Can I ask please, what ‘persuaded’ you that you were ready for the exam? I see the sample papers and think ‘probably not yet’ but then I read its 55% or more which kind feels doable……or is it? 
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I registered for the exam while I was attending an A1/A2 course, and the test was in October, but my class was finished in June, so I felt I would have plenty of time to study and practice speaking and listening between the end of the class and the test.
I signed up for the test 6 months before I took it, and I think that is normal, the A1/A2 test sells out here in Portugal, as that is the minimum test to prove proficiency for citizenship.
I practiced writing frequently, little essays like the ones needed for the test. Even so, I did not score very high on that part. Good luck.
I felt ready, took sample tests, worked with online speakers/teachers, and still the test was challenging. Practice having a conversation in Portuguese with a stranger in one of them scenarios. For example mine, you play a fruit/vegetable vendor and your partner is the customer. Chat for 5 minutes. Then write the essays. Did you listen to the sample audios? Can you follow the audios on Practice Portuguese without reading? Then you can evaluate if you are ready.
I have been taking classes at a private school, not a government class, can I use the A2 certificate from this school to take the test. I was told you have to present a certificate before taking the test. I have been taking classes for 2 years.
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You do not need to present any certificate to take the CIPLE test. There is a certificate you can use instead of the CIPLE test to prove your proficiency when applying for citizenship. Perhaps that is the confusion? It would have to be from the approved government sponsored program.
This is the website for the CIPLE test https://caple.letras.ulisboa.pt/exame/2/ciple
If you take the test in Portugal, you have to show something to prove your identity, like a passport, Cartão Cididão or Título de Residência
Looks like the CIPLE is sold out for 2023, you probably have to wait until they announce the 2024 dates
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Hi Chris, thanks for the detailed sharing. I read in some officla website on PLA courses that if you attend and finish the A/A2 lessons in certified schools, then you don’t have to attend the CIPLE exam. If it is the case, can I ask why you chose to take the exam instead of joining the courses for the certificate? Obrigado!
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I signed up for the test while I was in the A1/A2 class. My teacher did not know if the class would satisfy the requirement. Some people told me that the class would satisfy the requirement, but I never found that info anywhere, so to me it was not confirmed. I knew that the test would satisfy the requirement, so I signed up for it. Later, after I took the test people showed me that my certificate from the class would satisfy the requirement.
I did not need it in the end, but it was very motivating, for a long time it made me study and work much harder than I would have otherwise.
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Hi Chris, thanks for your prompt reply. And yes, the test is definitely a strong motivation. And your sharing will for sure help lots of people trying different approaches. Thanks again!
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If you are in Portugal, I have heard that dates have been added for the A2 exam in Lisboa. You can sign up here, the tests do sell out https://caple.letras.ulisboa.pt/exame/2/ciple
There are openings now (Dec 23, 2023) at least for Lisbon, https://caple.letras.ulisboa.pt/exame/2/ciple
I signed up for the Lisbon September test last week. If anyone is going to be there, please let me know!
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Olá, estou no Porto! I finally did get to take that month trip to Portugal as I hoped, though a few months later. I thought that immersion in Portugal would help my studies by hearing other people speaking Portuguese all the time, and it has a little. More, though, it forces me to try to communicate. Awkward? Self-conscious? Too bad! Figure it out or don’t eat.
It has been a mixed result. As an example, today I walked into a bank branch and the person behind the entry desk greeted me. I said carefully, “Boa tarde! Tenho dollars mas queira euros, por favor.” He walked around the desk, hit a few buttons on a touch screen that I had not even noticed, and gave me my number for the queue. Oh.
I have to say people are kinder and more accommodating than I would have ever imagined. I remain graceless both from lack of understanding on norms as well as lack of language skills. But in the end, everything has always worked out. I just need to allow far more time than I expect because it takes longer to attempt a mix of broken Portuguese phrases and interpretive dance.
Next week I am wrapping up the A1 course from Camoes, which is online with one-on-one tutoring sessions every other week. It is pricey for what it is, IMHO, yet I am glad I took it. It is advertised as for beginners. Yikes. If I had started there, I would think there is no hope at all. And it covers some material from Practice Portuguese A1, A2, and a little B1. I am not sure if I will take their A2 course. The tutor is excellent, but there are errors in the written materials which is very hard as a learner. Basically, they need a way to comment, plus someone like Joseph to make fixes, but no. You only get that here!
Now I am hitting reload daily to try to get a seat in an upcoming exam. I think with solid effort, I have a shot at passing O CIPLE next time. But first I need to sign up. 
Best of luck to everyone on their journeys!
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I just signed up for the CIPLE exam in Bragança in May. Has anyone here taken it there? Where I live in VN Cerveira I would have to take an overnight trip anyway so I picked a place I could get to in an easy day, but where I had never been before. I plan to make it a couple of days to see a little of Bragança too. I have used Practice Portuguese for a number of years and a private professora from iTalki for two years. I think I should be able to pass the test, But, the listening part could be a disaster due to age and impaired hearing. One of the practice tests my professora gave me was an announcement over the loudspeaker in a train station. I could not have understood that if it had been in English. Boa sorte a todos!
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Hello! I have been reading about people’s experiences with CIPLE A2 Exam. Thank you for these. They are so helpful. I will take the test in May.
We all know that the listening test will involve guess work… but what surprised me is that lots of people scored less well in the written part than they had expected. Why do you think this is? We are told that the important thing is that someone can understand our writing…but obviously the examiner is looking for more.
Do you have tips on:
What is the examiner looking for?
Review of topics that have been asked previously? (question spotting)
When you have a few mins to go - what should you check?
Many thanks.
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I finally got my results – had been expecting an email from the Berkeley administrator which never arrived (nor did replies to my 2 emails asking about results), so today on a whim I went back to the CAPLE site, typed in my registration number and voila, there it was! A ‘bom’ score. Posted >3 weeks ago… Sweet relief!
Echoing what others have said here, the website is as friendly and approachable as the test. It was only by chance that I printed a PDF of the results page to find the section results showing on the print preview!
Wish I’d known about the printed certificate mailing option; I don’t recall seeing anything about that. A PDF will have to suffice.
Boa sorte a todos!
—Aaron
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parabéns! Can post your scores? any info you can share with others who are taking the test would be so valuable! I. going to help a friend prep for the test this Spring
Olá, I do not know that location and hope someone else can chime in.
You’re correct that location matters. I was unable to hear well with all of us crowded around a laptop and the volume down for the embassy in Washington, DC. Yet others said the exam in Canada was on a loud speaker and could be heard well throughout the room. The background noise is on purpose, for “realism,” I was told.
I expect to fail the spoken portion, which means making it up in the other sections. Boa sorte!
What I struggled with: having a set number of words allowed. I spent far too much time editing and re-editing to hit the word count. I had not prepared for that aspect of the exam, and I wish I had.
There was a section that asked for a recipe. I thought this was to test kitchen-related vocabulary. I completely missed that it was also to test the imperative mood https://www.practiceportuguese.com/learning-notes/the-imperative/. Another similar structure might be to ask for directions, again requiring the imperative mood.
Boa sorte em maio!
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Thank you so much for this.
I am apprehensive about sitting the exam, however this has helped me a lot.
Thank you
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I am signed up for the November exam in Porto, which is exciting and nerve wracking all at once. I’d really like to pass it this time.
I am once again distracted from my studies. It is for a great reason: packing to go to Portugal! The plan is to take a year off, breathe, and then figure out what comes next in life.
I continue to wish that Practice Portuguese had more direct support in preparing for o CIPLE. Those groups offering dedicated exam preparation aren’t nearly as good at it as I think PP would be. Some sort of collaboration with deepl and PP would be amazing. I need practice writing quickly, unaided, to hit a set number of words. And then I need feedback on what I’ve written so I can improve. It would also be great to have longer texts with quizzes: did I understand what I just read? The facilities for that already exist with the quizzes after the shorties, but I’m imagining written text as an additional option rather than spoken. (I realize I could fake this by only reading the Portuguese transcript and taking a quiz, but the quizzes are not written quite for this and would be too easy to test much.)
Good luck to the May 16th test takers. Two months to go! Please let us know how it is for you.
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