Prepare WiDaF, as simple as that.

The WiDaF exam is in the form of a multiple-choice questionnaire and has a total of 150 questions. It lasts around 3 hours and is divided into two main parts and four sections. The first part includes three sections, one dedicated to mastering business vocabulary, the second to grammar and the last reserved for written comprehension. The second part of WiDaF concerns oral comprehension.

WiDaF Section 1 : Fachlexik (mastering business vocabulary)

This test is made up of 50 questions divided into 5 different exercises. It is encouraged to spend around 50 minutes on it.

• The first exercise is called "Synonym". These are multiple choice questions (with 4 suggested answers) without any particular context. This exercise tests out the richness of the candidate’s vocabulary.
  • Examples:

    “Wählen Sie das passende Wortpaar, geben Sie die bestmögliche Lösung ein!”

    Questions :
    versenden

    • schicken
    • annehmen
    • beschlagnahmen
    • lagern

    Right answer : A

    “Preise ~ausmachen”

    • ~abbauen
    • ~begründen
    • ~berechnen
    • ~absprechen

    Right answer : D

• Sprachbausteine is the second exercise of the WiDaF vocabulary test. It has 17 multiple-choice questions, thus it's one of the most important exercises in terms of the score you can obtain. The candidate must complete the sentences with one of the solutions, which are suggested to get the correct formulation.
  • Examples:

  -Wir können leider die Waren nicht mehr liefern, sie sind leider ….

  • vergriffen
  • abwesend
  • verschoben
  • abgeschafft

  Right answer : A

  -Die Summe ……. 10.000 €.

  • beträgt
  • füllt
  • besteht
  • verkörpert

  Right answer : A

  • The third vocabulary exercise is called Handelskorrespondenz. It is based on a document (letter or email) and includes 10 multiple choice questions with three suggested answers, each time. The candidate is tested on his knowledge of the standard expressions, which are used in the business world.
  • The exercise "Grafik" is the fourth in the vocabulary section. This concerns a question based on a graph, completing a sentence with 6 missing words. For each gap in the sentence, the candidate must choose from 4 suggestions.
  • The fifth exercise called Anzeige is also a text with gaps that needs to be completed, at times based on a photo. For each gap in the text; the candidate has the choice between 4 words.

WiDaF Section 2 : Grammatik (mastering grammar)

After the vocabulary test, the second section of WiDaF is based on grammar. This section has a single exercise with 20 questions ( mainly focused on prepositions and verbal forms). Once again, you need to choose the right answer among 4 suggestions. It is encouraged to spend 20 minutes on this test. Here are some examples of typical questions:

-Ich weiss, dass es... Stellen gibt.

• wenig und wenig
• immer weniger
• viel wenige

Right answer: B

-Die Sportlerin war... unterlegen.

• ihre Konkurrentin
• ihrer Konkurrentin
• ihre Konkurrentinnen
• ihren Konkurrentin

Right answer: B

WiDaF Section 3 : Leseverstehen (Written comprehension)

In this test, 5 fairly short texts are presented to the candidate who must then answer 5 to 7 comprehension questions, per text. This section contains a total of 30 questions and lasts approximately 45 minutes.

Examples:

The candidate reads:

“Getarnt als Anleitungs-AppTrojaner legt Pokémon-Go-Spieler rein

Eine vermeintliche Anleitung für das Kultspiel Pokémon Go wurde huntertausendfach aus dem Play Store heruntergeladen. Dahinter versteckt sich ein fieser Trojaner, der sich besonders clever zu schützen weiß. Wer drauf reinfällt, hat nur einen Ausweg.

Im Fahrwasser eines handfesten App-Hypes kommt es nicht selten vor, dass Übeltäter die Aufregung und die große Nachfrage für ihre Zwecke nutzen - zum Beispiel indem sie bösartige Apps unter leicht abgeändertem Namen anbieten, die ein ungeübtes Auge schnell für authentisch halten kann. Anfang August warnten die Sicherheitsexperten von Eset vor gefälschten Prisma-Apps. Jetzt hat es Fans des längst zum Massenphänomen gewordenen Handyspiels Pokémon Go erwischt.

Rund eine halbe Million Spieler haben einen vermeintlichen Leitfaden für das Smartphone-Game aus Googles Play Store heruntergeladen, berichtet Antivirus-Experte Kaspersky. Hinter der App "Guide for Pokémon Go" verbirgt sich jedoch ein fieser Trojaner, der Angreifern Zugriff auf die Smartphones der Opfer gibt. Die Gangster ködern ihre Opfer mit der vermeintlichen Anleitung und bringen diese dazu, die Schadsoftware selbst zu installieren, denn nur so bekommen sie überhaupt Zugriff aufs Handy.”

Questions :

• Der Leitfaden „Guide for Pokémon Go“ erklärt Spielern die Funktionsweise der App.
  • richtig
  • falsch

  Right answer: B

• Mehr als eine halbe Million Spieler haben eine infizierte App heruntergeladen.
  • richtig
  • falsch

  Right answer: B

WiDaF Section 4 : Horverstehen (Oral comprehension)

This last section of WiDaF concerns German oral comprehension and takes around 45 minutes and includes 50 questions overall. The candidate listens to several audio recordings, after which, he must answer questions that assess his ability to understand spoken German. This part is divided into 4 exercises with increasing difficulty:

• Exercise 1 : Einfache Aussagen

  The candidate listens to brief sentences. For each statement, a question is asked with 3 choices of answers to choose from. This exercise includes 15 questions.

  Example:

  The candidate hears: “Fragen von 101 bis 105”

  Question :

  101

  • einen Apfelsaft
  • ein Apfelsaftsschorle
  • ein Mineralwasser

  Right answer: B

• Exercise 2 : Dialogue

  In this exercise, the candidate listens to dialogues after which a question is asked. He must choose the correct answer from 4 suggestions. This exercise takes place through two steps: first listening to short dialogues, then listening to longer dialogues with 3 comprehension questions.

• Exercise 3 : Hortexte

  The third WiDaF listening comprehension exercise is made up of listening to 2 fairly long audio recordings and then answering 4 questions, for each audio with suggested answers.

• Exercise 4 : Interview

  This is the fourth exercise of the listening comprehension section and the very last test of the WiDaF. The candidate listens to an interview between 2 people before answering 4 comprehension questions (with 4 suggested answers each time).

Le WiDaF is scored on 990 in the following way:

Once the score has been obtained, WiDaF makes it possible to determine the level of the candidate’s language. This score can be equated with the official levels of the CEFR scale. Depending on the grade obtained at WiDaF, the candidate validates a level of German established by the CEFR:

• from 0 to 246 points: level A2 (beginner intermediate)
• from 247 to 495 points: level B1 (intermediate)
• from 496 to 735 points: level B2 (elementary)
• from 736 to 897 points: level C1 (advanced)
• from 898 to 990 points: level C2 (bilingual)

The WiDaF certificate has no validity limit but it is advisable to use a certificate dating back 2 years maximum, to make a good impression with recruiters.

There is no question of succeeding or failing with the WiDaF test. Like the TOEIC, this test is only used to assess your level at a time "t", so that you can access certain companies or colleges (or just get to know your level of German).

Depending on the score obtained at WiDaF, you can compare your level with the official criteria established by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). This shall allow you to display your German proficiency level on your CV in a reliable and official way. With the certificate level that you shall obtain after having passed the WiDaF, you will also receive an analysis sheet of the results corresponding to the CEFR scoring grid.

The registration formalities to the WiDaF test depends on your place of residence. Therefore, three cases are possible depending on your geographic location.

• In the first case, you live in Paris. It is the easiest option to register for WiDaF quickly because the number of sessions organized is rather wide. To register, you will need to fill in the registration form provided by The Franco-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which organizes and administers WiDaF sessions every year
• In the second case, you live in one of the 49 French cities where WiDaF sessions take place more or less regularly. The number of sessions is not as wide in other cities as in the capital. Indeed, sessions are also canceled, when the number of candidates are too low. So, it is important to find out in advance about the frequency of the sessions
• In the third and last case, you pass the WiDaf abroad. In which case, you need to check which cities are organizing sessions in the country, where you are located

WiDaF, like most language exams, is a standardized test. To put it otherwise, it has a peculiar structure and particular instructions, which are specific to it. It is important to know this structure and these instructions in advance, so that you don’t discover these elements on D-Day and in the process gain confidence and efficiency. Therefore, rigorous and efficient training is a simple way to boost your final grade.
It is obvious that your language level at the moment will determine your grade. If you are a beginner, you should not expect to reach a C1 score even with very rigorous preparation. On the other hand, you can easily boost your score to the maximum, by getting familiarized with the structure of the test and its exercises.

In its WiDaF training formula, our GlobalExam platform offers two complementary modes to prepare properly:

• A training mode made up of several standard exercises in all sections of the assessment
• An exam mode made up of several standard exercises in all sections of the assessment

All the content of our platform is produced by competent teachers who specialize in teaching languages. This rich and varied content will allow you to understand the structure of the exercises in detail, but also the test generally speaking. Having a good knowledge of the skills measured during the exam will help you to focus on the essential points during your WiDaF training. Moreover, you can access the detailed corrections for each exercise and mock exams and follow the evolution of your scores as you prepare through the "Statistics and Corrections" section.

Our educational team has also written various grammar and vocabulary sheets on the key elements to master, before taking the exam. These revision sheets are a key tool to use in addition to practical exercises, to learn, understand and validate your German language level proficiency. You can find all these revision sheets for free on our blog. The GlobalExam blog also possesses several explanatory articles on the logistics which are linked to passing the WiDaF (registration procedures, advice on obtaining a good score, etc.), so that you can prepare in the best of conditions.