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German - B2 to C1

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rtickner
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 Message 9 of 35
13 June 2015 at 4:42pm | IP Logged 
Hi Cavesa, assuming you have a reasonable evaluation of your current level in German
as per the CEFR scale, preparation for the corresponding level of exam is easy:

Step 1 - grab an exam preparation book for your level and work through it front to
back. Takes 3 or 4 nights' work. I used the Fit fürs Goethe-Zertifikat series for A1,
A2, B1 and B2.

Step 2 - go to the Goethe Institut website and the TELC website and download as many
practice exams as you can find for your level (you should be able to get 3 or 4).
Complete one of these per night until done.

Assuming you are able to complete the sample exams in the time allotted with a decent
score, you should have no problem whatsoever when sitting the real exam. Using this
approach, I was able to pass the exams with A1=100%, A2=100%, B1=97%, B2=mid 80's%.

Nothing out of the ordinary in the exams, your coursework/grammar/native materials
should prepare you well, given enough time and attention, with the main purpose of the
preparation outlined above being to introduce you to the format of the exam.

Good luck if you do decide to take an exam, do let us know how you get on with it.

Edited by rtickner on 13 June 2015 at 4:43pm

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rtickner
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 Message 10 of 35
13 June 2015 at 4:55pm | IP Logged 
Danke für die Empfehlungen Patrick, ich werde zuhören wenn ich die Zeit finden kann (weil
ich leider zurzeit meine Freizeit verbringen muss, mein Spanisch zu etablieren). Nachdem
werde ich mein Deutsch verbessern (obwohl ehrlich gesagt, ich weiß noch nicht genau wie).


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rtickner
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 Message 11 of 35
16 June 2015 at 9:38am | IP Logged 
I am now ramping up my studies with the intention of sitting the Goethe-Institut C1 exam
sooner rather than later. I have listened to ~7 hours of podcasts yesterday whilst
driving to/from Sydney for work, which were a lot of fun (Fitness mit M.A.R.K and
Effizienter Lernen-Arbeiten-Leben).

Would welcome recommendations from members who have reached C1 (or are on their way from
B2 to C1) as to materials you used, etc.
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patrickwilken
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 Message 12 of 35
16 June 2015 at 12:47pm | IP Logged 
Have you tried listening to Deutschlandradio Funk? I am sure it's in the C1 range, has hours of talk per day and is free...
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rtickner
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 Message 13 of 35
17 June 2015 at 7:57am | IP Logged 
Thanks Patrick, I've listened to 3 hours of the Deutschlandfunk live stream so far,
great to have on in the background.

In the interests of measuring the B2 to C1 transition, I'll be keeping the statistics
in the first post of this thread. I have realistically done little with German since
my B2 exam to improve it, neither has it noticeably degraded, so I hold the "zero"
point of the stats above at a
typical B2 level.

People of HTLAL, place your bets - what will the total hours be at the time I pass the
C1 exam at the Goethe-Institut?

Edited by rtickner on 19 June 2015 at 1:35am

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patrickwilken
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 Message 14 of 35
17 June 2015 at 10:31am | IP Logged 
I think what is critical for reading is page/words, not time (i.e., if you are a slow reader you'll just have to read for longer).

What are "workbooks" and "vocabulary"?

I am not sure how much use "passive" listening is. If I am not listening actively, I am basically not listening at all.

My own impression is that it takes about twice as long to move through each level as the one before. So what time it took you to get from B1 to B2, try doubling it for a rough estimate of the time till C1.

Edited by patrickwilken on 17 June 2015 at 10:31am

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rtickner
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 Message 15 of 35
17 June 2015 at 3:25pm | IP Logged 
patrickwilken wrote:
I think what is critical for reading is page/words, not time (i.e., if you are a slow reader you'll
just have to read for longer).


Agreed, though it might be interesting looking back on this to see how long it actually took me to get through X pages.

patrickwilken wrote:
What are "workbooks" and "vocabulary"?


I'll be hitting a few grammar exercise books and some exam preparation books leading up to the C1 exam. I have a few areas
that need some work e.g. adjective endings. Also, I've got a fairly decent 5,000 word German list in Anki that I'm going to
burn through quickly (read: if I know it off the bat, the card gets suspended. If there's something about it I don't know
right away e.g. gender, plural form, preposition, I will review it for a day or two. Probably unnecessary, but it won't
take long to do, and then I'll be confident that there aren't any gaps in the top ~5000.

patrickwilken wrote:
I am not sure how much use "passive" listening is. If I am not listening actively, I am basically not
listening at all.


There are so many theories on this, from "it's practically useless" to Khatz's "18 to 24 hours a day, even when sleeping"
philosophy. In practice, when I have something on in the background (music, news, etc.), most of it floats right past my
head and out the window, though I do catch occasional snippets and find that to be a catalyst to speak/think to myself in
German. So while it's not part of my "active" German plan towards C1, it's kind of fun to have floating about. I guess
living in Berlin, you get that part for free!
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rtickner
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 Message 16 of 35
20 June 2015 at 3:44pm | IP Logged 
Updated stats in the first post. Looking around for a tutor at the moment in the area,
for some good speaking practice and feedback. Having little time this week for any
writing/reading/speaking (just bought a house and we're in the process of moving), it's
been spent mostly listening to podcasts (fantastic!) and music (just discovered
Sportfreunde Stiller... how did I not know this band existed before now?!?!).


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