The EPD German exam

The EPD is a German exam that a Vienna university assigns together with your admission: until you pass it, you won't be enrolled in the regular programme. Whether it's assigned to you is stated in your admission decision, the Zulassungsbescheid.

The exam has two parts. First the written part — reading, listening, grammar, writing. Anyone who passes it is invited to the oral two or three weeks later. You can register without having studied anywhere: the VWU administers the exam regardless, and registration doesn't depend on where you learned German.¹

When to sit the EPD and how to register

The dates are current as of 23 September 2026. They sometimes get moved, so check them against the Vorstudienlehrgang page before you register.²

Registration needs a valid Zulassungsbescheid from a Vienna university that assigns you this exam. You register through the student portal portal.vwu.at, the window closes at 12:00 on the last day, and a fee of €66 is charged per attempt — an Antritt, in German. The written and oral parts are retaken independently of each other, and what to do after a failed attempt is covered in the article on retakes.^1·2

If you're on the VWU's own German course

If you're taking the German course at the VWU itself, there's a shortcut. The VWU's statute lets your coursework on that course count in place of the written part, so you only need to sit the oral. That coursework is scored as bonus points, earned for regular attendance and classwork. The VWU commission decides which coursework counts, and the course teacher explains the bonus rules. At the VWU's partner institutions, the interim tests that move you up a level exempt you from that level's test, but they don't replace the EPD.^3–5

An EPD already passed at another Austrian preparatory course is accepted by both Uni Wien and Uni Graz, but Graz needs the certificate to state C1. Anyone Uni Graz admits with German at A2–B2 sits the EPD only at VGUH, the preparatory course for Graz's universities. If you're already enrolled at the VWU, Uni Wien will only accept an EPD from the VWU.^6·7

How the EPD written part works

The written part runs 180 minutes, is worth 75 points, and splits into four sections: Leseverstehen (reading), Hörverstehen (listening), Strukturen und Wortschatz (grammar and vocabulary), Textproduktion (writing). Passing it means meeting two conditions at once: 45 points in total, and the minimum in each section separately.¹

The section minimums don't add up to the overall threshold, so you'll need to make up the missing points somewhere. It's easier to make them up in the sections you're strongest at, and one timed practice paper will show you which those are. The grade is set as a percentage of the 75 points, and 45 points earns the lowest passing grade, a 4.¹

Dictionaries and electronics aren't allowed in the written part.¹

What to practise in each EPD section

Here's what matters for preparation, from the official sample exam:¹

• Leseverstehen. Two or three texts and several task types: fill gaps with words from the article, work out what an underlined word refers to, match questions to answers, give a short written answer.
• Hörverstehen. Two recordings, each played twice. Before and after each recording you get time to read the task and check your answer.
• Strukturen und Wortschatz. Two tasks: rewrite a sentence with a nominal construction as a subordinate clause, and continue a half-finished sentence in a way that makes sense. A developed continuation earns more points than a bare one.

You can try the first Strukturen und Wortschatz task right here: it's one of three items in our practice paper. Write your own version and compare it with the key.

Textproduktion is an argumentative text of 230–250 words, on either a passage or a chart, your choice. Both versions work the same way: first summarise the point in your own words, then take a position with arguments, then propose measures and justify them. The most points, 8 of 25, go to accuracy, so when you check your practice texts, check the mistakes first.¹

The EPD oral part

Everyone sits the oral part, including those whose coursework was counted instead of the written part. In the oral you get two topics to choose from and at least 15 minutes to prepare one of them. You can prepare with a monolingual dictionary, supplied by the VWU, and with notes of key words. Reading from paper isn't allowed: the roughly five-minute presentation is spoken freely, and afterwards, with no preparation, comes about five minutes of discussion with a three-person commission on the same range of topics. A memorised text isn't accepted, and there's no way to hide one: the discussion brings a new question you couldn't have prepared for, and the difference between a rehearsed presentation and free speech shows up immediately.^1·3

There's no points table for the oral part. Instead, the official sample exam lists what's expected of you: respond to the commission, say honestly when you don't know something, and correct your own mistakes as you go. Flawless grammar isn't on that list.¹

How to prepare for the EPD

1. Sit one paper in full against a 180-minute clock.
2. See which section fell short of its own minimum: the overall percentage won't save you if even one of the four thresholds is missed.
3. Work on exactly that section. The EPD trainer has 162 tasks sorted by section and by the task types of the official sample.
4. Sit a second paper and compare its sections with the first.
5. For the oral, work through the exam's topics, shared between the oral and written parts: ten topics seen through globalisation, digitalisation, sustainability and future trends. For each one, say a five-minute monologue out loud from key words, with no paper.¹

If you're taking the German course at the VWU, it starts with the placement test onSET. It decides your level in the course, but it doesn't replace the EPD. Who gets the EPD assigned, and why, is covered in the overview of the preparatory course.

Sources

· 7 checked 25.09.2026

1. 1Modell Ergänzungsprüfung Deutsch (gültig ab Juni 2026) · checked 23.09.2026
2. 2Ergänzungsprüfungen — Vorstudienlehrgang der Wiener Universitäten · checked 23.09.2026
3. 3Statut des Vorstudienlehrganges der Wiener Universitäten (VWU) · checked 25.09.2026
4. 4Regeln am Vorstudienlehrgang der Wiener Universitäten · checked 22.09.2026
5. 5Deutschkurse für den VWU — Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien · checked 20.09.2026
6. 6Sprachnachweise — Universität Graz · checked 25.09.2026
7. 7Deutschnachweise C1 — Universität Wien · checked 25.09.2026