German K–12
Listening Skills
Test Format and Sample Questions
The German K to 12 subject area test is composed of two subtests. Subtest 1 assesses listening, reading, and writing skills as well as knowledge of the culture of German-speaking countries, the mechanics of the German language, and the teaching of German. Subtest 2, an oral interview, measures speaking skills. You must pass both subtests to receive a passing score on the exam. If you fail one, you may retake only that subtest.
Listening Skills
There are two parts of the listening section of the German test.
In Part A, recorded passages, no more than three minutes in length, are used to test your listening skills. Each passage is presented on the recording start italics in German end italics . The passage will not appear on the screen. Two to four questions are then presented start italics in German end italics on the screen. You will select the best answer and indicate your choice by selecting A, B, C, or D.
In Part B, you will answer multiple-choice questions about several recorded statements, phrases, questions, or short exchanges. The questions and response options are displayed start italics in German end italics on the screen.
In both Parts, you will have two (2) opportunities to hear each recording. If/when you want to hear the second play, click the Play button again. Once the second play has begun, you will not be able to replay that recording again.
You may return to and review questions in this section; however, the number of audio playbacks is limited, so you may not be able to replay the recordings upon return to the questions (e.g., if you have already listened to a recording twice, you will not be able to replay it again).
Table of Question Formats
| Question Format |
|---|
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Listening passage Listen to a recorded passage in informal or formal German, such as a dialogue, interview, news item, short lecture on familiar topics, or a report dealing with factual information. For each question, choose one of the response options by selecting A, B, C, or D. |
Sample Questions
The following questions represent both the form and content of questions on the examination. These questions will acquaint you with the general format of the examination; however, these sample questions do not cover all of the competencies and skills that are tested and will only approximate the degree of examination difficulty.
Question 1
Competency 2—Comprehension at an advanced level of spoken German passages on topics of general interest
DIRECTIONS: On the exam, each of the listening questions will include a passage and a set of questions presented twice on the recording but NOT presented on the screen. For each question, you will choose the best response option and indicate your choice by selecting A, B, C, or D.
(Markus and Andrea are having a conversation.)
Markus: Hallo, Andrea! Was ist denn los mit dir? Du machst so ein langes Gesicht. Was hast du denn?
Andrea: Es hat zu Hause mal wieder Krach gegeben.
Markus: Du hast dich wohl wieder mit deiner Mutter gestritten, oder?
Andrea: Du weißt ja, es ist immer dasselbe. Nie darf ich fortgehen, wenn ich will. Ich werde von meiner Mutter behandelt wie ein kleines Kind. Als ob ich noch Kind wäre - ich werde nächsten Monat achtzehn.
Markus: Was war es denn diesmal?
Andrea: Du weißt doch, Ahmet und ich wollten mit Freunden Camping gehen. Ich glaube, meine Mutter mag Ahmet wirklich nicht. Sie meint, ich sollte mal lieber EIN Wochenende zu Hause verbringen, für die Schule lernen und mein Zimmer in Ordnung bringen.
Markus: Du, bei mir ist es auch so. Meine Eltern fragen ständig, "Wo gehst du hin? Wann bist du wieder da? Mit wem gehst du? Sind die Hausaufgaben gemacht?" Bla, bla, bla…Das ist ja nicht zum Aushalten.
Andrea: Die ständige Fragerei geht mir auf den Wecker!
Markus: Hast du schon mal versucht, mit deiner Mutter offen darüber zu diskutieren?
Andrea: Ja, aber leider hat das unser Problem nicht gelöst. Ich finde, meine Mutter hat kein Vertrauen zu mir - sie muss immer alles wissen. Aber SIE meint, das hat nichts mit Vertrauen zu tun, sondern mit Verantwortung und Selbstständigkeit.
Markus: Verantwortung und Selbstständigkeit? Das ist ja zum Lachen! Du machst doch schon seit einem Jahr deine Lehre bei Hertie, verdienst dein eigenes Geld und hast ganz gute Noten in der Schule.
Andrea: Ach, du kennst ja die Eltern….TY-pisch!
Markus: Ja, da kann man nichts machen.
DIRECTIONS: On the exam, each of the listening questions will include a passage presented on the recording. For each question, you will choose the best response option and indicate your choice by selecting A, B, C, or D.
Was ist die beste Zusammenfassung des Dialogs?
- Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
- Correct Response: A.
Question 2
Competency 2—Comprehension at an advanced level of spoken German passages on topics of general interest
DIRECTIONS: On the exam, each of the listening questions will include a passage presented on the recording. For each question, you will choose the best response option and indicate your choice by selecting A, B, C, or D.
Was erwartet die Mutter von Andrea?
- Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
- Correct Response: D.
Question 3
Competency 2—Comprehension at an advanced level of spoken German passages on topics of general interest
DIRECTIONS: On the exam, each of the listening questions will include a passage presented on the recording. For each question, you will choose the best response option and indicate your choice by selecting A, B, C, or D.
Was verstehen Markus und Andrea mit "Vertrauen zu mir"?
- Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
- Correct Response: B.