Guide
onSET German exam: format, score, and a 14-day plan
onSET-Deutsch is a C-Test, not a writing or listening exam. You reconstruct the missing half of every second word. Practising endings targets the grammatical decisions this format requires.
What the exam is
Eight texts, 20 gaps each, five minutes per text, no going back. The score runs from 0 to 160 and maps onto a CEFR band from below A2 to C1 or higher. Whether B1 is enough for an application depends on the institution and programme; onSET does not replace an admission requirement.
The onSET “rule of two” starts at the second word of the second sentence: the second half of every second word is deleted. In our exercises, one-letter words, digits, proper names, and abbreviations are left out of the rhythm; implementations can differ. Umlauts and ß count as one letter and must be typed correctly.
What counts as B1
The official research page gives 64 points as an example of lower B1 and 87 as an example of upper B1. The actual cut scores can be adjusted and only the official result assigns a CEFR level.
The 96 and 110 markers in onSET Prep are deliberately demanding internal practice targets. They are not official cutoffs or CEFR predictions because these practice texts are not psychometrically calibrated.
What to practise
The stem is visible. The point is the form: adjective endings, articles after prepositions, verb agreement, dative plural -n, small words such as weil/wenn/wer. The grammar course builds that chain; the drills force the same decision on a clock.
A worked example
Read “mit dem neu__ Plan”. “Mit” requires dative and the definite article already shows the case, so the form is “neuen”. The useful question is not “which word do I know?” but “which form does the sentence require?”. Note one or two such decisions after each drill.
Fourteen days
Day 1: take the official sample on onset.de and record it as a baseline. Days 2–4: multiple-choice drill, then type the same text. Day 5: half simulation. Days 6–8: weakest skills only. Days 9 and 12: full simulation. Day 13: repeat the sample only as a review — it uses the same, slightly easier texts in the same order. Day 14: two easy texts, then stop. Reserve roughly 30–45 focused minutes on ordinary days; a 40-minute simulation plus review needs longer. This structures practice but cannot guarantee a score or replace a full German course.
Always guess. There is no wrong-answer penalty. A blank is a wasted point.