Einbürgerungstest: the German citizenship test
33 questions, 60 minutes, 17 correct answers and you pass. Every question is known in advance.
- 33
- questions in the exam
- 17
- correct to pass
- 60
- minutes in total
- 460
- questions in the trainer
The Einbürgerungstest checks your knowledge of Germany and is required when you apply for citizenship. Nothing is improvised: the whole catalogue is published officially, so the test can simply be learned. Below is a real question from it.
A real question from the catalogue
Question no. 1. Pick an answer — the explanation follows.
In Germany, people are allowed to openly speak out against the government because...
How the exam works
The exam has 33 questions: 30 general ones and 3 about the federal state you live in. You get 60 minutes. Each question has four options and one right answer. To pass you need 17 correct.
The catalogue is published in full: 300 general questions plus 10 for each federal state. Preparing means working through them — there are no surprises on the day.
What you get asked about
The questions cover three areas: living in a democracy, history and responsibility, people and society. On top of that comes the block about your federal state: its coat of arms, capital and authorities.
Some questions come with pictures: flags, coats of arms, road signs, buildings. You need to recognise those as confidently as the text ones.
If you do not pass
You can retake it as often as you like — there is no limit on attempts. Each attempt is paid for separately. You can register at a Volkshochschule or another approved centre.
Once you pass you receive the «Zertifikat Einbürgerungstest», which goes with your citizenship application.
How many correct answers do I need?
17 out of 33. So you can get 16 questions wrong and still pass.
How is this different from the DTZ?
The DTZ tests the German language; the Einbürgerungstest tests knowledge of the country and how it works. Citizenship usually requires both: proof of language at B1 and the certificate for the passed test.
Do I need to learn all 460 questions?
No. You will be asked from the 300 general ones plus the 10 for your federal state — 310 in total. The rest belong to other states. In the trainer you pick your state and the rest is hidden.
What does an attempt cost?
The test has a fee, and every attempt is paid for separately. The centre where you register will tell you the exact amount.
Work through all 310 questions for your state
The trainer has «Learn» and «Exam» modes, mistake practice, a translation of every question into your language, and spaced repetition that brings back what you forget.
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