DTZ B1 Reading Part 1: Guides and Catalogs — Structure, Strategy, and Common Mistakes
The first reading style in the DTZ is the most beginner-friendly — but also the one where you most often fall into a trap. The principle sounds simple: You read a guide or a directory and find the correct category for a described situation. No long text, no complicated vocabulary — just practical information in a clear format.
The problem: The situational descriptions and the terms in the guide never match literally. You always have to paraphrase, infer, and assign. Those who do not know this will look for literal matches — and will not find them.
In brief: Reading Part 1 = 1 guide, catalog, or register · 5 situational descriptions (tasks 21–25) · 3 answer options (a, b, or c, where c often means "different floor/category") · Max. 5 points · Part of the 45-minute reading block.
Structure — what exactly happens in Reading Part 1
The task is always structured the same way: You are in a German institution — town hall, shopping center, hospital, library — and need information. The guide or register shows where to find what. For five specific situations, you must determine the correct category or floor.
The three answer options (a, b, c) are specific floors or areas in the exam — but option c is often a "fallback" option like "different floor" or "not available". This means: Sometimes the service you are looking for is actually not available in the given guide.
| Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Task Type | Multiple Choice — 3 options (a, b, c) |
| Number of Tasks | 5 tasks (No. 21–25) |
| Text Format | Guide, catalog, register, directory, table of contents |
| What is tested | Selective reading: finding specific information in structured texts |
| Points | 1 point per correct answer = max. 5 points |
| Recommended Time | 7–9 minutes (within the 45-minute reading block) |
| Typical Texts | Town hall guide, library catalog, shopping center directory, hospital floors, city guide register |
This is what a real DTZ guide looks like — the town hall guide from the exercise set
Here is the complete town hall guide from the official g.a.s.t. exercise set 1 — exactly as it appears in the exam. You must read this guide and find the correct floor for each situation.
Environmental Office
Registration and deregistration of garbage bins · Acceptance of bulky waste · Hazardous waste · Old batteries · Drainage
Health Office
Advice · Doctors and hospitals in the region
Registry Office
Marriage registration · Family record book · Birth certificate · Birth certificate · Marriage certificate · Registration of civil partnership · Name management · Divorce · Death case
Social Office
General social assistance · Social aid for the elderly, refugees, and people with disabilities · Rent subsidy · Housing assistance · Women's office
Housing Office
Housing benefit · Apartment mediation · Housing promotion · Rent index
Youth Office
Adoptions · Educational support (BAföG) · Child and parental allowance · Youth court assistance · Daycare centers and kindergartens · Foster care
Traffic Office
Driver's license office · Vehicle registration office and license plates · Parking permits
Citizen's Office
Citizen service · Certifications · Certificates of conduct · Passport matters · Identity cards · Visitor WC · Photo booth · Copier · Public phone · Lost and found office
Foreign Office
Asylum matters · Visa extensions for tourists · Nationality and name law
Real Tasks — Analyzed with Solution Path
Tip: practise what you've just read with interactive exercises — it sticks better.
Start B1 exercises →Here are all 5 real tasks from the g.a.s.t. exercise set 1 — with the correct answer (from the official answer key) and a detailed explanation of the thought process.
The Right Strategy — Step by Step
First skim the guide completely — not just the tasks
Understand the overall structure of the guide: How many floors or categories are there? What is the main theme of each category? This takes 30–60 seconds and provides a mental overview that makes all five tasks easier.
Read the task → identify the keyword → search specifically in the guide
Each task contains one or two keywords that guide the search. "Driver's license" → Traffic Office. "Grandmother, not alone" → Social Office. Do not read the entire guide again for each task — instead, search specifically for the relevant term.
Recognize synonyms and paraphrases
The task and the guide rarely use the same words. "Waste" → "garbage". "Hospitals" → "Doctors and hospitals in the region". "Copy document" → "Copier". Making this semantic bridge is the core competency in Part 1.
Do not ignore option c — it can be correct
Option c often means "different floor" or "different category" — not "wrong". If the information you are looking for is in a place that is neither a nor b, then c is the correct answer. In task 22 (hospitals), 4th Floor is neither 2nd Floor (a) nor 3rd Floor (b) → c is correct.
Read the entire entry — not just the heading
Task 24 (Copier) shows: The sought information "Copier" is listed as a sub-point under the Citizen's Office. Those who only read office names (Citizen's Office, Foreign Office) and skip the service list below will miss the solution.
Keywords that often lead to the correct category:
And words that signal traps:
These words often appear in the task — but the guide uses different terms for them.
On DeutschMeister, you train all five reading parts of the DTZ — including Part 1 with guides and directories, in the original format with immediate evaluation.
The 5 Most Common Mistakes in Reading Part 1
Mistake 1: Looking for literal matches
Mistake 2: Automatically interpreting option c as "wrong"
Mistake 3: Only reading the main headings, not the subpoints
Mistake 4: Taking too long for one task
Mistake 5: Not drawing conclusions
Targeted Preparation for Part 1 — What Helps
- Read German government websites: Town hall, job center, foreign office — real guides and structural descriptions. The vocabulary from these texts appears directly in Reading Part 1.
- Build a synonym vocabulary for everyday topics: Waste/garbage/disposal, driver's license/permit, elderly/seniors, apartment/rental space — these synonym pairs are the core competency for Part 1.
- Know the everyday vocabulary of government offices: Ground Floor = Erdgeschoss, 1st Floor = Obergeschoss, Office = Behörde, Place = Büro, Advice = Auskunft. These terms appear in every guide.
- Solve the g.a.s.t. exercise set Reading Part 1: Pages 14–15 contain the complete original task. Available for free at gast.de/dtz.
- DeutschMeister Reading Part 1: Exam tasks in the exact DTZ format with immediate explanation of the correct answer.
Reading Part 1 Overview of All Reading Parts
| Reading Style | What is tested? | Task Type | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Catalogs, registers, guides | Multiple Choice (a/b/c) | 5 |
| Part 2 | Advertisements and classifieds | Matching (a–h, + X) | 5 |
| Part 3 | Press texts and formal communications | True/False + MC | 6 |
| Part 4 | Information brochures | True/False | 3 |
| Part 5 | Completing words in a letter | Multiple Choice (fill-in-the-blank) | 6 |
| Total Reading | 25 | ||
With 5 points, Part 1 is the most beginner-friendly reading style — and one of the fastest. Those who solve Part 1 quickly and confidently save valuable time for the longer parts 3 and 4.
DeutschMeister · DTZ Reading · Part 1 in Exam Format
Reading guides, catalogs, and registers — targeted training
On DeutschMeister, you practice Reading Part 1 in the exact DTZ format: town hall guides, shopping center directories, library catalogs — all variants that appear in the exam. After each task, you receive the correct answer with an explanation of the thought process — which synonym, which conclusion, which entry in the guide was decisive.
Practice Reading Part 1 nowFree · No registration required · Immediate access to all reading parts
Frequently Asked Questions about Reading Part 1
Is there always a town hall guide in Part 1?
No — the format (guide/register/catalog) remains the same, but the institution varies. In different exam versions, you will encounter: town hall, shopping center, library, hospital, sports facility, university, cultural center. The strategy is always the same — to overview the guide and search specifically for synonyms.
How much time should you plan for Reading Part 1?
Experienced candidates recommend 7–9 minutes for Part 1. This corresponds to about 1.5 minutes per task. The time saved flows into the longer parts 3 and 4, which require more reading work.
What does "different floor" mean as option c?
Option c means that the sought information is in a floor or category that is not mentioned in options a or b — not that the information does not exist at all. In task 22 (hospitals), the answer is 4th Floor — neither 2nd Floor nor 3rd Floor, so c.
What to do if you do not know a word in the guide?
Use context: Where is the unknown word located? What other words are in the same category? Often, you can infer from the surroundings what an office does — e.g., "Apartment mediation" contains "Apartment", so it is about housing issues. When in doubt: choose a plausible option and move on.
Are there tasks in Part 1 where the information is not available at all?
Theoretically, option c could also mean that the sought service is not listed in the given guide at all. In practice, real tasks show that c usually means "another, unmentioned floor" — the information exists but is under a different option. Nevertheless: always check all entries before choosing c.
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