Which DELE level should you take?
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Register for the highest level your Spanish already reaches. Each general DELE exam gives one result, Apto or No apto, for the level you sat, so a candidate who fails B2 does not get a B1 diploma instead. After a fail, you pay again and retake every test, including any you passed. When a nationality application or a job names a level, check that you can pass that level now.
What each level certifies
| Level | A pass certifies that you can |
|---|---|
| A1 | use very frequent everyday expressions for immediate needs, give basic personal details and interact simply with someone who speaks slowly and clearly |
| A2 | understand frequent expressions about family, shopping and work, handle simple routine exchanges and describe your surroundings in simple terms |
| B1 | understand the main points of clear texts on familiar topics, cope with most everyday situations and write simple connected texts |
| B2 | understand the gist of complex and technical texts, interact with all kinds of speakers without strain and write detailed texts that defend a view |
| C1 | understand long, demanding texts and their implicit meaning, express yourself fluently and spontaneously and write well-structured texts on complex subjects |
| C2 | understand practically everything you hear or read and express yourself spontaneously with great fluency and precision |
The Council of Europe’s Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) defines the six levels. Its C2 level describes the precision and ease of highly successful learners, and the CEFR states that C2 does not imply native-speaker competence.
How to choose
You can register for any level without first taking a course or a lower DELE. The diploma never expires.
At A1 to C1 you need at least 30 of 50 points in each of two groups of tests, and at C2 at least 20 points in each of its three tests, all in the same session. A strong reading score cannot make up for weak speaking, because the two are in different groups.
C2 runs only in May and November. The 5 March and 10 September 2027 sessions offer only the general A2 exam. Not every centre offers every exam. The exam dates page lists the registration dates for each sitting.
After registering, you can change level only while registration is still open for both the original session and the new one, and only if the new exam has places. If the new exam costs more, you pay the difference. If it costs less, you get no refund.
Spanish nationality
Applicants for nationality by residence who are over 18 need DELE A2 or higher and a pass in the CCSE, the test of constitutional and sociocultural knowledge.
An official language school (Escuela Oficial de Idiomas) certificate at basic A2, intermediate or advanced level exempts you from the DELE. So does being a national by origin of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela.
People who cannot read or write, or who have learning difficulties, can ask the Ministry of Justice for a waiver. Applicants who were schooled in Spain and passed compulsory secondary education (ESO) can also get a waiver. People with judicially modified legal capacity are exempt.
University study in Spain
The Ministry of Education says that each university in Spain sets its own language requirement and that students can use the DELE where a university asks for proof of Spanish.
Universidad Complutense de Madrid asks for B2 from undergraduates who are from a non-Spanish-speaking country and were educated in another language. Applicants to its master’s degrees who come from foreign education systems and whose mother tongue is not Spanish need B2 or higher. In both cases an individual degree can set a different level. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid’s master’s in Calidad y Mejora de la Educación asks for C1. Check your programme’s admission page.
Health professionals
The 2026 selection tests are for specialised health training (formación sanitaria especializada) that begins in 2027. They cover medicine, pharmacy, nursing, psychology, chemistry, biology and physics. Nationals of countries where Spanish is not an official language must prove C1 or higher.
Accepted proof includes:
- DELE C1 or C2, or the exam centre’s pass certificate while the diploma is pending.
- An official language school certificate at C1 or above.
- An equivalent SICELE certificate.
- SIELE at C1 in all four tests.
Candidates whose qualifying degree was taught in Spanish at a university in Spain or a Spanish-speaking country are exempt, as are those with at least two full years of specialised health training in Spain.
Public jobs and teaching
Spanish law treats a DELE as sufficient proof of Spanish for any professional or academic activity in Spain that requires its level. Foreign applicants who hold DELE B2 or C2 are exempt from Spanish tests at the level of their diploma when they apply for posts in the central State administration, Social Security bodies or National Health System institutions.
Each public call for teachers (convocatoria) sets its own rule for non-Spanish applicants. The Canary Islands’ 2026 call for primary teachers exempts DELE C2 holders from its Spanish test.
School versions
The three school exams, A1, A2/B1 and B2/C1, are for students aged 11 to 17. Candidates who are 18 on the exam date may still register, and anyone older must take a general exam. The six general exams are designed for candidates aged 16 and over.
The A2/B1 exam awards an A2 or a B1 diploma depending on your results, and B2/C1 awards B2 or C1 in the same way. School diplomas have the same validity as general DELE diplomas. Only the topics and situations are adapted for young people. B2/C1 was first offered to the public in the May 2026 session.
School exams run in May and November, and you register with an exam centre that offers them.
Two levels in one session
Neither the DELE FAQ nor the registration terms and conditions say whether you may register for two levels in one session. Each fee covers one exam on one date. The written tests of every DELE exam start at 9:00 local time at every centre, so you cannot sit two levels on the same day. Every 2027 session holds all its general levels on one day. In November 2026, general A2 is on Friday 13 November and the other general levels are on Saturday 14 November, but registration for that session closed on 30 September.
Students up to 18 can take the A2/B1 or B2/C1 school exam, which covers two levels in one exam.
How to check your level
The level test has 40 multiple-choice questions, eight at each level from A1 to C1, and takes about ten minutes. It suggests the highest level at which you got at least six of the eight questions right, provided you also got at least six right at every lower level. Treat the result as an estimate. Almost every question tests grammar or vocabulary, and the test does not cover listening, writing or speaking. It also cannot suggest C2.
The Instituto Cervantes has published model exams from earlier sessions for each general level, with audio and answer keys. The C1 and C2 models are 2024 papers in the renewed format. Sit one with the exam’s time limits, mark the reading and listening with the answer key, and enter your points in the score calculator. A mark you give your own writing and speaking is only a rough guide.
You can use the Council of Europe’s self-assessment grid, Table 2 of the CEFR, to rate your main language skills against the six levels.