Überblick (Overview)
Reading tasks test your ability to understand written German at increasing difficulty. The test is adaptive.
Aufgabentyp 1: Wort ↔ Bild zuordnen (Task Type 1: Word ↔ Picture Matching) (pre-A1 / A1)
Format: Drag & drop — match a German word to the correct picture.
What you need: Basic vocabulary recognition (nouns, everyday objects).
Example:
Match: der Apfel → 🍎 | die Katze → 🐱 | das Auto → 🚗
Strategy:
- Know the 200 most common German nouns with articles
- Focus on the SDS topic domains (food, transport, housing, work, etc.)
Aufgabentyp 2: Richtig/Falsch bei kurzen Texten (Task Type 2: True/False on Short Texts) (A2)
Format: Read a job ad or short notice → mark statements ja (true) or nein (false).
What you need: Scan for specific information (dates, requirements, conditions).
Example prompt:
Stellenanzeige: “Wir suchen eine Verkäuferin, 50%, ab 1. März. Erfahrung nötig.”
- Die Stelle ist Vollzeit. → nein
- Man braucht Erfahrung. → ja
- Die Stelle beginnt im April. → nein
Strategy:
- Read statements FIRST, then scan the text for keywords
- Watch for negation words: nicht, kein, nie, ohne
- Watch for qualifiers: nur, ab, bis, mindestens
- Don’t assume — stick to what the text actually says
Aufgabentyp 3: Titel ↔ Text zuordnen (Task Type 3: Title ↔ Text Matching) (B1)
Format: Several short texts + several titles → match each title to the correct text.
What you need: Understand the main idea of a short paragraph quickly.
Example:
Texts about: a new park, a cooking class, a job fair, a sports event
Titles: “Neues Grün in der Stadt” / “Kochen lernen” / “Arbeit finden” / “Sport am Wochenende”
Strategy:
- Read titles first to know what to look for
- For each text, identify the ONE main topic in the first 1–2 sentences
- Eliminate matches as you go — cross off used titles
- Don’t get distracted by details — focus on the core subject
Aufgabentyp 4: Multiple Choice (Aufgabentyp 4: Multiple Choice) (A1 → B2)
Format: Read a text → answer questions by choosing the correct option.
| Level | Options per question |
|---|---|
| A1–A2 | 2 options |
| B1–B2 | 3 options |
Example (B1):
Text about public transport changes in Zürich.
Warum ändern sich die Fahrpläne?
- a) Weil es neue Busse gibt.
- b) Weil die Bevölkerung gewachsen ist.
- c) Weil die Busse zu alt sind.
Strategy:
- Read the question first, then scan the text
- At B2 level, the wrong options often contain words from the text but with incorrect meaning — read carefully
- Look for paraphrases: the correct answer often restates the text in different words
- Manage time: don’t spend more than 2–3 minutes per question
Allgemeine Lesestrategien (General Reading Strategies)
- Read questions/statements BEFORE the text — you know what to look for
- Scan, don’t read every word — find keywords, skip filler
- Watch for traps: negation (nicht, kein), time words (schon, noch, ab, bis), and qualifiers (nur, fast, etwa)
- Manage your time — move on if stuck; come back later
- Practice with real Swiss-style texts: SRF articles, job ads from jobs.ch, notices from Gemeinde websites