Home → Blog → Goethe vs TELC vs ÖSD: Which German Exam...

👩‍🏫 Kritika Rai 📅 25 Aug 2026 ⏱ 9 min read

All four boards test the same CEFR levels, and all four are legitimate. They are still not interchangeable, because recognition depends on who is reading your certificate. ## Goethe-Zertifikat Run by the Goethe-Institut, the German government's cultural body. Levels A1 to C2. The widest recognition of any German certificate, worldwide. Accepted by German universities, employers and immigration authorities without question. If nobody has told you which exam to take, this is the safe default. The trade-off is availability. Test centres exist in major Indian cities only, and dates fill quickly. Book early. ## TELC Deutsch Run by telc gGmbH. Levels A1 to C2, plus specialist variants. Equally accepted inside Germany, and often easier to schedule in India. The important variant is **TELC Deutsch B2 Pflege**, written specifically for healthcare workers — nursing vocabulary, ward scenarios, patient conversations. Many German states accept it for nursing recognition, and some prefer it. If you are a nurse, TELC B2 Pflege is usually the better choice than a general B2. ## ÖSD The Austrian board. Levels A1 to C2. Recognised in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Take it if Austria is your destination. Otherwise there is rarely a reason to choose it over Goethe or TELC, since availability in India is thinner. ## TestDaF Purely academic, levels B2 to C1, scored as TDN 3, 4 or 5 per section. German universities usually ask for TDN 4 across all four sections for German-taught degree programmes. It is not a general-purpose certificate — do not take it for a job application or a visa where a standard B2 is what is being asked for. ## Choosing quickly Check the requirement first. If your university, employer or visa category names an exam, take that one and stop reading. If nothing is specified: - General purpose, maximum recognition → **Goethe** - Nursing or healthcare → **TELC B2 Pflege** - Austria → **ÖSD** - German-taught university programme → **TestDaF** or **Goethe C1** - Earliest available date in your city → **TELC**, usually ## What does not differ The difficulty. All four are calibrated to the same CEFR descriptors, so a B1 is a B1. Anyone telling you one board is "easier" is selling something. Task formats differ slightly, which is why you should practise with past papers from your specific board — but the standard is the same. ## Cost Fees are set by each board, revised periodically, and rise with level. Check the current fee on the board's own site for your city before budgeting, and remember the exam fee is separate from any course fee.