telc Deutsch B1 Sprachbausteine has two parts and 20 items worth 30 points, and it is the only section of the exam where memorising a finite list reliably converts into marks.
Part one - multiple choice. A short text with gaps, three options per gap. These test structure: which connector, which case, which verb form. The wrong options are usually grammatically possible German that does not fit this sentence, so reading only the gap is not enough - the clue is often in the previous clause.
Part two - word bank. A second text with gaps and a shared list of words, longer than the number of gaps. Each word is used at most once. This part tests collocation and register more than grammar, and the surplus words are chosen to be plausible.
Work through part two by elimination: fill the gaps you are certain of first, and the remaining choices narrow themselves.
It is the smallest block by points and the largest by return on preparation. The material is finite. Unlike reading or listening, where improvement comes from general fluency built over months, Sprachbausteine rewards a specific list you can finish learning.
That list, roughly:
Choosing the preposition that matches the translation in your first language. Warten auf is not "wait on", denken an is not "think on" - and the option that looks like a literal translation is usually the distractor that was put there for exactly that reason.
This is the section where drilling works, and where the simulator's practice mode pays off fastest: short sets, immediate scoring, and an explanation of why the other options fail rather than just which one was right.
The grammar and vocabulary section - gap-fill items testing structures rather than comprehension. Part one gives three options per gap; part two gives a shared word bank containing more words than there are gaps.
30 of 300 - the smallest block in the written exam. But it is also the fastest to answer, which makes its points-per-minute the best on the paper.
Before. The two share one 90-minute block, and Sprachbausteine items take seconds each once you know the material, while reading items can absorb minutes. Doing it first banks 30 points before time pressure begins.
Konjunktiv II, passive, relative clauses, subordinating connectors, adjective endings, and above all fixed verb-preposition pairs. It is a defined syllabus rather than open-ended, which is what makes it drillable.
Drill this section on its own, with instant scoring and an explanation for every answer.