DSH test in German

Earlier we wrote about TestDaF, which is needed for international students to prove sufficient knowledge of German for university study. There is a second test for the same purpose – this is DSH, an abbreviation for Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang ausländischer Studienbewerber (German language exam for admission of foreign applicants to higher education institutions).
These tests are different, we have identified for ourselves the following features of DAS:

Unlike TestDaF, your grammar, spelling and vocabulary is important for DSH testers. Here they are trying to test your knowledge, and not the ability to survive in the language environment and quickly respond to even incomprehensible words.
You can take the test only in Germany.
You can take it at different times, as many times as you like (in general, not at all, but no one will check this). Usually, the university itself organizes his delivery several weeks before the beginning of the semester.
The test result has a wide range of evaluation. Unlike TesDaF, which is very easy to fail, you can simply get a low mark for this test. The final score will be one (0-100), and not 4 different.
You have the right to use the German-German dictionary and you should not neglect this opportunity;

The test consists of three blocks:

Lesetext – reading (one big text and a bunch of tasks for it). Here you expect standard tasks like picking a name, richtig / falsch (true / false), understanding the grammatical structures of a test, picking up synonyms, understanding the meaning of words, etc.
Hörverstehen – listening comprehension. You listen to the text twice, during the first listening it is better to make notes. For the test, given enough time, do not rush.
Textproduktion – letter. On this task, you need to describe a graph, picture or summarize the text.
Oral speech. This block is given 30 minutes, it usually includes 7 tasks of different difficulty levels. The conversation can be with the examiner or in a group. Instead, this is sometimes the Grammatikteil. In this task, you need to be able to reformulate sentences or phrases, and at least minimally know the scientific lexicon.

Like TestDaF, the DSH certificate is valid for life. But these are just words. The university may require to retake the test even if it is not even a year old. If you need to take DSH, we strongly recommend that you prepare for it. After all, even with a good knowledge of the language it is very easy to confuse in the structure and not understand what is required of you. Like all the other tests, this one has its own characteristics. Oh yes, do not try to roll. The chances that you will not be caught are almost nil (this is Germany). You don’t want to wait until the next test.