Retaking TestAS: Rules, Timing and How to Prepare Differently the Second Time

Your TestAS result did not reach the score your programme asks for. Now you are wondering whether to take it again, and how to make the second attempt count.

The most common mistake is to repeat exactly the same preparation and hope for a better day. A retake deserves a different plan, because you now have something you did not have the first time: real information about where you lost points.

This guide covers the official rules for retaking TestAS, how to pick a date that still works for your application, and how to build a second preparation that targets the right problems.

The official rules in short

Based on g.a.s.t.'s FAQ:

• There is no limit on how many times you can take TestAS.
• Each attempt is registered and paid for separately.
• Results are not combined. Every certificate stays in your test taker portal, and you choose which one to submit.
• Certificates do not expire, so an older, better result stays usable.
• Results take time: about three weeks for digital and about four weeks for paper.

g.a.s.t. also says openly that TestAS mainly measures abilities that cannot be trained in the short term, so repeating the test without changing anything is unlikely to help much. That is not a reason to give up. It is a reason to be precise about what you change.

Step 1: Decide whether a retake makes sense

Before you register, answer three questions honestly.

How far are you from your target? Compare your score with the requirement. Our guide on how TestAS scoring works explains the 0 to 200 digital scale and the percentile rank. Being 10 points short is a very different project from being 60 points short.

Was something clearly fixable? Retakes improve most when the first attempt was held back by things like:

• running out of time in one or more subtests,
• meeting item types you had never practised,
• a subject module you barely prepared,
• illness, stress or a bad night before the exam.

Is there a date that still fits your deadline? Count backwards from your application deadline: exam date plus results time plus a few days to submit. Check the upcoming TestAS dates with their registration deadlines and results dates.

If the gap is large and nothing obvious went wrong, consider alternatives as well, such as other programmes with different requirements, a Studienkolleg route or a later intake.

Step 2: Diagnose the first attempt

You now have data your first attempt did not. Use it.

Write down, as precisely as you can remember or reconstruct:

1. Which module was weaker, Core or subject module.
2. Which Core subtest felt worst: Figure Sequences, Mathematical Equations or Latin Squares.
3. Whether you finished each subtest. How many items did you leave unanswered?
4. Which item types surprised you.
5. How your concentration held up over the roughly three and a half hours.

Then sort each problem into one of two types, because they need opposite fixes.

Timing problems

You reached the end of the time before the end of the subtest, or you rushed the last items. More untimed practice will not fix this. You need:

• timed sets at the real pace of 75 seconds per item,
• a skip rule (for example, move on after 2 minutes and come back),
• faster routines for the item types you know well, so they take less time.

Accuracy problems

You had time left but still got items wrong. Speed drills will make this worse. You need:

• slow, untimed practice until you can explain the rule behind every item,
• a written note for each mistake, grouped by cause,
• only then, timed practice again.

Mixing these two up is one of the most common reasons a retake does not improve.

Step 3: Build a targeted retake plan

A retake plan is shorter and sharper than a first preparation. With four to six weeks it could look like this:

Week	Focus
1	Fix the biggest problem from your diagnosis (timing or accuracy) in your weakest subtest
2	Same problem in the second subtest, plus two subject module testlets
3	Harder items across all subtests, mixed within sessions
4	Full subtests under real timing
5	One complete mock of the whole day, then repair what breaks
6	Light review and rest

If you have eight weeks, our 8-week TestAS study plan gives a fuller version.

Do not neglect what went well

It is tempting to spend all your time on the weakest subtest. Keep a short maintenance set for the others. Skills fade, and a subtest that was solid three months ago is not guaranteed to be solid on your retake day.

Take the subject module seriously

Many applicants prepare mainly for the Core Module and treat the subject module as an afterthought. It is scored separately on its own 0 to 200 scale. If your subject module score was the weaker one, practising testlets (reading a text, table or graph and answering several questions about it) is often the fastest way to improve your overall result.

Step 4: Check your registration details again

Before you register, reconfirm:

• Format: digital or paper. The paper-based TestAS has only four subject modules and closes registration about five weeks before the exam, while digital registration closes about one week before.
• Subject module: does it still match your intended programme?
• Test language: German or English. Check whether your target programme states a preference, and choose the language you read fastest and most accurately.

If you need to cancel, do it in the portal before registration closes. g.a.s.t. refunds the fee minus a 15% administrative charge only when you cancel before the end of the registration period. After that, and for no-shows or illness, the fee is not refunded.

Realistic expectations

There is no official "average retake improvement" figure, and we will not invent one. Individual results depend on how well the second preparation addressed the real problem.

What you can say with confidence:

• A retake that targets a clear timing or familiarity problem has a good chance of helping.
• A retake with the same preparation as before usually lands close to the first result.
• Because you choose which certificate to submit, a weaker retake normally does not have to appear in your application. The main costs are the fee, the time and the stress.

Summary

You can take TestAS as often as you like, and you choose which certificate to use. The question is not whether you are allowed to retake, but whether you can change something meaningful before the next date. Diagnose the first attempt, separate timing problems from accuracy problems, pick a date that still fits your deadline, and prepare for the problems you actually had.

A good first step is to see which item types still slow you down. You can practise real Core Module items for free, no signup needed.

Sources: TestAS FAQ general, FAQ results and certificates, FAQ cancellation of registration, FAQ registration.