How to Ace the German B1 Goethe Exam

[Background information: I took the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 exam in January 2018 and got the following score: 
Lesen (Reading): 97 out of 100 points
Hören (Listening): 90 out of 100 points
Schreiben (Writing): 94 out of 100 points
Sprechen (Speaking): 72 out of 100 points]

1. READING
Learn your vocabulary.
2400 words from the B1 Wortliste.
Know how to use them in sentences.
When you learn a word, always learn it in a phrase or sentence.
Always in context, always with pleasure.

2. LISTENING COMPREHENSION
Listen, listen, listen.
Train your listening comprehension by listening to: 
- talk show discussions,
- dialogues between friends,
- narrative monologues, etc.
Listen once without transcript to get the gist.
Listen another time without transcript to get the details.
Then check your answers with the transcript.
Any words you don't know, learn them.
Then listen again and you'll find that you understand the whole thing better.

3. WRITING
Write a short essay in German every day about a topic.
Time yourself to write 80-90 words in 20-25 minutes.
Get it corrected by a teacher, a tutor, a native speaker or a proficient non-native.
Express your opinions in simple, straightforward German, point by point.
KISS = Keep It Short & Simple.
You won't have time in the exam to be long-winded.
Know the difference between formal and informal forms of address.
Watch the clock!
You have only an hour and five minutes to write:
- an informal letter,
- a response to an Internet forum or blog post, and
- a short formal letter.

4. SPEAKING
You need to speak at least three times a week with a conversation trainer.
Conversation is a two-way thing.
Practise how to make arrangements for organizing an event or outing.
Learn the spoken presentation formula and phrases by heart until you can say them fluently.
The opening and closing parts follow a script.
Talk about a topic.
Talk about: 
- your personal experience,
- the situation in your home country,
- the advantages and disadvantages, and
- what you think about the topic.
Remember to listen, pay attention, and ask questions.

5. STRUCTURE
Get a test prep book.
Seriously.
You're aiming to pass the test, so know what's expected of you.
Give them what they want.
Go intensive.
Do one model test every day at least three weeks before the exam.
Do all four parts according to exam conditions.
Time limits, no dictionary, no mobile phone usage.

Get a prep book that arranges topics thematically.
This helps you to learn vocabulary relevant to the exam and retain it in memory.
Do a mind map for anything you need to learn, it's brain-friendly.

Our teacher made sure we did lots of test preparation for all four modules in the two weeks before the exam.
Everyone worked hard, prepped intensively.
I believe this made a lot of difference in the results.
Everybody passed the Schreiben (Writing) part and that's an achievement in itself.

Books I found useful:
01.
https://www.klett-sprachen.de/so-geht-s-zu-b1-hoeren/t-1/9783126755856
So geht's zu B1 - Hören
Prüfungsvorbereitung Goethe-/ÖSZ-Zertifikat B1
Buch und MP3-Audio-Daten-CD
112 Seiten
ISBN 978-3-12-675585-6

02.
https://www.klett-sprachen.de/so-geht-s-zu-a2-b1/t-1/9783126758567
So geht's zu A2 - B1
Fertigkeitentrainer für das Goethe-/ÖSD-Zertifikat B1
Übungsbuch mit 2 Audio-CDs
240 Seiten
ISBN 978-3-12-675856-7

03.
https://www.klett-sprachen.de/so-geht-s-zum-goethe-oesd-zertifikat-b1/t-1/9783126758543
So geht's zum Goethe-/ÖSD-Zertifikat B1
Testbuch + 3 Audio-CDs
168 Seiten
ISBN 978-3-12-675854-3

04.
https://shop.hueber.de/en/zertifikat-b1-neu-bungsb-mp3-cd.html
Zertifikat B1 neu
Practice Book + MP3-CD
15 Übungsprüfungen
Includes: 248 pages  
ISBN 978-3-19-041868-8

And a parting tip: Not recommended as a main study method, but if you only study last-minute, here's a technique my classmate used: Get a copy of the answers to the model tests. Read the model essay answers, highlight useful phrases and know how to use them. This will help your Schreiben and to some extent Sprechen. And yes, my classmate (barely) passed the B1 exam. Ausreichend (average), but passing is what matters, isn't it?

From my experience these tests are designed to measure proficiency at a certain level and it's impossible to fake one's way through. So you still have to put in the hours working on the areas you need to improve.

I wish you lots of success and all the best with your German learning. Did you use any of these tips to prepare for your B1 exam? How did it go? Please let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading.

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