Comparing the German C2 exam to the Italian C2 exam

Here's a table I put together to show the similarities and differences between the two tests.

You don’t need to talk for 20 minutes to establish someone’s skill level

Italian C2 Exam		German C2 Exam
7 hours 30 min	How long did it take?	6 hours
5 hours 30 min	How long is the test supposed to take?	3 hours 35 min
€160 plus $20 for the test center	How much did it cost?	€220 (plus €40 if fewer than 4 people)
Got a panic e-mail 6 weeks before saying I had to submit my information by the next morning.	Cut-off to register for the test	4 weeks before
9 a.m.	Start time	9 a.m.
Thursday	Day of week	Friday
Black ink only. No pencil allowed.	Writing implement	Blue or black ballpoint pen. No pencil allowed.
After you show your ID, you are given a set of preprinted labels with your name and registration number on it. You have to affix the labels to the answer sheets, then sign these sheets in front of the test administrator.	Answer sheets	After you show your ID, you have to write your name, date of birth, and the test center name on each sheet.
Bring your own, can take it home with you.	Scratch paper	Provided to you. You cannot keep it.
No. Everything is done on paper with a pen.	Computers?	No. Everything is done on paper with a pen.
Left it in my backpack on the floor.	Personal telephone	Collected during registration, returned when you finish for the day.
Written on white board in the front of the room	Start and stop times for each module	Written on chalk board in the front of the room
No	Wall clock in room?	Yes
Three different people for different modules, all sitting at my table 2 feet from me.	Proctor	Same person for all three modules and oral test preparation.
No chance	Any way to cheat?	No chance
12 - Three are in Chicago, two in NYC	How many places to take the test in the US?	43
Twice - June and December	How many times/year is the test offered?	Varies. Only once some places in the US, three times at my location in Germany. Five times at the Goethe-Institut in NYC.
?	How many C2 tests are taken worldwide in a year?	About 10,000 modules; up to 4 modules per test
A lot of running around looking for stuff, finding people, not ready to go when I walked in the door. A few minutes of small talk before we started. Some delays between modules.	Test center preparedness	Very good. Strictly business. You could tell they do this almost every month, and have been doing so for years.
Università per Stranieri di Siena in Italy	Where is the test scored?	At the test center, except for the writing module, which is scored in Munich.
5 modules Listening - 40 minutes Reading - 80 minutes Grammar - 90 minutes Writing - 90 minutes Speaking - 15 minutes	How many modules? What is the order?	4 modules Reading - 80 minutes Listening - 35 minutes Writing - 80 minutes Speaking - 15 minutes
One 15 minute break for lunch, a few quick bathroom breaks between modules.	Breaks	15 minutes each after modules 1 & 2; One hour+ waiting for my turn for the oral exam
Italian C2 Exam		German C2 Exam
3 parts First assignment has 7 multiple choice questions with 4 possible answers. Audio is played twice, about 5 minutes long. Second assignment the same set up as the first. It always (?) has a telephone interview, with the corresponding decrease in audio quality. Third assignment was three radio news clips. You have to choose which 7 of 18 statements are correct. Audio is played twice. Minus points for incorrect answers to prevent guessing. You have one minute to review the questions between repetitions of the audio. After each section, you have two minutes to answer. At the end of this module you have 3 minutes to transfer all your answers to the answer sheet. Audio is CD played on a boom box. Total time: 40 minutes	How many assignments in the listening module?	3 parts First assignment is five audio tracks about a minute or so long, each played once with three yes/no answers per track = 15 questions Second assignment has a 4 minute dialog with 5 statements. You have to decide whether the man, the woman, or both agree. Only in the third assignment is the audio played twice. Track is about 7 minutes long. There are 10 statements with 3 possible answers. You have two minutes to review the questions before each section. There is a sample question with a correct answer for each part. At the end of this module you have 3 minutes to copy your answers from all three parts onto the answer sheet. Audio is CD played on a boom box. Total time: 35 minutes
3 parts First part is to read an essay about a page and a half long, answer 7 multiple choice questions. Second assignment is to read a bureaucratic text about 3 pages long, then choose which of 20 statements are correct. Minus points for incorrect answers to prevent guessing. Third assignment is to rearrange 16 short paragraphs into the correct order to make a sensible story. First paragraph is given to you. Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes	How many assignments in the reading module?	4 parts First part is read about 1,000 word text, answer 10 multiple choice questions. There is a sample question with the correct answer. Second assignment is to insert the 6 correct (there are 2 incorrect) statements into a 700 word text. Format: paragraph, question, paragraph. Sample question w/answer included. Third assignment same as second except you insert paragraphs into the text, and the text has about 1,000 words. Fourth assignment was four job announcements about 200 words each. There are eight statements. You have to assign the correct ad to each statement. Sample answer shown. Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Italian C2 Exam		German C2 Exam
4 parts First assignment is a one page text with 18 blank spaces. You have to enter the correct words based on context. No clues given. Answers are usually words like "always," "recently," etc. Sample answer is given. Second assignment is a one page text with 18 blank spaces for verbs. You are given the verb and have to enter the correct conjugation. E.g. "Yesterday I (to go)___ to the store." Sample answer is given. Third assignment is a page of text with 15 missing words. They might verbs, adjectives, or anything else. There are four multiple choice answers. Sample answer is given. Fourth assignment is rewriting 6 paragraphs of bureaucratic language. You are given the first few words of the rewrite, then you complete the rest. Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes	How many assignments in the grammar module?	No separate grammar module.
2 parts First assignment: write a 200 - 250 word essay on one of four topics. Second assignment: write a 120 - 150 word business or complaint letter, or letter to the editor of newspaper. Pick one topic from four. Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes	How many assignments in the writing module?	2 parts First assignment is really the grammar test. You have a 200 word text with 10 bolded phrases or sentences. You are given a word for each of the bolded phrases, then you have to rewrite the phrase or sentence using the new word. Second assignment: Write a 350 word text on one of two topics OR a book review on one of two books. You have to read before the test. These books are listed on the website. Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
2 parts First assignment is a 3 - 4 minute discussion with the examiner on one of four topics. You have 2 -3 minutes to prepare, after a short time to read and select a topic. You prepare your notes in front of the examiner. After you finish the first assignment, you are given a sheet with four new topics. You have a minute or so to choose, then five minutes to prepare. You then give a 2 - 3 minute monologue. You can refer to your notes, but you cannot read from them. Two examiners: a conversation partner and an observer. This section was recorded on two iPhones, then sent to Siena for scoring. Total time: about 15 minutes	How many assignments in the speaking module?	2 parts 15 minutes prep time with a proctor in a different room from the examiners. First assignment: 5 minute monologue about one of two topics, followed by 5 minute discussion with examiner Second assignment: 5 minute discussion on one of two topics for which you take either the "pro" or "contra" position. You can refer to your notes, but you cannot read from them. Two examiners: a conversation partner and an observer. This section is scored by the examiners when you finish. Total time: about 15 minutes speaking
Italian C2 Exam		German C2 Exam
Complicated. Some questions get 1 point for correct answer, zero for incorrect. In other sections you get negative points for incorrect answers. Sometimes partial points for correct answers. For writing and speaking they have a different formula. Read more here.	How are modules scored?	For most sections, one point for each correct answer, zero points for incorrect answers. Sections multiplied by 2, 3, or 4 for a total score. For writing and speaking, it gets more complex. Read more here.
20	Total points per module	100
55%	Passing score on each module	60%
You must pass all 5 modules	What do you need to get a certificate?	If you pass all 4 modules on the same day, you get a combined certificate. Otherwise you will get a certificate for each module you passed.
You can repeat the just the failed module(s). If you pass within 1 year, you get a certificate. Otherwise you have to repeat the entire test.	What happens if you fail one or more modules?	You can repeat just the failed module(s) at any time. You will get a certificate for each module, not one certificate for all four. No time limit on re-taking the failed module(s).
€35 each	How much does it cost to repeat a module?	€75 each
About 2 months after the test.	When can you see your results online?	N/A
1 year - Read more here	How long to get the certificate?	4 weeks
(click on thumbnail for larger view)	What does the certificate look like?	(click on thumbnail for larger view)
Piece of paper run through an inkjet printer. Signatures are pre-printed.	Certificate quality	Slightly heavier paper stock, signed by two people, then stamped.

Which test is more difficult?

You might think the answer is Italian simply because I know German much better than Italian. I’ve been speaking German every day since 1969, studied German at university, married a German, and lived in Germany for more than 16 years.

On the other hand, I haven’t been to Italy since 1993, and spent only two years preparing for the C2 exam.

I have considered all that, yet still maintain the Italian test is more rigorous than the German test. From what I understand, the German test has been simplified, so perhaps the old version of the test was more difficult.

Despite the above, there are reasons for choosing Italian. First, and most importantly, the Italian test has a separate 90 minute grammar section. You cannot compare those four assignments with the 10 questions that are part of the written exam in German. The Italian grammar section is difficult. You must have considerable knowledge of verb tenses, for example, because you will have to conjugate 18 verbs. You will have to use a gerund, the subjunctive, the conditional, the past absolute, and the imperfect tense, among others. Excluding all other aspects of the two exams, the grammar section alone would make the Italian test more difficult.

It’s true that both the writing and the speaking sections of the tests are also a kind of grammar test. Obviously, to speak or write properly, you have to use correct grammar. One could make the argument that a separate grammar test is not necessary because the speaking and writing portions cover that adequately. Despite that, the Italian test still has a separate grammar section.

Your monologue is longer in German (5 minutes vs 2-3 minutes in Italian), but you have more time to prepare (15 minutes) and you prepare in a different room with a proctor. In the Italian exam, you are given the topics, you have to read through all of them, and then instantly decide which one you want to speak about. You have two or three minutes to prepare for the dialogue, all while the examiners are sitting across from you. For the second assignment, it’s similar: you receive a sheet with four topics, you have to read them quickly, and instantly decide which one you want to talk about, then you have five minutes to prepare your monologue. In my case, the examiners were whispering to each other during my prep time, 3 feet from me.

The Italian oral presentation is recorded and sent to Siena for evaluation, while the German presentation is scored immediately upon conclusion by the two examiners in the room. Those two examiners will be swayed by your body language, nonverbal gestures, confidence, etc., while the examiner in Siena will hear only your recording, and can replay any section several times to hear exactly what you said.

On the reading section, the assignment on the Italian exam where you have to reconstruct the story of 16 paragraphs, is far more difficult than inserting six paragraphs into a completed article on the German test. If you get the first step of the sequence wrong, it’s possible you will be off on all 16 answers, and get zero points.

If I were very ambitious, I would see how many syllables per minute were spoken in both the German and Italian audio tracks. Many people think a language sounds fast when you start learning it. When you speak a language well, the audio does not seem as fast. Perhaps it’s only my imagination, but it seemed to me the Italian audio track was faster than the German audio.

Secondly, the German audio was clear as a bell. The Italians, on the other hand, always have a telephone interview in the listening test, which makes the sound quality go down. That is a more realistic test of what you would encounter in daily life, as opposed to the German audio, which was recorded in a studio under perfect conditions.

The German listening test has only two or three possible answers to each question. One section is yes/no. The second section you have to choose if the man, the woman, or both stated an opinion, and the third section has three multiple choice answers. The Italian questions have four possible sentences as answers for the first two sections, and for the third, you have to choose which of 18 statements are correct. There is far more material to read for both the questions and answers on the Italian test.

The Italian test is almost 2 hours longer, so it’s more stressful, and you will be more tired when you complete the test. There are fewer breaks as well. That means you have to sustain a high level of production over a longer period of time, which is hard.

There is a higher passing score on the German test then the Italian test: 60% versus 55%. As I wrote here, if the score had been 60% on the Italian test, I would not have passed the speaking module.

The Italian test always has some kind of bureaucratic language in both the reading and in the grammar sections. This type of language is typically very difficult to read and even harder to rewrite. The German test did not have any bureaucratic language. There was some language that was science oriented, but it was not as convoluted as bureaucratic language tends to be.

The Italian test is also more difficult in that you are not given time to read the questions prior to hearing the audio tracks. Yes, you do have a minute to read them between repetitions of the tracks, but you have just 60 seconds to read 35 sentences: seven questions with four answers each. Try it sometime and see how hard it is. Overall, I found that during the Italian test I was much more pressed for time to answer the questions. On the German test there was more time to review and answer the questions.

On the Italian test, there are two different writing assignments. Yes, the total number of words is about the same on both tests, but there are two distinctly different assignments in Italian. That requires a greater knowledge of the language, because one of the letters has to be formatted in business style.

You don’t need to talk for 20 minutes to establish someone’s skill level

Over the years, I have watched thousands of children take a swim test in a pool in California. The children had to swim two lengths, which was 50 yards, putting their faces in the water and using the arms and legs. There were certainly children who could not swim well, and they would not attempt the test. Likewise, I am sure there are people who know they would not pass a C2 language test, so they would not attempt it. We have a self-selected group to begin with. Only people who think they have a chance will attempt the test.

I noticed after a very few seconds, say 5 or 10, I could tell if the child would pass the swim test or not. The main reason they had to swim 50 yards was to see if they had stamina. But for actually swimming ability, you can tell within a few seconds. In all those years, I remember maybe a few dozen kids who did not pass the swim test. Usually they gave up after a few yards or the lifeguards told them to stop.

Would we know more about the children’s swimming abilities if they had to swim 500 yards instead of 50? Well, we’d know more about their stamina, that’s for sure. It would take much longer to test someone. You don’t need 500 yards to see if a person can swim.

When someone speaks during a language test, it’s quickly clear to a trained examiner how well a person knows the language. Likewise, during the discussion section, a trained examiner will rapidly know if the examinee understands the questions or not. If a person spoke for an hour you would have a better indication of that person’s skill level. You need to balance the time required for the examination with the number of people to be examined. It would be impractical to test everyone for an hour on the oral section of the exam. Just imagine the problem of trying to score an hour long presentation! And as I explained in my swim test analogy, it’s probably unnecessary.

I’m sure it is true with the writing section as well. It’s not necessary for someone to write a 10,000 word essay to see if they have command of the language. A few paragraphs will give trained examiners enough information to determine your skill level.

Side by Side Comparison of the German C2 and Italian C2 Exams

Which test is more difficult?

You don’t need to talk for 20 minutes to establish someone’s skill level

Which test is more difficult?

You don’t need to talk for 20 minutes to establish someone’s skill level