centres: €205 for the whole exam, €175 for the written or spoken part alone at Kapitel Zwei; €210, or €190 for Sprachenatelier course participants at Sprachenatelier; about €210, or about €200 for one part, at DeutschAkademie; €195, or €185 with a preparation course at die deutSCHule; €220 at inlingua. The Goethe-Zertifikat B1 at the Goethe-Institut Berlin costs about €260 for the whole exam or about €105 for one module, and a fifth less if you have taken a Goethe-Institut course in the last six months. At the Berlin VHS exam centre the DTZ costs about €115, with no reduction, and the scaled telc Deutsch A2/B1 about €155, or about €115 reduced; the Berlin VHS exam centre no longer offers the B1-only exam, only the scaled A2/B1 exam and the DTZ. Berlin's own language test for naturalisation costs €75 at a Berlin VHS and counts only for naturalisation in Berlin.

What is in the telc Deutsch B1?

Two parts: written part 150 minutes (reading and language elements 90, listening 30, writing 30), then about 15 minutes of speaking in pairs after 20 minutes' preparation. To pass you need 60% of the points in both the written and the spoken part, so a strong written result does not carry a weak speaking part. If you fail one part, a passed part can usually be carried over to the end of the following calendar year, so you repeat only the failed part. Results take 4 to 6 weeks.

What is in the DTZ, and how is it scored?

The format: written part 100 minutes (listening, reading and a short letter), spoken part about 15 minutes with another candidate; result B1 or A2. In the DTZ, to reach B1 you need B1 in speaking and in at least one of the other two parts. Organisation: run by g.a.s.t. for the BAMF since 2023, every two weeks; registration up to 21 days before.

Can I take the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 in Berlin?

Yes, at the Goethe-Institut Berlin: taken on a laptop at the Goethe-Institut Berlin; modules can be booked singly. Upcoming dates: 16, 17, 18 November and 1 December 2026 (30 November fully booked); external places can sell out weeks before the deadline.

Can I get a free integration course to prepare for B1?

Sometimes. The general integration course is 600 lessons of German to B1, ending with the DTZ. Self-payers at VHS Mitte pay about €265 a 100-lesson module; with a BAMF place it costs less, or nothing if you are exempt. On access: from 1 August 2026 the BAMF again accepts applications from voluntary learners, within available places and with priority for people to be brought back into work.

What else do I need for naturalisation?

You need five years of lawful residence, plus B1 German and the naturalisation test. The language part needs a B1 exam or one of the other accepted proofs above. Living in Switzerland instead? The rules and the test differ: see fide test preparation in Zurich and German courses in Zurich compared.

About Echoa

German. Accelerated. Echoa is a speaking course on your phone or computer, in German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch and Italian. In each 15-minute lesson you build sentences and say them out loud, and Sam answers every one. The course reaches A2 speaking; the B1 exams also test listening, reading and writing. It costs €39 a month for every language course, and the first 3 lessons are free.