DTZ Reading Part 2: Announcements — "condition, not topic" technique

Task Format

5 situations and 8 classifieds (a–h). Exactly one classified fits each situation — or none, then the answer is X.

The classifieds look like they would in a real newspaper: cards with frames, headlines, different designs. Reading everything is a waste of time.

Technique: read the condition, not the topic

The main DTZ trap: the topic of the classified matches the situation, but the condition does not. Example: you are looking for a "German tutor in the evenings", the classified offers "German courses in the mornings". The topic is the same (German), the condition rules it out (evening ≠ morning).

Algorithm: 1) read the situation and underline the LIMITATIONS — time, place, price, for whom; 2) in the classified, look not for the topic, but for this specific condition; 3) if the topic matches, but not the condition — this is a distractor, keep looking.

One situation out of five is almost always = X. Most often, X is where the topic resembles several classifieds at once — but none fully meet the condition. Don't be afraid to put X: if you checked the condition and it's nowhere to be found — that is the answer.

Trap Example

What to look for in the situation: typical limitations

• am Vormittag / am Abend / am Wochenende

  morning / evening / on weekends — time

• zu Hause / im Büro / in zentraler Lage

  at home / in the office / in the center — place

• für Kinder / für Anfänger / für Studenten

  for children / beginners / students — for whom

• kostenlos / günstig / gebraucht

  free / inexpensive / used — price

• auch abends / auch am Samstag

  also in the evening / also on Saturday — extended condition

• mit Balkon / mit Garten / möbliert

  with a balcony / with a garden / with furniture — housing requirements

Timing

For Teil 2, you have approximately 7–8 minutes out of 45 minutes for the entire Lesen section. This is ~90 seconds per situation: 20 seconds for reading and underlining the condition, 60–70 for searching through the classifieds. If you get stuck — put X, mark it, and move on: you'll come back at the end.