How to register for a German exam in India

Booking a Goethe-Zertifikat

1. Open the Goethe-Institut India exams page and choose your level.
2. Pick the centre you will sit at — each publishes its own dates and fees.
3. Choose a session from the available dates, and whether you are booking the full exam or individual modules.
4. Pay the fee that centre publishes for that date.
5. Keep the confirmation; you will need photo ID matching it on the day.

Because the modules are independent you can book them separately. That is worth knowing if you are confident in three skills and still working on the fourth.

Booking TestDaF

1. Check the TestDaF calendar on testdaf.de for the next dates.
2. Find a licensed test centre — there are over 500 worldwide, in 100 countries.
3. Register through the TestDaF system for that date and centre.
4. Prepare with the free official practice material that comes with registration.

If you are sitting the digital TestDaF and expect more than one attempt, look at the combined certificate before you start: it lets you present your best result per part across sittings within a six-month window, which changes how you should sequence attempts.

Before you pay, check three things

1. Does your programme accept this certificate? TestDaF, DSH, Goethe and telc are not interchangeable everywhere.
2. Is the level right? TDN 4 in all four parts is the usual university bar; certifying B1 will not meet it.
3. Have you started the APS? It takes weeks and is compulsory for Indian applicants — and since 2026 many master's applicants also need the dMAT.

On the day

• Bring original photo identification matching your registration.
• Arrive early — the written modules usually run together in one block, with Sprechen scheduled separately, sometimes on another day.
• Check with your centre whether Sprechen is paired — at several levels you are examined with another candidate, which is worth practising for.