this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2023
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Germany

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Like it says, I took the Einbürgerungstest this past weekend. The questions are a mix of things that feel pretty obvious (which war lasted from 1939-1945) and things that require memorization (Which chancellor was responsible for the Ostverträge?). In a lot of ways, it feels like another language exam: if you understand German well enough to understand the questions, you can probably pass.

We officially had an hour, but I was done within 8 minutes, and I wasn't the first :).

One step closer to citizenship!

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Well done, congrats! Kinda weird you gotta know stuff most Germans don't know to become German. I mean I think Helmut Kohl was in power when the wall fell but I guess Willi Brandt layed the ground work. But who signed something specific? Honestly no Idea even if I went to a German high school.

Tell me how you behave if you sit next to a stranger on a bus when a double seat becomes free and I'll tell you whether you've properly integrated lol

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Very good about the chancellors! One of the questions that I didn't get was "Who was the first chancellor of the united Germany?", which is indeed Kohl :).

And I was also joking that the real integration test is how you react when they tell you that you'll receive the results by post. If you nod wisely and agree that's the only correct way, you're ready for citizenship :).

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Kinda weird you gotta know stuff most Germans don’t know to become German.

Well, it's things you should know if you paid attention in school an occasionally opened a newspaper as an adult. Obviously you might get a few things wrong (I have to brag, I just tried one and didn't), but if you've lived here your entire life and can't get more than 50% right in one of those tests without preparation you really need to work on your education.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well, it's things you should know if you paid attention in school

I beg to differ. I did pay attention (as much as can be expected from a pubescent teen) but we barely even touched the reunification. Ask me anything about ancient Greece or Rome though haha

and occasionally opened a newspaper as an adult.

When that stuff was first in the papers my parents probably still went to primary lol

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

When that stuff was first in the papers my parents probably still went to primary lol

Yeah, but newspapers don't just write about what happened today, they often to contextualize with history. So while It's not first in the papers anymore it still is something you can learn from them.

Besides, half (or so) of the test isn't history but easy questions about our political system. That's also stuff you should have learned in school.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I think a lot of questions would be failed by native Germans. I just went through the questionaire and questions such as "Was wird am 27. Januar gedacht?" would maybe be known by 20% of Germans top.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

“Was wird am 27. Januar gedacht?”

What should I eat today?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

haha, good one. Edit: And now I am embarassed, I didn‘t know it is the day of remembering the victims of Nazi Germany and the day of the liberation of Auschwitz.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

With multiple choice? I really hope not.