--- title: "C-Test at Goethe University Frankfurt: placement test · C-Test Prep" description: "English online placement test at Goethe University: 5 texts of rising difficulty, 25 minutes, once per booking period. The rules, with sources." canonical: https://ctestprep.de/en/c-test-uni-frankfurt last_updated: 2026-10-31 --- # 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: 31 October 2026 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](https://www.uni-frankfurt.de/f7/einstufungstests-43669273) ## 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](https://www.uni-frankfurt.de/f7/einstufungstests-43669273) ## 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. [Practise a free text](https://ctestprep.de/en/c-test-english-practice) · [English Pass: €12](https://ctestprep.de/en/pricing) ## 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. [The C-Test at other universities compared →](https://ctestprep.de/en/c-test-english)