C-Test at Goethe University Frankfurt: placement test
At the Goethe University Frankfurt language centre, you take an online placement test based on the C-Test model before registering for an English course, if you have prior knowledge. Without a test result you cannot register. Here are the facts from Goethe University’s placement test page.
Last checked:
C-Test Prep is not part of any university. Dates and rules can change; the university’s own page is always authoritative.
Key facts
| Format | 5 short texts of rising difficulty, based on the C-Test model |
|---|---|
| Gap rule | from the second sentence, usually every second word loses its second half; with an odd number of letters, one letter more ("Sonne" becomes "So___") |
| Time | 25 minutes, 40 minutes for Russian |
| Who | students with prior knowledge of English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese or Russian who did not take a course at the language centre the previous semester |
| When | unlocked only during registration, and only for languages with courses on offer |
| How often | once per language per booking period (summer semester, winter semester, spring, autumn) |
| Result | straight after the test and by email, with the level at which you can register |
Source: Goethe-Universität, Internationales Studienzentrum: Einstufungstests
Rules
- You may not interrupt the test. It is graded as soon as you log in.
- Do not use any aids: otherwise your level is misjudged and you cannot register for the course that suits you.
- If you paused for one or more semesters, you take the test again, as does anyone with a result from an earlier semester who has not taken a course since.
- If you passed a course the previous semester, you register for the next course with a password on a separate date, without a new test; the re-registration deadline is published online.
- There is an on-screen keyboard for Russian and for special characters such as accents.
Source: Goethe-Universität, Internationales Studienzentrum: Einstufungstests
What this means for your preparation
- Five texts in 25 minutes is 5 minutes per text, and the texts get harder. Save time on the first text for the last ones. The C-Test Prep simulation has 4 texts in the same 25 minutes.
- The Frankfurt gap rule is the same as in the C-Test Prep texts: the second half goes, with one letter more when the letter count is odd.
- The language centre relies on "intelligent guessing": combining vocabulary and grammar so the text makes sense. You train that by going through your mistakes after each practice text.
- The test is open only during registration. Practise beforehand, also with the sample tests Frankfurt itself links to: they are on the University of Münster’s C-Test page.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the Frankfurt placement test take?
25 minutes for English and most languages, 40 minutes for Russian.
When can I take the Frankfurt test?
Only during registration, when the language centre unlocks the test for languages with courses on offer.
Do I need a new test in Frankfurt as a returning student?
Not if you successfully completed a course the previous semester; you then register for the next course with a password. After a break of a semester or more, you test again.
Can I interrupt the Frankfurt test and continue later?
No. Grading starts as soon as you log in, and you may not interrupt it.