My guess is that, for B2 level, in Switzerland, they’re all mostly equivalent. I’ve personally done a Goethe but that’s because I haven’t even searched for alternatives when I decided to get some sort of certificate for my German level. My guess is that any institution that seriously wants to assess whether or not you are able to handle German at the level they need would probably test you themselves so would not necessarily care too much about which paper you actually got.
My guess would be that FIDE and SDS would have less recognition internationally. I didn’t know telc before you mentioned it (nor did I SDS) and can’t really speak of it.
I think it really depends on what your goal is. If it’s to satisfy immigration or citizenship requirements, my impression is that things like KDE or SDS are easier.
(Tests are shorter and focus more on everyday life)
For professional recognition etc, I think you’d want a proper one tho (Goethe I guess).
I recently passed my B2 Telc exam. I was told that the Goethe is highly recognized in Switzerland, but not necessarily in all countries. Telc is the best for international value.
This has changed, there are language requirements for C permit for everyone now (except those speaking the same language as your cantonal language) regardless of prior bilaterals.
(and it wasn’t about Schengen, but specific bilateral, only some countries enjoyed them)
I recently did the FIDE test and it was pretty straight forward. You can only do up to B1 level on FIDE, so for permits and naturalisation purposes it is more than sufficient. For professional purposes it may not be that appropriate as the test is really based on mastering everyday life in Switzerland.And it costs CHF250.- for the test.
Right, it’s about bilaterals. Only a small number of countries have this exception. But it was still in place last time I checked (around 2 months ago).
Also I’m not quite sure how it’s applied for renewal (might be different between cantons, but from the link above seems like at least Fribourg asks for it for renewals)
edit: that’s the court decision that confirmed the change 2C_881/2021 09.05.2022 (basically since the 2019 immigration law reform, there’s language requirements for everyone, even if there’s a treaty between countries).
We’ve had discussions about required language competence before. I think I do remember that requirements vary by canton.
Keep in mind that you will declare your education history in your application. You will probably be exempt as a native speaker - which will be very obvious in the interview with the municipality (or even before that the administration where you hand in your application).
Think it may be this thread.
There may be different language requirements for 1. obtaining a C permit and 2. naturalisation.
To refer to the naturalisation in the Canton of Berne as an example, the local language must be your mother tongue to be accepted on its own - otherwise you have to present a test/educational qualification. Merely being conversational in the local language does not suffice.
This is at a federal level (based on the change in law from 2019), the language requirement now applies to everyone (you have to have at least A2 oral A1 written for the language spoken where you live, obviously if it’s already your native language, or you studied in that language you don’t need to have a certificate).
Seems (relatively) cheap, they explicitly advertise it as suitable even for test takers with little educational experience - and it’s an adaptive test indeed, where you don’t have to shoot for a specific level.
If you wanted to put your German skills on your resumé (for a non-menial job), possibly for a target audience beyond Switzerland (Germany, or even international companies elsewhere), I’d probably choose Goethe as - what I believe is - the most well-known/renowned certificate.
Very late reply but I’d recommend SDS if it’s immigration-related. It is accepted by all Swiss officials; it’s comparatively cheaper; results are super quick (3 business days and the results arrive by post, digially even quicker). Best part is that it’s an adaptive test - meaning rather than a pass/fail at A2/B1 etc, the test starts with easy questions and progressively goes up to a higher level until you can no longer answer (or time max out at 2hr 45min). It gives you 4 scores for reading, listening, writing, and speaking. Many people found it an easier exam, and are pleasantly surprised when they come out at a higher level than expected. I’d definitely recommend SDS.
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