telc C1 Hochschule free practice test: official and free resources
Last updated: 11 November 2026 · Checked against the official exam documents
A search for a free telc C1 Hochschule practice test usually ends in the same place: telc itself publishes one complete Übungstest, the Handbuch and a PDF of preparation tips for free. This guide lists what is really free, what each file is good for, which material costs money, and how to turn the free resources into one structured study week without wasting your only official mock exam.
Official free material from telc
All three files are linked from the telc product page for telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule. They are the only free materials published by the exam provider itself, so they are your reference for format and scoring.
Download them from telc's page rather than using scanned copies of unknown origin: that way the task instructions, the Antwortbogen and the assessment criteria match the real exam.
| Material | Format | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Übungstest 1 telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule | ZIP download | A complete mock exam with all parts and the audio for Hörverstehen – your one official full run |
| Handbuch telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule | Describes every part, the aims of the tasks and the assessment criteria for Schriftlicher and Mündlicher Ausdruck | |
| Tipps zur Prüfungsvorbereitung | Practical advice per part, including suggested times for the Leseverstehen Teile |
Further official Übungstests for telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule are sold, not free. If Übungstest 1 is all you have, don't use it up piece by piece – keep it for one timed full run.
The exam at a glance: times and points
Before you open the Übungstest, know the frame you will score yourself against. The written modules are not passed one by one; what counts is the written total. The exam exists in digital, hybrid and paper formats; the task types stay the same.
- Written exam: 166 points, passed with 99 (60 %).
- Oral exam: 48 points, passed with 29 (60 %).
- Both parts must be passed; the total is 214 points.
| Part | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Leseverstehen | 90 min (together with Sprachbausteine, order free) | 48 |
| Sprachbausteine | within the 90 min, about 15–20 min suggested | 22 |
| Pause | 20 min | – |
| Hörverstehen | about 40 min, every text heard only once | 48 |
| Schriftlicher Ausdruck | 70 min | 48 |
| Mündlicher Ausdruck | about 16 min (pair) + 20 min preparation | 48 |
What is free on Zertifly
Zertifly has 15 sets per part for telc C1 Hochschule in the real exam format. In every list the first exercise is free, so you can try each part without paying.
A free account includes a few AI evaluations for writing and speaking – spend them on attempts made under time pressure, not on drafts. The simulation tab of each list runs the part under exam conditions with a timer; it is a Pro feature, and a free account sees what it contains plus an upgrade prompt.
- Leseverstehen: Teil 1–3 plus the Makroaufgabe, with an explanation for every item.
- Sprachbausteine: 22 gaps with options a–d.
- Hörverstehen: Teil 1–3, each text played only once, as in the exam.
- Schriftlicher Ausdruck: Erörterung topic pairs; you choose one and get AI feedback /48 by the four official criteria.
- Mündlicher Ausdruck: Teil 1 (1A presentation, 1B where an AI partner summarises and asks follow-up questions) and a live Teil 2 discussion with an AI partner.
A free study week, day by day
This plan uses free material only: Übungstest 1 once, the Handbuch for scoring, and the free first set of each Zertifly list. Plan about two hours a day; day 2 takes close to four hours because it is the full written exam.
| Day | Task | Material |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Read the format and the criteria: what each part asks and how Schreiben and Sprechen are assessed. Then solve one free set without a timer to see the format on screen. | Handbuch, Tipps; Zertifly Leseverstehen Teil 1 |
| 2 | Written part of Übungstest 1 in one sitting: Leseverstehen + Sprachbausteine 90 min, 20 min break, Hörverstehen (each text once, no pausing), Schreiben 70 min. Transfer your answers to the Antwortbogen within the time. | Übungstest 1, timer |
| 3 | Score yourself: Leseverstehen 2 points per item, Sprachbausteine 1, Hörverstehen Teil 1 1 point and Teil 2–3 2 points per item. Rate your Erörterung with the four criteria. Write an error list per part. | Übungstest 1 solutions, Handbuch criteria |
| 4 | Solve the free Zertifly set for your weakest receptive part with a timer (Leseverstehen Teil 1 and 2 about 15 min each, Teil 3 about 30 + 5 min; Sprachbausteine 15–20 min) and read the explanations. | Zertifly Leseverstehen / Sprachbausteine / Hörverstehen |
| 5 | Schreiben: write the free Zertifly Erörterung in 70 min (at least 350 words) and get AI feedback; then rewrite your Übungstest text with the same criteria. | Zertifly Schriftlicher Ausdruck |
| 6 | Sprechen: prepare a Teil 1A topic in 20 min, present for 3–4 min and record yourself; then do Teil 1 with the AI partner. | Übungstest 1 oral tasks, Zertifly Mündlicher Ausdruck |
| 7 | Compare day 3 with days 4–6, update your error list and decide what the next weeks focus on. | Error list, Zertifly dashboard |
Scoring yourself with the official criteria
The receptive parts are easy to score with the solutions. For the productive parts you need the criteria from the Handbuch – be strict, because an optimistic estimate will surprise you on exam day.
Add up Leseverstehen, Sprachbausteine, Hörverstehen and your Schreiben estimate: the pass line for the written exam is 99 of 166. Note your points per part; the part where you lose most becomes the main topic of the next week.
- Leseverstehen: 24 items × 2 = 48. Teil 1 gaps 1–6, Teil 2 items 7–12, Teil 3 items 13–23 plus the Makroaufgabe 24.
- Sprachbausteine: 22 gaps × 1 = 22.
- Hörverstehen: Teil 1 8 × 1, Teil 2 10 × 2, Teil 3 10 × 2 = 48. Teil 3 is scored by keyword groups, so check whether your note contains the decisive word.
- Schriftlicher Ausdruck: Aufgabengerechtheit, Korrektheit, Repertoire, Kommunikative Gestaltung, each A/B/C/D = 12/8/4/0 → 48. Off topic („Thema verfehlt“) means D in all four; a text written entirely in capitals or all lowercase drops Korrektheit by one level. There is no automatic 0 for a short text, but length counts under Aufgabengerechtheit.
- Mündlicher Ausdruck: Aufgabengerechtheit 1A 6, 1B 4, Teil 2 6, plus Flüssigkeit, Repertoire, Grammatische Richtigkeit and Aussprache und Intonation with 8 each → 48; pass mark 29.
When the free material runs out
After one week you have used your official full run and the free set of each list. Further official Übungstests are sold by telc. On Zertifly, the remaining sets of each list and the simulation tab (timed parts under exam conditions) belong to the Pro package.
A sensible order: keep training your weakest part with the full lists, and run a timed simulation shortly before the exam to check that your timing holds.
Official sources
The exam rules and figures in this guide were checked against the official sources below.
Related guide
Start with the free sets
Open the telc C1 Hochschule lists on Zertifly, solve the first set of each part for free and choose telc C1 as your study route on the dashboard.