TestAS Exam Guide: Format, Dates and Registration in India

What Is TestAS?

TestAS stands for Test for Academic Studies (in German, Test für Ausländische Studierende). It is a standardised aptitude test for international students who want to start an undergraduate degree in Germany. It is run by g.a.s.t., the same organisation that runs TestDaF.

TestAS does not test what you learnt at school. It measures the thinking skills you need to study: logical and analytical thinking, working with numbers, spotting patterns, and how well you handle the way of thinking in your subject. Because school results from different countries are hard to compare, some German universities use TestAS to compare applicants on one scale.

TestAS is not a language certificate. For a German-taught programme you prove your German separately, for example with TestDaF.

Who Needs TestAS?

testas.de says many German universities use TestAS in their admission process, that in some cases a TestAS certificate is a requirement, and that you should check the websites of the universities you are applying to. It publishes no list of universities.

For Indian students the official sources do not say the same thing, so check two places. testas.de says “For prospective students from China, Vietnam and India, TestAS is part of the APS procedure”, while its dates page says that in India TestAS “can be relevant in the application process if German universities require it.” APS India’s own FAQ says TestAS “is currently not a mandatory component of the APS verification procedure in India.” APS India also says to check separately whether a German university or visa section requires a TestAS result for your case, so confirm with each university on your list, and with the visa section, before you book. In Vietnam TestAS is mandatory in the APS procedure for applicants without a degree, and in China it can only be taken through the APS procedure. If you are going through APS India, read our guide to dMAT and APS for Germany.

These are the programmes testas.de itself names as using TestAS, as a selection criterion or for quality assurance:

• Studienbrücke, the Study in Germany programme of the Goethe-Institut, run with the DAAD and partner universities. It gives school leavers without a university entrance qualification direct access to a degree, and a TestAS score is required to be admitted.
• DAAD VORsprung, a programme of the German Academic Exchange Service.
• The DAAD scholarship programme for German schools abroad.
• Studienstart International at the University of Cologne, in its application process for non-EU applicants.

TestAS is designed for entry to a bachelor’s degree. If you are applying for a master’s, check the programme page for what it asks. Our application requirements at 10 German universities is a good place to start, and if your grades worry you, read Is Your GPA Too Low for Germany?

Sources: testas.de, home page (used at many universities in Germany), Where is the TestAS required? TestAS in China, Vietnam and India and TestAS dates and registration; APS India, FAQs. Checked 30 October 2026.

TestAS Format and Sections

Every TestAS has two parts, taken on the same day in the same language: a core part that everyone takes, and one subject module that you choose to match the degree you want. You cannot take the parts as separate tests. You choose the digital or the paper-based test when you book; universities can compare the results of the two.

Source: testas.de, Structure of the digital TestAS, Structure of the paper-based TestAS, the evaluation pages and the TestAS FAQ, checked 26 October 2026.

The core part

The core part measures general thinking skills. In the paper-based Core Test, the four task groups are Solving Quantitative Problems (45 minutes), Inferring Relations (10 minutes), Completing Patterns (20 minutes plus 5 minutes to read the instructions) and Continuing Numerical Series (25 minutes plus 5 minutes to read the instructions). In the digital Core Module you continue a series of images, solve small systems of equations with whole numbers from 1 to 20, and fill in 5 by 5 grids of the letters A to E. Both formats have a 30-minute break after the core part.

The subject modules

Pick the module that matches your intended degree and what your university asks for:

• Humanities, Cultural Studies and Social Sciences (digital and paper)
• Engineering (digital and paper)
• Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural Sciences (digital and paper)
• Economics (digital and paper)
• Life Sciences (digital only)
• Medicine (digital only)

You do not need specialist knowledge for the subject module. The questions give you texts, tables, diagrams or formulas from the field and test whether you can understand and apply them. testas.de publishes free sample questions and preparation material for both formats, and registered digital test takers can try a demo test in the portal.

TestAS Fee

testas.de does not publish a fixed fee. g.a.s.t. sets prices for three groups of countries, and you see the price for the country where you take the test when you register online. Check the current fee on testas.de or in the g.a.s.t. portal before you budget for it.

• How to pay: in the g.a.s.t. portal, by credit card, PayPal, Alipay or Sofort. Direct debit needs a German bank account.
• If you cancel: before the registration period ends, you get the fee back minus a 15% administrative fee. After that, or if you miss the test, there is no refund, including for illness.
• Changing your date: for the paper-based test you can move to another date free of charge in the portal before the registration deadline, but only if registration for the new date is open at the same time.

Source: testas.de, FAQ: General and FAQ: Cancellation, checked 26 October 2026.

TestAS Dates and Registration in India

TestAS runs on the same dates worldwide, several times a year. Not every test centre offers both the digital and the paper-based test.

Source: g.a.s.t., TestAS dates, linked from testas.de, checked 30 October 2026.

TestAS test centres in India

The g.a.s.t. test centre finder lists the centres in India that offer TestAS, with their dates; choose India in the finder. The list of centres changes, and some centres offer only one of the two formats, so open your centre in the finder to see its dates before you plan around one.

Source: g.a.s.t., TestAS test centre finder.

How to register from India

Source: testas.de, FAQ: Registration and FAQ: On the test day, checked 26 October 2026.

How TestAS Scores Are Used

There is no pass or fail in TestAS, and no general minimum score. Each university decides whether it uses TestAS and how much it counts. Some average the core and subject results; others look at them separately. Your percentile rank shows how you did against everyone else who took the test, and it can be compared directly between the digital and paper versions.

• Validity: the TestAS certificate has no expiry date.
• Retakes: you can take TestAS as often as you like, but you cannot combine scores from different sittings. You choose which certificate to send. g.a.s.t. warns that simply repeating the test is unlikely to raise your score much, because it measures abilities that take a long time to build.
• Sending your score: add the certificate to a direct application. Through uni-assist, give your user number or upload the certificate. Universities and uni-assist can check that a certificate is genuine with g.a.s.t.

Applying through uni-assist? Our VPD and uni-assist guide and uni-assist application guide walk through it. To see how your Indian marks convert, try the German grade calculator.

Source: testas.de, FAQ: Results and certificate and FAQ: On the test day, checked 26 October 2026.

TestDaF: The German Language Test for University

TestDaF (Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache) proves your German for study in Germany. It is also run by g.a.s.t., and every German university accepts it for every degree programme. For a German-taught programme it is one way to prove your German; check which certificates your university accepts. If your programme is taught in English, check its language requirement instead; our guide to studying in Germany without German covers that route, and master’s in Germany without German covers postgraduate courses.

• Four parts: Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking, 3 hours 15 minutes of test time. The digital test adds 30 minutes of trial tasks that do not count.
• Formats: digital, on a computer at a test centre, or paper-based. Speaking is on a computer in both.
• Levels: each part gets its own level, TDN 3, TDN 4 or TDN 5, which sit at CEFR B2 to C1. There is no overall score.
• What universities ask for: for language admission you need at least TDN 4 in all four parts. Some universities accept TDN 3 in a part, or a points model of 14 to 16 across the four parts.
• Results: about 3 weeks for the digital test and about 6 weeks for the paper test.
• Validity: the certificate does not expire, but some universities accept only a recent one.
• Fee: set by country group, like TestAS; you see the price at registration. In Germany it is €210 for the digital test and €215 for the paper test, as of 26 October 2026.

Source: testdaf.de, FAQ (general, registration, test day, results and certificate), and g.a.s.t., TestDaF dates, linked from testdaf.de, checked 30 October 2026.

TestAS vs TestDaF

Sources: testas.de FAQ and testdaf.de FAQ, checked 26 October 2026.