Preparation
How to prepare for the onSET test: a plan for 2 to 4 weeks
The onSET is an online German placement test: 8 texts with 20 gaps each, 40 minutes. It places you on a level from A2 to C1 and has no pass mark. You are well prepared when you apply the gap rule with confidence and keep up the pace of 15 seconds per gap.
The plan below runs over 4 weeks and can be compressed to 2. For every week it says what to read and what to practise in the trainer.
Starting point: the format of the onSET
Start by taking the exam simulation once in full, with the timer: 8 texts, 5 minutes per text. Afterwards you see which texts and which level cost you points, and you plan more time there.
Every gap filled in correctly is worth 1 point, so the most you can score is 160. No minimum for passing is published: the result assigns you a level.
| What | Format |
|---|---|
| Texts | 8 |
| Gaps per text | 20 |
| Gaps in total | 160 |
| Time | 5 minutes per text, 40 minutes in total |
| Time per gap | 15 seconds |
| Points | 1 point for every gap filled in correctly |
| Result | Placement on a level from A2 to C1, no pass mark |
Source: onSET, page for participants (https://www.onset.de/home/teilnehmende/). The point limits between the levels are not given there, so we name none.
The gap rule: what you do in every text
The first sentence of every text stays whole. After that every second word loses its second half: the first letters stay visible, at most half the word, as in the official sample test. You type the missing rest until a German word stands there again. Words of a single letter stay whole.
The example below is built with the trainer's own rule. At 15 seconds per gap there is no time to deliberate: week 1 is for making the decision from the context and the ending quickly.
Worked example
Das ist ein kurzer Satz. Viele Mens___ lernen he___ an d___ Universität i___ Wien.
- The first sentence stays whole: it gives the topic.
- From the second sentence on, every second word has a gap. Read the whole sentence before you fill in.
- The beginning, the context and the ending each point to one word.
Answer: Menschen, heute, der, in
The plan: 4 weeks in 4 phases
The order follows the test: first the rule, then the endings that occur in every text, then vocabulary, and whole tests against the clock at the end.
If you only have 2 weeks, give each phase 3 to 4 days instead of a week. The order stays the same.
| Week | Focus | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | The rule and the method | Read the articles on the gap format and the gap method, then solve A2 texts without a clock and give a reason for every gap |
| Week 2 | Word endings | Learn the article tables, verb endings and adjective endings, and fix them with texts of levels A2 and B1 |
| Week 3 | Vocabulary and prepositions with their case | Read the vocabulary method, review words in the vocabulary trainer, practise prepositions with their case and collocations, solve texts of levels B1 and B2 |
| Week 4 | Whole tests against the clock | Read the second complete example at C1 level, then run the exam simulation with the timer several times: 8 texts of 5 minutes each. Go through the mistakes after every run |
Week 1: The rule and the method
Read the gap format and the gap method first. Then solve texts of level A2 without the timer and give a reason for every gap: which word does the beginning give, what does the sentence require?
A sample test with 20 gaps in a row shows how the routine runs over a whole text.
Week 2: Word endings
Many gaps are endings, and the ending follows from the sentence. Learn the article tables, then the verb endings with the prefixes and the adjective endings, and check every topic at once with texts of levels A2 and B1.
Week 3: Vocabulary and prepositions with their case
A word you know needs no rule. So review in the vocabulary trainer every day, and practise prepositions with the case they require as well as collocations. Texts of levels B1 and B2 fit this week.
Week 4: Whole tests against the clock
Now speed is what counts. Take the exam simulation with the timer several times, with all 8 texts, and go through your mistakes after every run before you start the next. The second complete example at C1 level shows how dense, academic-leaning texts are solved.
What you need and what it costs
The VWUPass onSET trainer is free for good, with no limits. You need an account, which takes one click and saves your progress, your mistakes and your study plan. It holds 960 practice texts from A2–C1 across 18 topics, the full exam simulation with the timer, the vocabulary trainer and 21 theory articles.
Without an account you can open the theory articles, the page on how the exam works, the trainer overview with the A2 texts and the start screen of the exam simulation. To have your answers checked, for the levels from B1 up and to start the simulation you sign in.
On the day and at the VWU
The test itself is allowed only on a desktop PC or laptop, in Firefox or Chrome, not on a tablet or smartphone. Bring a valid photo ID. Your placement is available immediately after the test. (As of 2026-10-02, according to onSET.)
At the VWU you receive an appointment for the German placement test after the online pre-registration if your admission notice prescribes the Ergänzungsprüfung Deutsch. You must be in Vienna for it and cannot choose the day freely. The places in the German courses are also assigned by the capacities of the levels and the points achieved.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start preparing for the onSET?
First take the exam simulation once in full with the timer: 8 texts, 40 minutes. Then follow the plan: the gap rule first, then endings and vocabulary, and whole tests against the clock at the end. The plan runs over 4 weeks and can be compressed to 2.
Are practice texts enough to prepare for the onSET?
One text shows the rule, but the test has 160 gaps in 40 minutes, that is 15 seconds per gap: pace only comes from many texts. Add targeted work on endings and vocabulary in weeks 2 and 3. The trainer has 960 practice texts from A2–C1, the exam simulation with the timer, vocabulary and theory, all free with an account.
How many points do I need to pass the onSET?
There is no pass mark: the onSET places you on a level from A2 to C1. Every gap filled in correctly is worth 1 point, so the most is 160. onSET does not give the point limits between the levels on its page for participants, so we name none.
How long is the onSET and how many gaps does it have?
The onSET has 8 texts with 20 gaps each, which makes 160 gaps. Every text takes 5 minutes, the whole test 40 minutes.
Can I take the onSET on a phone or tablet?
No. According to onSET only desktop PCs or laptops are allowed for the placement test, with Firefox or Chrome, and you need a valid photo ID. You can practise beforehand, with the timer too.
Is practising for the onSET on VWUPass free?
Yes, permanently and without a limit. You need an account, which takes one click. All levels from A2–C1, the exam simulation, the vocabulary trainer and the theory are included.
What does the result count for at the VWU?
If your admission notice prescribes the Ergänzungsprüfung Deutsch, you get an appointment for the German placement test after the online pre-registration; you must be in Vienna and cannot choose the day. The places in the German courses are also assigned by the capacities of the levels and the points achieved. Your placement is available immediately after the test.