Goethe B1 Reading: 5 Parts, 65 Minutes and the Scoring
Level:B1Duration:~3 hoursFee:~€150–250Validity:UnlimitedFormat:Modular
Last updated: 4 October 2026 · Verified against current official Goethe-Institut sources
Goethe B1 Reading takes 65 minutes and has 30 items across five parts. Each part tests a different skill: following a blog post, finding detail in press texts, matching ads, reading the stance in reader comments and applying rules. The result is converted to a score out of 100; you need 60 to pass.
Parts and suggested timings
| Part | Text | Task | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Blog / personal text | True/false | 6 | 10 min |
| Part 2 | Two press texts | a/b/c (3 per text) | 6 | 20 min |
| Part 3 | 7 situations, 10 ads (A–J) | Matching, 0 for one situation | 7 | 10 min |
| Part 4 | Reader comments on one topic | Yes/no: is the person in favour? | 7 | 15 min |
| Part 5 | Rules, house regulations | a/b/c | 4 | 10 min |
Strategy by part
- Part 1: compare each statement with the event in the text; check who, when and any negation.
- Part 2: read the question first, then find the relevant paragraph; one wrong detail rules an option out.
- Part 3: note what each situation needs (who, when, how much); each ad is used once.
- Part 4: look for the person’s stance, not the topic; watch turning words such as “aber” and “trotzdem”.
- Part 5: mark exceptions in the rules (außer, nur wenn, spätestens).
Score conversion
| Correct | Points |
|---|---|
| 30 | 100 |
| 24 | 80 |
| 21 | 70 |
| 18 | 60 (pass) |
| 17 | 57 (fail) |
Under the official rules, correct answers are multiplied by 3.33 and rounded.
Official sources
The exam rules and figures in this guide were checked against the official sources below.
Related guide
Practise Goethe B1 Reading against the clock
Work through Goethe B1 Reading parts on Zertifly with the suggested timings and turn your correct answers into points.