I GOT MY SDS CERTIFICATE!

20 Mar, 2026

My German language test results.

I've written about my German language woes a few times, mostly in February, as I was just finishing up my exam prep course and spent the remaining weeks studying for the placement test.

I took the language test on Friday and already received a letter in my mailbox on Tuesday. I was so rattled afterwards and convinced that I butchered the speaking part, that I told Daniel to open the letter for me and tell me my results to soften the blow.

"You got three B2s and one B1, but you won't guess on what," he replied.

Here are the results:

What a surprise! I didn't expect to get a B1 on listening, especially because I found that section to be quite easy. Then I remembered the one B2-level listening exercise and it made sense that I would've messed that up. I'll write about my experience now in case anyone is curious/thinking about taking the SDS test rather than TELC.

Difference between SDS and TELC

• SDS—Schweizerischer Digitaler Sprachtest (Swiss Digital Language Test)—is an adaptive language placement exam and is only recognized in Switzerland.
• TELC (The European Language Certificates) is recognized across many European countries, including Switzerland.

Taking the TELC

I took the TELC exam for my German level B1 certificate in 2024. (My tutor at the time had never heard of the SDS.) There weren't enough spots in Lucerne so I had to take my test in Zürich and it was a full-day affair. I think I was there for 5 hours total, including a one hour lunch break. The TELC exams are known to be more difficult, with trickier questions.

Even though my tutor and I had done practice exams, the writing prompt was completely different to what I had expected. Rather than the usual emails, we had to read and respond to what looked like spam emails! I wasn't familiar with that type of language.

Plus, during the oral examination, your speaking partner is a fellow student. My partner was a really confident speaker, which made me feel even more nervous. I noticed that I was asked more questions than he was. So, depending on your partner's speaking level, that could help/hinder you.

I received my results within 4 weeks, and even though I passed B1, I was recommended to take B1 again because I barely scraped by. However, I didn't need to do this because when I took the placement test for my language school, they said I was ready for B2.

Taking the SDS

Because I already had experience with TELC, I decided to try the SDS. I figured that if I didn't pass, then I would take the TELC the second time around. Since the SDS tests all levels from A1-B2, I was curious to see how I would rank.*

*I had a very optimistic and chill outlook months before the test. That all changed as the test day grew nearer.

My test was slated for 13:30. I arrived 15 minutes earlier. We were a group of about 8 people. There were two rooms: One for the taking the test, and the other for the speaking part. Everyone had a tablet with their name on it. We watched a 1 minute instructional video on how to use the tablet. It was really easy to use.

Everyone starts at the same level (A1) with the same question, and depending on your answer, the following question either got more advanced or got easier. So for once, I was hoping that the questions would get harder.

Unlike the TELC, where each testing section (i.e., reading comprehension, listening, and writing) had their specific timed slots, the SDS gives you 2 hours and 30 minutes for the entire test. Thus, I was advised that I had to manage my time a bit, because I didn't know how many questions in total I had to answer.

Also, once you finished with one question, you can't go back to the previous one. With the TELC, as long as you still had time within that section, e.g. reading comprehension, you could review that entire section. So with the SDS, I felt like I had to move a bit faster, because there was no way of knowing how many more questions I had left to answer.

The speaking exam

During the test, you're called at a certain point for the speaking examination. So I was writing my essay when suddenly my screen had a pop-up that said, "Interview." The test was paused and I went to the next room.

This is where I could've prepared better for the interview.† I was asking Euria (a less evil AI tool) about speaking prompts specifically for the SDS. I got some seemingly good ones and practiced for those. But it was entirely different than what I expected.

† Today, when I was doing some research to write this, I found a Reddit post that listed the exact speaking prompts for SDS. -_-

First, you're recorded. It's only audio, but enough to increase my nervousness up a notch. You're asked to:

• Give a brief introduction about yourself (no prep time)
• Talk about someone you admire (no prep time)
• Pick one of two topics and explain your thoughts (2 minutes prep time)

With TELC, we were led into a separate room and given 10 minutes to prepare. You're given a few sheets of papers on possible topics and can make notes.

So I was caught off-guard that I had to come up with a person I admired on the spot‡, and I also felt nervous having to prepare for the discussion part with the proctor sitting so close to me.

‡ I chose my sister, and was only describing where she lived and the number of pets she had. The proctor asked, "So what do you admire about her?" And I replied, "She's a very strong woman." Then we moved onto the next question. XD

I knew the proctor personally too, which actually made it worse, because she was, of course, very serious and professional since we were being recorded. I started to get into my head, thinking she was judging me, that I wasn't smart enough, and I could feel myself starting to blank... Until I remember reading what Euria advised me to do: silence was my enemy, and I need to keep talking.

So I did. I made sure to drop connectors and probably fucked up all the verb placements, but I felt like if I paused too much, I would simply lose my train of thought. So I kept talking. I think it was 10 minutes long, but it felt a bit shorter.

After my speaking exam, I went back to my tablet, finished my essay, and answered some more questions. This is where I messed up on the B2 listening question. For A1-B1, you can listen to an audio recording twice. But for B2, you can only listen to it once. I didn't make any notes, so I started to forget who said what (the exercise was listening to several people being interviewed and linking the person to their opinion).

Now I remember. After I answered that question, the following questions got a lot easier. I panicked a bit, but kept answering them and suddenly, there was a pop-up stating I was finished with the exam. I still had 30 minutes on the clock. With TELC, I stayed till the very end because I used the extra time to review my answers. But since I couldn't do that with SDS, I just got up and left.

Conclusion

• 
  This is what the certificate looks like. (I removed all personal info including the person who signed this.)

After receiving my certificate in the mail, I sent a screenshot to my German group. "Congratulations!" someone wrote. I was confused.

"Why? Don't I need to take the listening part again?" I asked.

"No. If you scored B2 on three out of four sections, that means you passed."

Daniel suggested I call the school to confirm this, but I just searched online. Since SDS doesn't have a pass/fail model, the certificate simply lists where you rank per section. I don't like that, because now this B1 looks like a mar on my record.

However, since I technically passed, I think it's good enough for now. If it's not good enough for a future employer, I would see if I could just retake the listening part again. Heck, I wouldn't mind taking the whole test again. The TELC is much too tedious and nerve-racking to take, even though the results would be clearer.

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#2026 #blog