The National German Exam

is administered each year to nearly 22,000 high school students in the second, third and fourth level of German. The Exam, now in its 56th year, provides individual diagnostic feedback, rewards students through an extensive prize program, and creates a sense of accomplishment. Exam results provide a means of comparing students in all regions of the country, as well as programmatic data provided to help inform curricular decisions. Exam results are among the criteria used in selecting the recipients of chapter awards and the national AATG/PAD Study Trip Awards, a four-week study trip program in Germany.

Each Exam is comprised of 100 questions. Question types include multiple choice, matching, and true/false. The Exam is comprised of two parts. The listening and viewing portion is 40 minutes in length and consists of a series of short audio and video segments with a total of 50 questions and tasks. The reading portion is 45 minutes in length and consists of a number of print texts, including graphs and images with a total of 50 questions and tasks. All materials used in the exam are from authentic resources.

Targeted Proficiencies. The Level 1 Exam measures student proficiencies in the Novice range as measured by the ACTFL_Proficiency_Guidelines. These students understand some ideas on familiar topics containing phrases, simple sentences, and frequently used expressions. They can understand the main point and a few details in short conversations, messages, and announcements.

The Level 2 Exam measures student proficiencies in the Novice High to Intermediate Low proficiency range. These students understand the main idea and some details on familiar topics expressed in sentences, short conversations, presentations, and messages.

The Level 3 Exam measures student proficiencies in the Intermediate Low proficiency range. These students understand the main idea and many details on familiar topics expressed in a series of connected sentences, conversations, presentations, and messages. They comprehend information related to basic personal and social needs and relevant to their immediate environment such as everyday life, school, and community.

The Level 4 Exam measures student proficiencies in the Intermediate proficiency range. These students understand the main points and most details in conversations, presentations, and messages on familiar topics. They also understand the main idea and some details on unfamiliar topics. They demonstrate emerging evidence of the ability to make inferences. They comprehend texts focused on relevant real-world topics of general interest.