The Ultimate TestAS Guide: Insights from a VGU Alumnus

The wave of studying at German universities and applying to the Vietnamese-German University (VGU) has become a powerful trend, attracting the attention of many students and parents in Vietnam. However, looking around, you will find very few resources that explain TestAS comprehensively, especially regarding the "hidden rules" or practical tips that most people miss when starting their preparation.

If we compare the TestAS exam to a foreign country you are visiting for the first time, this article will act as your local guide. I will share all the corners, hidden alleys, and secret spots of this land named TestAS.

Hello, for those who don't know who I am:

• I am a VGU alumnus with 4 consecutive years of full scholarships.
• After graduating, I founded a TestAS preparation center which has been running for 3 years, directly helping nearly 200 students pass TestAS with a 90% success rate.
• I started teaching TestAS at a time when nobody else in Vietnam was doing so. Therefore, I can confidently say that I am one of the very first people to seriously research and teach this exam in a practical, real-world context.

In this article, I will cover the following key sections:

1. What is TestAS?
2. Who needs and who doesn't need TestAS?
3. TestAS formats and detailed contents.
4. The unique scoring system of the exam.
5. The "hidden rules" that can completely change your study trajectory and set you apart from the crowd.

1. What is TestAS?

To put it simply, TestAS is like the "gatekeeper" for your journey to study at a university in Germany.

If you want to study in the US, you need the SAT. The higher your SAT score, the higher your chances of being admitted to top universities. Similarly, if you want to study at a German university, the higher your TestAS score, the greater your chances. However, some ordinary universities in Germany (not the top/key universities) do not require students to have this certificate.

Although its role is equivalent to the SAT, its content is completely different. Overall, TestAS is a German standardized test designed to evaluate cognitive reasoning and academic potential.

In Vietnam, because the Vietnamese-German University (VGU) is a strategic cooperative project between the governments of Germany and Vietnam, TestAS is selected as the primary admission method for the university. Let me emphasize this once more: it is the core and official admission pathway for VGU.

2. Who Needs and Who Doesn't Need TestAS?

Currently, the Vietnamese-German University offers various admission pathways. However, from my personal experience, in the context of rapidly increasing competition, TestAS has become a pathway that offers outstanding advantages.

The Heat of This Year's VGU Admissions:

The number of applications to VGU has increased by about 70% compared to last year, reaching a record high of around 5,300 applications, while the university's total admission quota is limited to only about 1,200 students. This fierce competition makes TestAS a golden key highly valued by the university.

You DO NOT need to take TestAS if:

• You have an excellent high school GPA of 8.0 or above.
• Your national high school graduation exam score is 21 points or above (for less competitive majors at VGU).
• You already hold achievements such as municipal or national excellent student awards, or prizes in prestigious Olympic competitions.
• With these qualifications, you can choose direct admission or GPA-based evaluation without taking the TestAS.

You ESPECIALLY NEED to take TestAS if:

• Your high school GPA is not outstanding: Perhaps during the first years of high school, your academic performance was not ideal. You want an opportunity to prove your true capabilities through a standardized exam. In this case, TestAS is the perfect chance to start over and add a significant highlight to your application.
• You want to secure a VGU scholarship: Since TestAS is the core admission method, the university always prioritizes applicants with excellent TestAS scores when awarding entrance scholarships.
• You plan to study in Germany: Although TestAS is not a mandatory visa requirement, you must take the TestAS exam to apply for the APS certificate (the first step to study in Germany). APS does not require a minimum score, but you must submit your participation results.
• You plan to attend preparatory college (Studienkolleg) in Germany: Most Vietnamese students must attend a one-year preparatory college before entering university in Germany. Many preparatory colleges in Germany now require or highly prioritize applicants with a TestAS certificate. Of course, some less competitive colleges might not make it mandatory, but you need to check this directly on their websites.

In short, having a TestAS certificate makes your application much safer, more flexible, and highly competitive. Furthermore, while the preparation time is not too long, the cognitive and subject-specific knowledge you acquire during the process will serve as a very useful foundation for your university studies later. Therefore, this is not an extra burden, but a highly worthwhile investment.

3. TestAS Formats and Contents

The TestAS exam is split into 2 formats: Digital (taken on a computer) and Paper-based (taken on paper). Although both formats share the same overall structure consisting of a Core Test and a Subject-Specific Module, their actual contents are completely different.

[!WARNING] I know many students who bought prep materials for the Paper exam but didn't realize they had registered for the Digital exam. Preparing with the wrong materials is extremely dangerous because the question formats of these two types are entirely different!

First, choose the Subject-Specific Module that fits your academic direction:

• Engineering
• Economics
• Mathematics, Computer Science, and Natural Sciences
• Medicine
• Humanities, Cultural Studies, and Social Sciences

Core Differences in Test Formats:

For the Digital Exam (Computer-based):

The question format is standardized across all Modules. The exam will give you 10 long texts (about 1 A4 page each), requiring reading comprehension and answering 7 to 10 multiple-choice questions. The topics of the texts will change depending on your chosen Module.

For the Paper Exam (Paper-based):

Each Subject-Specific Module has an entirely different test structure:

• Engineering Module: Consists of 3 separate parts: analyzing physical phenomena, applying physical formulas, and analyzing 2D and 3D spatial projections.
• Economics or Computer Science Modules: Consists of 2 parts: analyzing professional charts & phenomena, and flowchart analysis.

4. How TestAS Scoring Works

Unlike traditional exams in Vietnam (where each correct question yields a fixed point, and points are simply added up), TestAS is graded based on a percentile rank and normal distribution.

This means: In any given exam session, a candidate who achieves a perfect score does not necessarily mean they answered 100% of the questions correctly. The highest scorer is the person with the most correct answers in that entire session worldwide, and other candidates' scores are standardized relative to their performance.

Each score level corresponds to a certain percentage of candidates. For example, only 1% of candidates achieve the maximum score, 2% fall into the 199 mark, and so on.

Because it is graded based on ranking, your TestAS report will always display 2 columns:

1. Percentile Rank: Your percentage rank compared to all other test-takers in that session.
2. Standard Score: The standardized score converted from your percentile rank.

However, the score scales for Digital and Paper exams are also different:

• Digital Format: Scores run from 0 to 200.
• Paper Format: Scores run from 70 to 130 (100 is the global average).

Common Target Score Benchmarks:

• Studying in Germany: Reach 100 points or above (Paper).
• Scholarships: You need 110 points or above (for Paper) or 150 points or above (for Digital).
• Conditional Admission: You need at least 75 points or above (for Paper) or 90 points or above (for Digital).

5. The "Hidden Rules" that Change the Game

Unlike most other international standardized exams, TestAS has special regulations that are highly beneficial for candidates:

• No age limit to participate in the exam.
• No limit on the number of retakes.
• The system only takes your highest score for admission.

[!TIP] This is the key that completely changes your academic trajectory!

Thanks to this rule, students can register to take the exam as early as Grade 11. If you get a high score, you will have already secured an admission slot, providing an exceptionally solid mental safety net for Grade 12.

Combined with the relatively affordable registration fees, very few international exams allow you to make mistakes and try again without costing you a whole year of your life.

Begin Your TestAS Journey:

• Free Mock Test: Want to evaluate your current skills? Register for a Free TestAS Mock Test here to experience the real test structure.
• Detailed Step-by-Step Guide: If you don't know how to register for the official exam, check out the Detailed TestAS Registration Guide for step-by-step instructions.