GDS stands for Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom, set at C2+ on the European Scale of language learning.

Students taking the GDS exam should be over 18 and have 1000-1500 hours of tuition behind them.  They will typically have a knowledge of specific vocabulary for particular topics, eg. technical or medical.

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KDS stands for Kleines Deutsches Sprachdiplom which is set at the C2 level on the European scale.

The KDS is standardised and is offered world-wide twice every year and students need about 1000 hours of tuition to prepare for it.

The KDS is recognised internationally as having achieved a certain level of German and can therefore be useful for foreigners coming to work or study in Germany.

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ZOP stands for Zentrale Oberstufenprüfung and is set at level C2 – the highest level on the European scale.

Students who pass the exam will have a knowledge of the language similar to that of a native speaker.  They will normally have had between 1000 and 1500 hours of tuition.

Passing this exam opens up more opportunities, one example being the ability to study at a German University.

The Goethe Institute has self-study materials for ZOP on their website.

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ZMP stands for Zentrale Mittelstufenprüfung and is another stage when learning German as a foreign language.  It is set at B2/C1 levels.

It is the level for which the most teaching resources exist, as it is the first certificate that can realistically be used to apply for a job or a study place in Germany.  Starting a business may also require the owner to prove this level of German.

Students do not necessarily have to take the ZMP course in order to take the exam.  There are self-study materials from the Goethe Institute that allow them to practise for the exam.

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ZD is the second stage of DAF – Deutsch als Fremdsprache (German as a foreign language).

ZD stands for Zertifikat Deutsch and is set at B1 level.  To take the course students should be at least 16 years old.

To gain the certificate students need to be able to talk about recent events, such as a journey or holiday, or even make a simple phone call.

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