Short answer: you do not need a paid course to practise German reading at B1 or B2. The exam makers publish free practice sets. Public broadcasters publish graded texts. The real problem is volume and feedback: most free sources give you one or two exam sets and no explanations. The list below covers seven free resources, what each one trains, and where each one stops.
If you want exam-style sets with explanations now, start with our free samples on the Goethe B1 reading and Goethe B2 reading pages.
1. Goethe-Institut practice sets — the format reference
Cost: Free · Trains: the exact Goethe exam format
The Goethe-Institut publishes free practice material for each exam on its exam pages, for example the Goethe-Zertifikat B2 page. The sets show the real task types, timing and answer sheets.
Use it for: a timed diagnostic before and after your preparation.
Limitation: the number of sets is small. Answer keys give the correct letter, not the reason. After two passes you know the texts.
2. telc free Übungstest downloads
Cost: Free · Trains: telc exam format, including Sprachbausteine
telc publishes a free complete Übungstest for its German exams on telc.net. The B1 and B2 tests include reading and the grammar-in-context section that many candidates underestimate.
Use it for: telc-format reading and Sprachbausteine under real timing.
Limitation: the same as Goethe: one free set per exam, answer key without explanations.
3. DW Learn German — structured courses with reading
Cost: Free · Trains: general reading inside a full course
Deutsche Welle's Learn German platform offers structured courses from A1 to C1 with a placement test. Reading exercises come inside the course lessons, with immediate correction.
Use it for: building general reading fluency when your level is not yet exam-ready.
Limitation: it is a language course, not exam training. Task types differ from Goethe and telc formats.
4. Nachrichtenleicht — real news in plain German
Cost: Free · Trains: reading stamina with real content
Deutschlandfunk publishes weekly news in simplified German at nachrichtenleicht.de. The texts are real journalism with controlled vocabulary and short sentences.
Use it for: daily reading volume between practice tests. Ten minutes a day moves comprehension more than one long weekend session.
Limitation: no questions, no answers, no levels. It builds fluency, not exam technique.
5. Schubert-Verlag online exercises
Cost: Free · Trains: grammar and short-text comprehension
The German publisher Schubert-Verlag hosts free online exercises for levels A1 to C1. The B1/B2 sections include short reading tasks with instant checking.
Use it for: quick grammar-in-context repetitions that support Sprachbausteine sections.
Limitation: the exercises are short, and the design is old. They do not simulate full exam texts.
6. vhs-Lernportal — free full courses
Cost: Free · Trains: reading and writing inside official integration-course material
Germany's adult education association runs vhs-lernportal.de with free German courses up to B2, tutor feedback included. The reading texts follow everyday and workplace topics.
Use it for: structured progression to B2 when you study alone. For nursing German, the dedicated Pflege course is the strongest free option — see our telc Pflege resources comparison.
Limitation: course pace, not exam pace. Registration is required.
7. soruLab German Workbench — unlimited sets with explanations
Cost: Free samples and trial generations, then paid · Trains: exam-style reading with answer explanations
Full disclosure: this is our tool. The free sample sets on the Goethe B1 and Goethe B2 reading pages show the format: each question names the skill it measures and explains why the correct answer is correct. The German Workbench then generates new exam-style sets on demand, so the volume problem of resources 1 and 2 disappears.
Use it for: repetition after you know the format — new texts every time, with explanations instead of a bare answer key.
Limitation: unlimited generation is a paid feature. Our methodology page documents the checks each generated set passes.
A simple weekly routine
- Do one timed official set per week (resource 1 or 2).
- Read one graded text per day (resource 4).
- Drill your weak task type in short sessions (resources 5 and 7).
- Log every wrong answer with its reason. Review the log before the next timed set.
The routine matters more than the resource list. Reading scores move with regular volume, not with collecting bookmarks.
Related guides
- German cloze tests: how Lückentext tasks work and how to train them
- Goethe Hören from A1 to B2: what changes at each level
- 7 best telc B1-B2 Pflege preparation resources compared
Links and free availability checked on 29 July 2026. Providers change their material; the linked pages are the binding source.