telc exam results: when they arrive and how long they are valid

telc does not publish a fixed evaluation time. The regulations only set upper limits for the steps of the process (table). Evaluation starts once the exam centre has sent all papers and data to telc.

In practice, most exam centres quote four to six weeks. Candidates working to a visa or application deadline should plan for this and for a possible retake.

Results come through the exam centre. According to telc, digital results notification has been the standard since the first quarter of 2026: the certificate or result sheet arrives by email as a PDF that you can print if needed. Some centres still issue paper certificates; ask how you will receive yours when you register.

On the exam day and afterwards, the centre may not give you any information about your performance; only telc determines and announces the valid result. Ask your exam centre about the status of your result.

Candidates who pass receive a certificate (Zertifikat); those who do not pass receive a result sheet (Ergebnisbogen). A paper certificate is only valid once the centre's responsible person has signed and stamped it.

telc's online portal, results.telc.net, is for verifying a result that has been issued. There are two ways in: scan the QR code on the certificate, or enter the candidate number, date of birth and date of issue. The result shown is then compared with the certificate.

Digital certificates carry a qualified electronic signature; even a single change to the PDF shows up as invalid. Older paper certificates without a QR code cannot be verified online; for those, contact telc through its service portal.

telc warns about fake certificates and fake verification websites: verify only through results.telc.net. Offers of a 'certificate without an exam' are fraud; if doubts arise when a certificate is presented to an institution, telc can establish cheating even later.

A telc certificate states no validity period. Whether an older certificate is good enough for a particular purpose is decided by the institution asking for it. If you retake the exam, your earlier result remains valid as well. According to telc, a digital certificate has the same validity as a paper one.

There are two separate routes. An objection (Einspruch) is for when you believe the exam was not run according to the rules; it needs a reason, and a low score alone does not count as one. A result review (Ergebnisüberprüfung) costs a fee and has your score checked again.

Both must be filed within six weeks of the certificate date, once only, and only through the form on telc.net. In a review the new result is final and can also be lower; if the result changes, the fee is refunded, and you send the original certificate to telc for a new one.

To see your answer sheets, apply for a personal inspection (Einsichtnahme) through telc.net within three months of the certificate date. Only the candidate may attend; no copies are allowed and no advice is given. telc keeps exam materials for four months after the result.

At B1, B2, C1 and C2 the written and oral parts are assessed separately, so you can retake only the part you failed, within twelve months of the date on the result sheet. Single sections (such as listening alone) cannot be retaken. Tell the centre when you register again that you want the passed part credited; telc's fee list also provides for crediting afterwards, for a fee, within one year.

At A1 and A2, and in exams that cover two levels at once (such as A2·B1), there is no partial retake; you take the whole exam again. You can retake the exam as often as you like.

Fees are the gross amounts in telc's list (VAT included). Charges for transfers from abroad and for shipping abroad are paid by the applicant.