In the SDS, speaking is assessed in a one-on-one interview with an examiner — unlike, say, Goethe exams with two examiners. At B1/B2 level it takes about 10–15 minutes; the interview is recorded and kept for 60 days for quality control and appeals.
How it unfolds
- You are called out of the tablet test without warning — even mid-exercise — and move to a separate room.
- The opener is almost always: “Stellen Sie sich bitte vor” (please introduce yourself). That first answer acts as triage: it sets the level at which the interview continues.
- From there the questions are adaptive: answer confidently and they rise in level; struggle and they step down. In total there are one to at most four question sets.
- At B2 comes a short prepared presentation: you pick one of two topics, get 1–2 minutes to prepare, then present pros and cons plus your own reasoned position — with follow-up questions.
What makes the interview hard
- There are no topics announced in advance. You improvise — and you get follow-ups on what you just said.
- Candidates also report hypothetical questions (“What would you do if…?”), which demand spontaneous, connected argument.
- Assessment uses four criteria — vocabulary, accuracy, fluency, coherence — of which three must be met.