German B2 exam grammar: core review checklist
This is a focused review of core grammar topics, not an official syllabus or a complete exam simulation. Exam providers also assess reading, listening, writing and speaking; use their current sample papers alongside this practice.
Reviewed against official exam-provider information on July 30, 2026.
Goethe-Zertifikat B2 and telc Deutsch B2 are general B2 certificates, while TestDaF targets the B2–C1 range for academic German. This page focuses on four grammar areas that support more formal reading and writing: genitive and nominal style, adjective declension, fixed-preposition verbs and possessives. It is a review checklist, not a complete exam course.
Where grammar appears at B2
telc Deutsch B2 includes language-elements work in denser texts, where function words such as deren, dessen and fixed prepositions matter. In Goethe-Zertifikat B2, accurate grammar supports performance in productive tasks and helps learners parse the more formal language used in reading materials.
TestDaF assesses integrated academic language skills rather than offering a stand-alone grammar syllabus. Grammar practice is therefore supporting preparation: candidates also need official TestDaF tasks for reading, listening, writing and speaking at the B2–C1 range.
The B2 core grammar checklist
These are the four core topics in KasusKnacker's focused B2 review track. Each links to a grammar guide with tables and examples.
Genitive and nominal style
Read the Genitive and nominal style guideAdjective declension in complex sentences
Read the Adjective declension in complex sentences guideVerbs with fixed prepositions
Read the Verbs with fixed prepositions guidePossessives across all cases
Read the Possessives across all cases guideGenitive and nominal style. The genitive moves from passive recognition to active production: after the prepositions wegen, trotz, während, aufgrund, and in chained noun attributes — „die Auswertung der Ergebnisse der Studie." Nominalstil is its natural companion: formal German prefers „wegen der Verschiebung des Projekts" over a weil-clause.
Adjective declension in complex sentences. The endings themselves are B1 material — B2 tests them under load: inside participial constructions („die im letzten Jahr veröffentlichte Studie"), after quantifiers, and in long noun phrases where three adjectives all need the same correct ending.
Verbs with fixed prepositions. warten auf, sich freuen über, zweifeln an, sich beschäftigen mit — each verb binds its preposition and case as a unit. B2 gap texts test these as vocabulary-grammar hybrids, and the related pronominal adverbs (darauf, darüber, daran) follow directly from them.
Possessives across all cases. The full paradigm, including genitive forms („die Meinung meines Vaters") and possessives inside prepositional phrases („trotz seiner Bedenken"). A quiet topic, but one that surfaces in nearly every B2 writing sample.
The four exercise formats, with examples
KasusKnacker's B2 track uses four exercise formats modeled on how exams present grammar. Here is each one, with a real B2-level example — try it before revealing the answer.
Gap texts (cloze)
Short formal texts with gaps — the format used in the telc grammar section.
Example
Wegen ___ starken Regens fällt das Konzert aus. Trotz ___ schlechten Wetters kamen viele Gäste.
Show answer
des / des — both wegen and trotz govern the genitive.
Word-bank texts
Fill the gaps from a shared word bank — the second telc grammar format.
Example
Word bank: auf · über · an
Wir warten ___ den Bericht, freuen uns ___ das Ergebnis und zweifeln ___ der Prognose.
Show answer
auf (warten auf + Akk.) · über (sich freuen über + Akk.) · an (zweifeln an + Dat.)
Spot the error
One part of each sentence is wrong — find it and correct it.
Example
Die Ergebnisse des neuen Studie sind überraschend.
Show answer
The error is des — it should be der. Die Studie is feminine, so its genitive is der neuen Studie.
Transformations
Rewrite a sentence in a new form — here, from clause to nominal style.
Example
Weil das Projekt verschoben wurde, entstehen Mehrkosten. → Wegen der ___ des Projekts entstehen Mehrkosten.
Show answer
Verschiebung — the verb verschieben becomes its noun, and the clause collapses into a genitive construction.
Coming from B1, heading to C1
If adjective endings or the case system still wobble, consolidate B1 exam grammar first — B2 builds on those foundations. When this checklist feels comfortable, C1 exam grammar adds formal-register prepositions, Konjunktiv I and fuller nominalization.
Official exam information
Use these provider sources for the current exam structure, scoring rules and official practice materials.
The B2 readiness test
20 questions · 20 minutes
12 multiple choice · 1 gap text · 1 word-bank text · 3 spot-the-error · 3 transformations
Your first test at this level is free. Retakes are part of Premium.
Start the B2 track