The following nationally administered examinations are offered:
American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) Test Immanuel administers levels 2, 3 and 4 of the AATG test each January. The AATG test measures the German language proficiency of high school students nationwide. By taking this test, students can measure their achievement on a national standard. If students do well, they are recognized at the AATG Philadelphia Chapter's annual award presentation in May. Test results can also be reported to the student's day school for inclusion on his or her permanent record.
Knowledge and Skills Mastered:
- Understanding the spoken language
- Vocabulary mastery
- Grammatical control
- Reading comprehension
College Board Advanced Placement (AP) German Exam This examination is designed to determine if a student, who has completed college-level courses while in high school, should be awarded advanced placement, credit, or both upon entering college. The AP German course is designed to be equivalent to a third-year or advanced college course. More than 2,900 universities and colleges worldwide give credit and/or advanced placement for qualifying AP grades.
Students are expected to demonstrate the following competencies:
- Strong command of vocabulary and structure
- Comprehension of spoken German in various conversational situations
- Comprehension of newspaper and magazine articles, contemporary fiction, non-technical writings without the use of a dictionary
- Ability to fluently and accurately express ideas orally and in writing
We urge high school students to ask their counselors for information about the AP German examination even if they do not plan to attend a German university. Many American universities require an AP foreign-language examination for admission or grant the student advanced standing for good results.
Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz I und II This examination is designed to determine if a student will be able to perform without further language study at a German Studienkolleg. The diploma is an official certificate accepted by all German Studienkollegs which will waive further language testing.
The exam has been offered by Germany to foreign students for over 25 years. It is mainly aimed at 10th graders in German schools abroad as the final exam of their German courses and is based on approximately 1,000 hours of study. Currently, approximately 4,100 students worldwide take the test each year under the supervision of the Standing Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the states of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Students are expected to demonstrate the following competencies:
- Strong command of vocabulary and structure
- Comprehension of German texts when read aloud
- Comprehension of spoken German in a conversational situation
- Ability to express ideas fluently and accurately