Leben in Deutschland and the Einbürgerungstest: one test, two purposes
Vishwen Labs
The test Leben in Deutschland and the Einbürgerungstest are the same test with two purposes. Both draw 33 questions from BAMF's catalogue of 300 general and 10 Bundesland questions, both allow 60 minutes, both use four options. Leben in Deutschland is the final test of the Orientierungskurs at the end of the Integrationskurs, and BAMF's page on the final test states the two thresholds: 15 correct answers pass the course, and 17 or more also count as proof of knowledge for naturalisation under § 10 Abs. 1 Nr. 7 StAG. Most people who complete an integration course never sit the Einbürgerungstest separately.
What the integration course ends with
The Integrationskurs has two parts, a language course to B1 and a 100-hour Orientierungskurs on Germany's politics, history and society, and BAMF's page on the final test describes its two exams: the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer, DTZ, for the language, and the test Leben in Deutschland for the orientation course. All participants receive a questionnaire with 33 questions and have 60 minutes. The questions come from the same Gesamtfragenkatalog that the Einbürgerungstest uses, and BAMF publishes the catalogue under one title for both tests.
The two thresholds
BAMF's page gives both numbers. The test is passed, for the purposes of the orientation course, with at least 15 of 33 correct; that earns the Zertifikat Integrationskurs together with the DTZ. For the proof of knowledge that § 10 Abs. 1 Nr. 7 of the Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz requires, at least 17 of the 33 are needed. The certificate shows your number of correct answers, so it is obvious which threshold you cleared. Seventeen is also the Einbürgerungstest's own pass mark; the two tests are aligned on purpose.
Who sits which
If you attend an Integrationskurs, you sit Leben in Deutschland at its end as part of the course, and a result of 17 or more means you never need the Einbürgerungstest. If you do not attend a course, because you were not entitled or obliged to or learned German another way, you register for the Einbürgerungstest at a Prüfstelle, pay 25 euros and sit the same 33 questions. Either certificate goes into your naturalisation file.
Preparing for either
One preparation covers both, because the pool is the same 310 questions: the 300 general ones and the 10 for your Bundesland. The orientation course teaches the content over 100 hours; the catalogue and a mock in the official format teach the wording and the format. Someone finishing a course who wants 17 rather than 15, so as to settle the citizenship requirement at the same time, has the most to gain from a week of mocks before the final test.
If you scored 15 or 16
You passed the orientation course but not the citizenship threshold. The straightforward route is to register for the Einbürgerungstest at a Prüfstelle, pay the 25 euros and sit the 33 questions again; the two missing marks are usually a matter of wording, not knowledge. Whether the course test itself can be repeated is governed by BAMF's rules for the final test and your course provider, so ask there; for most people the Prüfstelle is quicker.
Einbürgerungstest bestehen is an independent study aid and is not affiliated with the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) or any other German authority. The test questions are BAMF's published Gesamtfragenkatalog, which anyone may practise free at BAMF's Online-Testcenter; the app's lessons, explanations and translations are its own.
Questions people also ask
Does the Leben in Deutschland certificate count for naturalisation?
Yes, if it shows 17 or more correct answers out of 33. BAMF states that this result also counts as proof of the knowledge required by § 10 Abs. 1 Nr. 7 StAG. With 15 or 16 you passed the orientation course only.
Are the Leben in Deutschland questions different from the Einbürgerungstest questions?
No. Both tests use the same Gesamtfragenkatalog of 300 general and 10 Bundesland questions, which BAMF publishes under one title for both. A Testheft for either has 30 general and 3 Bundesland questions.
