Listening (Hören): the recording flows like the exam and does not stop
No play/pause button. The recording starts; instructions and pauses are built in, and it plays exactly as many times as in the real exam.
In telc Hören the candidate does not control the recording. It is started once by the invigilator; the instructions, the example item, the answer pauses and the repeats are part of the recording itself. If you miss a question you cannot rewind; you have to be ready for the next one.
Most preparation material teaches the opposite: rewind as often as you like, look at the transcript. The result is candidates who feel 'I can't stop it' for the first time on exam day and lose the first items in a panic. On Level Exams the listening section gives you that lack of control from start to finish.
Below: the rules of the real Hören, how our recordings are produced, and the number of plays per level.
How the real telc Hören works
Before each part the recording introduces the task and, depending on the level, may give a short reading time; at higher levels there are separate silent windows to read the items in advance. Then the text plays, with answer pauses in between.
How many times it plays depends on the part: at lower levels short dialogues twice and announcements once; at higher levels most texts only once. Items are announced as 'Nummer eins, Nummer zwei', matching the numbers on the answer sheet.
The speakers differ: two distinct voices in dialogues, a neutral presenter voice for announcements. Telling who is speaking is often the question itself ('who called', 'what does the woman want').
At the end of the section the answers are transferred to the answer sheet; a short time is allowed for this.
Listening at Goethe and ÖSD
At telc the repeat pattern varies by part and by level; the table above shows those values live from our format files.
Goethe and ÖSD use their own repeat patterns, which do not map one-to-one onto telc's. At Goethe, from B1 onwards listening is a separate module: it is scored on its own, certified on its own, and can be repeated on its own.
The rule that never changes is the same everywhere: the recording runs by itself, there is no pause and no rewind, and the answering gaps are built into the audio. What loses the listening section is usually not the format but getting stuck on one item and missing the next.
The number of plays varies by provider, so build the habit around 'let go of what I missed and move on', not around 'how many times do I get to hear it'. Measure the repeat pattern once with your provider's free sample exam.
How Level Exams reproduces listening
Recording behaviour is data, not code: how many times it plays, the pause lengths and the reading windows are read from the level's format file and built into the audio file.
The recording starts automatically and cannot be paused
When the section opens, the recording starts by itself. The player has no pause, rewind or speed control; when the audio ends, the section completes itself.
Instructions and pauses inside the recording
The part introduction, the example item, the answer pauses and the repeats are assembled as separate audio pieces. The silences are measured to the second; a pause that came out short would change the difficulty of the exam.
Natural German voices, distinct speakers
The recordings were produced with neural German voices. Dialogues have two distinct speakers; a person who introduces themselves by name gets a voice matching that name, because the answer to 'who called' depends on it.
'Nummer eins' announcements included
As in the real recording, every item is announced by number, and the number is the one on the answer sheet. In parts where one long text feeds many items the announcement is omitted, as it is in the real exam.
Reading windows by level
At higher levels the silent time given before each part to read the items is added to the start of the recording at the same length. At lower levels there is no such window, and there is none in the real exam either.
The answer sheet stays open while you listen
You mark your answers while listening; the panel saves every few seconds. When the recording ends you do not wait for an extra 'transfer' time, because you have already marked.
The listening section by level
Each level's listening section, how many times it plays, and the reading/answer times come live from the format file. At C2 listening and writing are one task: the lecture is heard once, then written up.
| Level | Listening section | Times played (part by part) | Reading time | Answer pause |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| telc A1 | Hören | 2× / 1× / 2× | none | 5 s / 8 s |
| telc A2 | Hören | 2× / 1× / 2× | none | 8 s / 45 s |
| telc B1 | Hörverstehen | 1× / 2× / 2× | 30 s / 60 s / 30 s | 8 s / 15 s |
| telc B2 | Hörverstehen | 1× / 1× / 1× | 30 s / 60 s / – | 8 s / 15 s |
| telc C1 | Hörverstehen | 1× / 1× / 1× | 60 s / 180 s / 60 s | 8 s / 15 s / 10 s |
| telc C2 | Hörverstehen und Schreiben | 1× | none | none |
Why you should practise without rewinding
Your attention curve becomes exam-like
When you can rewind, you never give the first listening your full attention. Without rewinding you learn to take notes on the first play and confirm on the second.
A missed item teaches you to let go
Getting stuck on a missed item takes the next two with it. Experiencing that in mock exams and learning to let go saves points on exam day.
Speaker recognition practice
Hearing two different voices solves 'did the man or the woman say it' questions; material produced with a single voice never trains this skill.
How to prepare for Hören
- 1
Spend the reading time marking the questions
In parts with a reading window, underline the key words in the questions: numbers, times, places. When the recording starts, listen only for those.
- 2
Notes on the first play, decisions on the second
In parts played twice, do not try to answer definitively on the first play; mark a candidate and confirm on the second. In parts played once, the first play is your only chance.
- 3
If you missed it, move to the next item
Choose between leaving one blank and getting stuck and losing two; leaving one blank is always cheaper.
- 4
Listen a little every day, without pausing
When you listen to a podcast or the news, do not rewind. Letting go of a sentence you did not understand and carrying on is exactly the skill the exam wants.
Frequently asked questions
›Can I pause the recording in a mock exam?
No. You cannot in the real exam either. This is a deliberate design decision: it is an exam simulation, not practice.
›How many times does the recording play?
Once or twice depending on the part and the level; the table shows it part by part for each level. The number comes from the format file, not from hand-written text.
›Are the voices real people?
They are high-quality neural German voices with distinct speakers and natural intonation. The aim is clear, correctly accented German close to the quality of the exam recording.
›If my connection drops, does the recording start again?
The listening section is a single piece and does not resume mid-way. We therefore recommend starting listening on a stable connection.
›Should I practise with headphones or speakers?
The real exam is played through speakers in the room. Practising with speakers now and then helps you get used to room acoustics.
See for yourself how many times it plays
Take the listening section of the free mock exam and find out what not being able to pause feels like, before the real exam.
Start the free mock exam