German as a Foreign Language

For courses in German as a Foreign Language, you do not need to take a placement test if …

… you wish to enroll in A1 or A1.1 courses.

… you have successfully completed the preceding level (e.g., A2 for B1) in the last or second-to-last semester at the Department of Foreign Languages at TU Dortmund. You will be automatically enrolled in the next level on the course platform.

… you hold a Goethe-Zertifikat A1, A2, B1, B2, or C1 that is no more than one year old and was completed with a grade of at least “satisfactory.” Send the certificate as a PDF to Dr. Renata Labanauskaite-Balz. You will be granted access to the next-level courses on the course platform.

… You are enrolled in a degree program at TU Dortmund University and hold a TestDaF certificate, a DSH certificate, or a Telc C1 university certificate. Please send the certificate as a PDF to Dr. Carsten Martin. You will then be granted access to courses at levels B2 and C1 on the course platform.

In all other cases, a placement assessment or placement test is required.

If you would like to take German courses at levels A1.2, A2, B1, or B2, please follow the further instructions on this page and register for the placement test on the course platform.

If you would like to take German courses at the C1 level, please contact Dr. Carsten Martin to arrange for an individual placement assessment.

The placement tests for the 2026/27 winter semester will take place on the following dates.

We recommend taking the placement test as early as possible.

Calendar Week 36:

Tue, September 1, 2026: 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Thu, September 3, 2026: 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Calendar Week 38:

Tue, September 15, 2026: 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Calendar Week 39:

Tue, September 22, 2026: 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., and 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Thu, September 24, 2026: 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., and 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Registration for the WiSse 2026/27 placement tests will open on August 1, 2026. To register, please log in to our course platform using your UniAccount and select “Placement Tests” from the top menu bar. Select a date for German as a Foreign Language and register. You can register for only one date per language. If you wish to take placement tests in multiple languages, please do not select dates that are at the same time or overlap, as you will otherwise not have enough time to complete the individual tests.

If you wish to cancel your registration, click the “Cancel Registration” button and, if necessary, register again for a different date.

The placement test is administered online via Moodle. To use Moodle, your Moodle account must be activated. Please log in to Moodle as soon as possible using your UniAccount credentials to activate your account. Without this activation, we cannot register you on Moodle for the placement test.

We will typically register you on the Moodle placement test page twenty minutes before your test time. You will receive an automated email notifying you of this.

You may need to refresh your browser so that the placement test appears on your Moodle homepage at the start of your test session.

Winter Semester 2026/2027: German Placement Test

During the placement test, you must also participate in a Zoom meeting. You will find the Zoom link on the Moodle page.

No preparation is necessary for the placement test, as it assesses your current language proficiency and places you in the appropriate level. Being placed in the right level will help you succeed in the course. The placement test is not an exam.

Starting August 1, we will provide you with a link to a Moodle page containing a practice test. You can then enroll in this course yourself and learn about the details of the placement test:

WiSe 2026/2027: Einstufungstest Deutsch / Placement Test German - Practice Room

This test is only available outside the scheduled dates for the placement tests. You can familiarize yourself with the typical question types, the test navigation, and the submission options. However, participation in the practice test is not mandatory.

Please note: This Moodle page is only a sample page. The actual placement test takes place on a different Moodle page, to which we will log you in approximately twenty minutes before the test start time:

WiSe 2026/2027: Einstufungstest Deutsch / Placement Test German

Your results will be displayed automatically on the Moodle placement test page immediately after you complete the test. For example, you may receive feedback indicating that your proficiency is at the A2 level. Your placement (qualification) will then be transferred to your account on our course platform. You can also view your placement on the course platform after logging in. Once your placement is recorded, you will automatically be eligible for German courses at the next higher level. At the start of the registration period, you can then register for language courses at the next higher level. In other words:

• The result of the placement test indicates your current starting level (e.g., German proficiency at the A2 level)

The results are valid for two semesters; this means that for course registration in the 2026/27 winter semester, both the current test and the test taken during the 2026 summer semester registration period are valid.

On our course platform, you can now see which courses you are eligible for. These courses are displayed in green. You are not eligible for courses marked in red. You can register for the courses through your account on the course platform between September 25 and October 8, 2026, at 12:00 p.m.

Registration for the courses will open in stages as follows.

September 25, 2026

• Starting at 9:30 a.m.: A1 + A1.2 courses (including Aussprache und Phonetik A1.2–C1)
• Starting at 10:15 a.m.: A2 courses + A2/B1 courses (including Grammatik A2/B1)
• Starting at 10:45 a.m.: B1 courses + B1/B2 courses
• Starting at 11:15 a.m.: B2 courses, B2/C1 courses + C1 courses

Even though the registration deadline is October 8, we recommend that you register for your desired courses early, as they can fill up quickly.