telc B1 Digital — How the Computer-Based Exam Works - Exam Tips

Yes, telc B1 Now Exists as a Digital Exam

telc now lists Zertifikat Deutsch / telc Deutsch B1 in three formats: paper, hybrid and digital. In the digital format you answer the written exam on a computer instead of an answer sheet. telc has been offering more and more of its exams digitally since 2023, and in March and April 2026 it moved them to a new platform, DIGItelc 2.0.

The most important point first: the exam itself does not change. According to telc, the digital and paper versions "have the same content except for the administration method" and are "equally recognised". You get the same tasks, the same timings, the same points and the same certificate.

Not every exam centre offers the digital version yet, and centres run some parts differently (especially the speaking part). This guide explains what is fixed by telc and what you should ask your centre.

Paper, Hybrid or Digital — What's the Difference?

Format	Written exam	Oral exam
Paper	On paper, answers on the answer sheet	Examiners in the room with you
Hybrid	On paper	Examiners join by video conference
Digital	On a computer at the exam centre	Examiners join by video, or sit in the room (depends on the centre)

All three formats lead to the same telc B1 certificate.

Tip: In telc's rules the digital exam has its own subject number. The paper exam telc Deutsch B1 is 1061, the digital one is 8061. If you specifically want the computer version, ask your centre to confirm that you are booked for 8061.

What Stays Exactly the Same

The tasks: Reading (3 parts), Language Elements (2 parts), Listening (3 parts), Writing (1 letter or email), Speaking (3 parts).
The timings: 90 minutes for Reading + Language Elements together, about 30 minutes for Listening, 30 minutes for Writing. The oral exam takes about 15 minutes in pairs, with 20 minutes of preparation time.
The scoring: You still need 60% in the written part (135 of 225 points) and 60% in the oral part (45 of 75 points). Writing and speaking are still scored by licensed telc examiners. Only the multiple-choice answers are scored by the computer, exactly as an answer sheet would be.
Recognition: The certificate is the same Zertifikat Deutsch / telc Deutsch B1 that authorities accept, for example for citizenship (Einbürgerung) and residence permits. More on that in our guide to German citizenship and the B1 certificate.
Partial retakes: If you pass only one part (written or oral), you can retake just the other part within 12 months.

It Is Not an Online Exam From Home

"Digital" does not mean you take the exam from your sofa. You sit the digital telc B1 at a licensed exam centre, on the centre's computer, with an invigilator in the room. The software runs in a locked-down exam browser (Safe Exam Browser), so the computer can't open anything else during the exam.

Watch out for scams. If you search for "telc B1 online", you will find websites offering certificates "without an exam" or exams "from home". There is no such thing for telc B1. Every new telc certificate carries a QR code, and an authority can check it in seconds on telc's verification portal: a bought certificate fails that check. telc's regulations also allow it to cancel a result later, for example when the certificate is presented at the Ausländerbehörde and there are doubts. In the worst case, you lose your money and your citizenship or residence application is rejected.

Exam Day: The Digital Written Exam, Step by Step

Before the Exam

Your name must match your ID. For fully digital exams, telc needs your personal data before the exam (for paper exams it's collected afterwards). Check the spelling in your registration confirmation carefully. A typo there ends up on your certificate, and fixing it later takes a separate request.
Bring a valid photo ID (passport or national ID card).
Be early. The exam begins with an official briefing. Anyone who arrives after the briefing has started is not allowed to take the exam.
No phones or smartwatches. As in the paper exam, any device that can store or send information is forbidden, even if it's switched off.

The Briefing

In a digital exam, the invigilator explains how to log in and how the software works, especially the timer, navigation and how to select answers. Listen carefully: this is your only introduction to the screen you'll use for the next two hours.

Important: Using the exam computer for anything other than the exam counts as cheating under telc's rules, even just trying to. Opening another program or a browser tab gets you excluded, and your whole exam isn't scored.

Reading and Language Elements (90 Minutes)

You read the texts on screen and click your answers. Two things are different from paper:

The software keeps the time. When a timed block ends, you move on. Just like on paper, you can't go back to an earlier block.
Reading long texts on screen is tiring. Many people read more slowly on a screen than on paper. Practise reading full B1 texts on a monitor before the exam (see "How to Prepare" below).

Our time management guide still applies: don't spend 25 minutes on Reading Part 1.

Listening (About 30 Minutes)

You listen through headphones, which telc requires for the listening tasks. This is a real advantage over paper exams, where everyone hears the same speaker in the room: you can usually adjust the volume yourself, and you don't hear the street noise or the person coughing next to you. Read the questions in the pauses, just as in the paper exam.

Writing (30 Minutes)

You type your letter or email. This is the biggest change, and it helps most people: you can delete, move and rewrite sentences without crossing anything out, and your handwriting no longer matters.

But watch out for three things:

The keyboard is German. telc's technical requirements for digital exams specify a physical keyboard with German layout. On a German (QWERTZ) keyboard Y and Z are swapped, and ä, ö, ü and ß have their own keys. If you normally type on an English keyboard, you will type "Yeit" instead of "Zeit" until you get used to it.
Don't expect spell-check or autocorrect. The exam runs in a locked-down browser. Your spelling and capitalisation (der Termin, not der termin) are your job, exactly as on paper.
Don't count on a word counter. Some exam software shows one, but plan as if you won't see it. Get a feeling for what about 150 words look like on screen.

The rules of a good B1 letter are the same as before: cover all four guiding points, use a fitting greeting and closing. See our writing guide.

Notes

In the paper exam, loose note paper isn't allowed: you write your notes in the task booklet. In the digital exam there is no booklet. Ask your centre whether they hand out paper for notes, especially for Listening.

The Speaking Part in the Digital Format

The oral exam is the part where centres differ the most. telc allows both options:

On site: you, your partner and two examiners in one room, as in the classic exam.
By video: you and your partner sit together at the exam centre, usually in front of one laptop or screen with a headset or microphone, and the examiners join by video conference.

Either way, the content does not change: the same three parts, the same 20 minutes of preparation, the same assessment criteria. You still talk with your partner, not alone. Your preparation notes may come with you into the exam room, as always.

Tips for a Speaking Exam by Video

Speak to your partner, not to the screen. The conversation is still between the two of you. The examiners are listening.
Don't talk at the same time. A video connection delays sound slightly, and when two people speak at once, both get harder to understand. Let your partner finish, then react.
Speak a little slower and clearer than usual. Microphones swallow quiet word endings, and those endings (-en, -em, -er) show your grammar.
If you didn't hear something, say so. "Entschuldigung, das habe ich nicht verstanden. Können Sie das bitte wiederholen?" Asking politely is normal communication. It doesn't cost points.
Look into the camera when you speak to the examiners, for example when you introduce yourself.

For the three parts themselves (introducing yourself, discussing a topic, planning something together), the tips in our exam day guide apply unchanged.

Results and the Digital Certificate

How Fast Do Results Come?

Exam centres advertise faster results for digital exams. One centre in Düsseldorf names 2–3 weeks, a school in Berlin at most 4 weeks, compared with the 6–8 weeks many people wait after a paper exam. That's because nothing has to be posted to telc: the answers are already digital. But this is not a guarantee. The writing and speaking still have to be scored by people, and in autumn 2026 at least one centre was warning of significant delays at telc.

The Certificate Is Now a PDF

Since the first quarter of 2026, telc's standard is the digital certificate: you receive it as a PDF by email, protected by a qualified digital signature and a QR code. You can print it, but the signed PDF is the original. Authorities, employers and universities can check it by scanning the QR code or on results.telc.net (with your candidate number, date of birth and date of issue).

Careful with sharing. Your certificate shows your full name and date of birth, and with the candidate number on it anyone can pull up your results on the verification portal. Name plus date of birth is exactly what identity fraudsters collect, for example to open accounts or contracts in your name. Send it to the authority, employer or university that asked for it, but don't post it publicly (for example on social media) without covering your date of birth and candidate number.

Digital or Paper: Which Should You Choose?

Digital is a good fit if…	Paper may be better if…
You type comfortably, ideally on a German keyboard	You type slowly or have never used a QWERTZ keyboard
You want your results sooner	You like to underline and scribble on texts while reading
Your handwriting is hard to read	Long texts on a screen tire you quickly
You like to restructure your letter while writing	No centre near you offers the digital date you need

Some centres also accept bookings for digital exams at shorter notice. For example, one Berlin school takes registrations until 10 a.m. on the day before, if seats are left.

Questions to Ask Your Exam Centre Before You Book

Prices and procedures are set by each centre (in autumn 2026, for example, €180 at one centre in Düsseldorf and €249 for the full exam at one school in Berlin). Before you pay, ask:

Is this the digital telc Deutsch B1 (8061), or paper/hybrid?
Is the speaking part on site or by video? On the same day?
Which keyboard will I use? German QWERTZ?
Will I get paper for notes?
When do results usually arrive, and do I get the certificate as a PDF?
What are the cancellation and rebooking rules? (Often cancellation is only possible up to 30 days before the exam.)

Note: This guide is about telc Deutsch B1. The Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ), the final test of integration courses, is a separate exam with its own rules. If you're in an integration course, ask your course provider.

How to Prepare for the Digital Format

The best preparation for a computer-based exam is to practise on a computer.

Do full practice exams on screen, with the timer running. Our practice exams work like the digital exam: you read on screen, click your answers, and Reading + Language Elements share one 90-minute window.
Write your practice letters by typing, with a 30-minute limit. Our writing section counts your words as you type, and gives you AI feedback on your errors.
Switch your computer to a German keyboard layout for a few weeks (Windows: Settings → Time & language → Language & region; Mac: System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input). That way, Z, Y, ä, ö, ü and ß are second nature by exam day.
Practise listening with headphones, the way you'll hear the recordings in the exam.
Practise speaking with a partner over a video call, with headsets. It's a good way to get used to the short delays and to taking turns.

Key Takeaways

telc Deutsch B1 is now available digitally (subject no. 8061). Same tasks, timings, points and certificate as on paper.
You take it at an exam centre, never from home. Offers of "online certificates" are scams.
Reading, Language Elements and Listening are answered by click, Writing is typed on a German keyboard, without spell-check.
The speaking part is either on site or with examiners joining by video: ask your centre.
Results often come faster, and the certificate arrives as a PDF with a QR code.
Practise on a screen, type your letters, and get used to QWERTZ.

Official Sources

As of October 2026. telc may change how digital exams are run, so check with your exam centre before booking.

Ready to Practice?

Put what you have learned into action. Our free TELC B1 practice exams simulate the real test on screen, with timed sections, instant scoring, and detailed feedback. Start a practice exam now.

telc B1 Digital — How the Computer-Based Exam Works