Rilke
Lesen in the exam: don't understand everything, find the right thing
In the reading part many candidates fail not because of the language but because of the clock. You don't need to understand every word — you need to know what you are looking for and to split your time well.
How much time you have
| Exam | A1 | A2 | B1 | B2 | C1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goethe | 25 min | 30 min | 65 min | 65 min | 65 min |
| telc | approx. 25 min¹ | 50 min¹ | 90 min² | 90 min² | 90 min² |
| ÖSD | 25 min | 30 min | 65 min | 90 min | 90 min |
¹ At telc A1 and A2, reading and writing form one block: 45 minutes at A1, about 25 of them for reading; 50 minutes at A2. ² At telc from B1, together with the Sprachbausteine (language elements).
These figures come from the exam boards' own sample papers. How many parts and items your exam has is on the page of each exam.
Splitting your time
Before the exam, plan how many minutes you have per part — and stick to it. Some exams even tell you: in the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 the tasks give 10, 20, 10, 15 and 10 minutes for the five parts. If you spend much longer on one part, move on: the points in the last part are worth just as much.
A wrong answer costs no points; a blank one earns none. So always mark something, even if you have to guess — and flag the item in case there is time at the end.
The task first, then the text
Read the items first and underline the key words. Then you know what you are looking for in the text. If you read the whole text carefully first and then the items, you end up reading it twice.
Two ways of reading help:
- Skimming (global reading): what is it about? Who is writing to whom? For a first impression, the headline and the first and last sentences are enough.
- Scanning (selective reading): where is the information for my item? Here you jump straight to names, numbers, times and key words.
The task types
| Task type | What to watch for |
|---|---|
| Richtig/Falsch (true/false) | The statement is only true if everything in it is right. Watch the small words: immer (always), nur (only), alle (all), nicht (not). |
| Mehrfachauswahl a/b/c (multiple choice) | The wrong options often borrow words from the text but say something else. Check the meaning, not the word. |
| Zuordnung (matching ads, headings) | There are often more texts than situations — sometimes also a situation with no matching text. Check every condition: place, time, price, target group. |
| Ja/Nein (opinions) | The question is the person's attitude, not a fact. Watch for aber, eigentlich, trotzdem — and for irony. |
| Gap-fill, Sprachbausteine | Read the whole sentence to the full stop: case, preposition and verb form are often decided only at the end. |
Unknown words
Every exam text contains words you don't know. That is intentional. Just ask yourself: do I need this word for my item? Usually not — and if you do, the context or a familiar part of the word often helps: Wohnungsbesichtigung = Wohnung (flat) + besichtigen (view).
How to prepare
- Practise against the clock. A reading part without a time limit doesn't train what is hard in the exam.
- After each item, find the spot in the text where the answer is — even when you got it right. That is how you learn how task and text say the same thing in different words.
- Read the text types the exam uses: ads, emails, house rules, news items, forum posts — exactly these come up.
Typical mistakes
Translating the text word by word — and then running out of time for the last part.
Choosing an option because a word from the text appears in it. That is often precisely the wrong one.
In matching tasks, using one ad twice although each fits only once — or overlooking a situation with no matching ad.
And in the exam?
At all three exam boards, Lesen is marked with points per correct answer. Still, read each part's instructions carefully — they tell you whether there is a "matches no situation" option and how to mark your answer. And transfer your answers to the answer sheet in good time.
In the Rilke app you practise Lesen in the real exam parts of your exam board, part by part or against the clock in exam mode. After each item, the explanation shows you where in the text the answer is.