The Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang (German for German language examination for university entrance, DSH for short) is a language proficiency test required for entry to a German university and to undertake all classes in the German language. It consists of a written and an oral examination, the written part being a precondition for the oral one. Students are allowed to repeat the exam as often as they want, and they can use a German–German dictionary during the written examinations. The grading scale of DSH is between 1–3 with 3 being the best possible grade. A detailed breakdown of the percentile achieved in each part of the examination will also be given on the certificate. Proficiency levels according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR): DSH 1 (≥57%): Level B2 DSH 2 (≥67%): Level C1 DSH 3 (≥82%): Level C2

Written examination

Consists of the following parts:

Oral examination

As a rule the oral examination lasts about 20 minutes. Some institutions offer the possibility of exemption from the oral examination by an excellent result in the written examination. During the oral examination the following points will be considered: