Frequently asked questions

The Goethe-Institut Prüfunszentrum is an examination centre operating under license from the Goethe-Institut. We offer officially recognised, accredited Goethe-Institut examinations to students and members of the public.

We are part of the University of Manchester Language Centre and are situated in rooms W3.6 and S3.2 of the Samuel Alexander Building, just off Oxford Road.

We do not run specific preparation courses for the exam. However, most levels of the LEAP programme’s German courses are pegged to a CEFR level and include the corresponding Goethe exam as part of the course assessment.

The exam fees for May/June 2024 are:

Exams run on Saturdays throughout May and June each year. 

If you would like to take a test at another time, please contact the Goethe-Institut branches in London and Glasgow, as they run more frequent tests.

Our exams are open to anybody. Some of our candidates will be sitting the exam as and optional part of the assessment for German language courses run by the University of Manchester Language Centre’s LEAP programme.

We also welcome applications from members of the public who are not taking a LEAP course and just want to sit the exam.

Please download an application form from our examinations page and submit it to goethe@manchester.ac.uk or room W3.6 of the Samuel Alexander Building. You will receive a confirmation email and a payment request (if applicable) within three working days.

If you cancel the exam before the booking deadline, a full refund will be given (using the same method of payment).

If you cancel the exam after the booking deadline, a refund will be given, minus an administration fee of 25% of the exam fee.

If you are unable to attend the exam because of illness, the exam fee will be transferred or refunded (minus an administration fee of 25% of the exam fee), on production of suitable medical evidence (doctor's note covering the date of the exam).

If you do not attend on the test day, or are late for the exam, no refund of exam fees will be given.

If you are excluded from the exam because of misconduct, no refund of exam fees will be given.

We usually aim to have exam results ready within 2-3 weeks after the examination date, and certificates are printed after all the exams have taken place, towards the end of June. If you need your certificate earlier, please let us know and we will endeavour to prioritise the printing of your certificate. 

Any appeals on exam results must be made within ten working days (Mon-Fri) of receiving your exam results. All appeals must be submitted in writing to the Exams Manager (dorit.fellner@manchester.ac.uk). The Exams Manager may reject appeals that are unfounded or are based on unsatisfactory reasons. Merely pointing out that a certain number of points was not achieved does not qualify as a sufficient reason for an appeal. The Exams Manager will decide whether the appeal is accepted. In case of doubt he/she shall consult the Goethe-Institut Head Office, who will make a final decision. The decision on the appeal is final.

Any appeals/complaints regarding how the exam was conducted must be made in writing to the Exams Manager (dorit.fellner@manchester.ac.uk) ideally immediately after the test - complaints will not be accepted if submitted more than 5 working days (Mon-Fri) after the exam date. The Exams Manager will gather information from all involved, decide whether an appeal is justified and draw up a file. In case of doubt the Goethe-Institut Head Office shall make the final decision. If an appeal is granted, the exam fee is credited or refunded by the exam centre.