Online Italian test preparation courses for CILS, CELI and PLIDA

Four institutions issue the recognised certificates of Italian as a foreign language, and they have joined forces in the association CLIQ (Certificazione Lingua Italiana di Qualità). All four align their levels with the CEFR, the Common European Framework of Reference with six levels from A1 to C2.

The Italian certificates are level exams. A level exam tests one fixed CEFR level, and you choose that level when you register. You pass or fail, and a higher level requires a new exam. This differs from score-based tests such as IELTS, where one sitting covers all levels.

At CILS, the certificate of the Università per Stranieri di Siena, the exam has 60 points at A1 and A2 and 100 points from B1 upwards. You pass only if you reach the minimum score in every skill. Passed parts remain valid for 18 months, and within that time you retake only the missing parts.

Besides the general exams, three of the four bodies offer versions for special groups or purposes.

The exams take place in Italy and at test centres abroad, often at Italian Cultural Institutes. PLIDA has more than 300 centres in more than 60 countries. Each centre sets its own fee, which rises with the level. You can prepare online, but you normally sit the exam in person.

The right certificate follows from your goal and from the list of the body that asks for proof.

• Citizenship by marriage or residence requires Italian at B1 or higher since Law 132 of 2018. The CILS B1 Cittadinanza covers this purpose only, while a general B1 certificate also serves as proof for other purposes, such as work.
• A degree taught in Italian usually requires B2. Universities such as the Sapienza University of Rome exempt non-EU applicants from their own Italian test if they hold a CLIQ certificate at B2 or higher.
• Work with meetings in Italian usually calls for a general certificate at B2, and negotiations for C1.
• Teenagers take CELI Adolescenti or PLIDA Juniores, whose texts and tasks suit their age.
• Adult immigrants who settle in Italy find a dedicated version in CELI Immigrati.

For a personal goal without a fixed requirement, choose the exam that a test centre near you offers on a suitable date.

Online preparation works for all Italian certificates, because the tasks are known in advance and the exam bodies publish sample papers. Four points decide the result.

1. Choose the level with a placement test. Because the certificates are level exams, a level that is too high means failing, and a level that is too low means paying twice.
2. Train all four skills. At CILS the weakest skill decides, because you need the minimum score in each one. Speaking and writing need a teacher who marks your answers against the official criteria.
3. Practise the format of your exam. CILS, CELI and PLIDA test the same four skills, but their task types differ, so sample papers of another exam help only in part.
4. Train the Italian points that cost marks. Double consonants matter in listening and dictation tasks, and from B2 on writing tasks expect the congiuntivo, the Italian subjunctive, after verbs of opinion.

Italian certificates need lead time, mainly because results take months. Plan backwards from the date on which you must submit the certificate.

1. Ask which exam and level you need and by which date the certificate must be issued.
2. Take a placement test and close any gap with a general course first.
3. Register at a test centre. Each centre sets its own deadlines and fees.
4. Train the exam format for 6 to 12 weeks with a few hours a week, once you have reached the target level.
5. Sit the exam and wait about three months for CILS results.
6. If you fail one part, retake only that part within 18 months.

For a citizenship or university application, add the three months of waiting to your plan. A certificate that arrives after the deadline delays the whole application.