Germany's entrance exam proves troublesome

Chinese applicants who want to study in Germany must prepare intensively to pass an examination hosted by the German embassy - a test that has blocked many students, overseas study experts said.

Many Chinese applicants hold the mistaken belief that approval to study in Germany rested on their scores in the TestDaF, the German-language proficiency test.

In fact, the TestDaF is only an initial threshold; what really decides whether a student can go is an examination by the Akademische Prufstelle, a department of the German embassy in China, said Zheng Xiao, a senior manager of the Europe Department of Vision Overseas, a consultancy under New Oriental Education & Technology Group in China.