CELPE-Bras

GENERAL INFORMATION

The increasing interest in the Portuguese language is evidenced by the growth of the number of people enrolled at the exam for the Certificate of Proficiency in Portuguese Language for Foreigners (CELPE-Bras). Granted by Brazil's Ministry of Education, CELPE-Bras is the only Brazilian certificate of proficiency in "Portuguese as a foreign language" officially recognized by the Brazilian government.

Organized by Anísio Teixeira National Institute of Education Research (INEP), the CELPE-Bras evaluates the oral comprehension, written comprehension, oral production and written production of Portuguese Language. It is granted in four levels: intermediate, high intermediate, advanced and high advanced.

The CELPE-Bras is accepted by companies and universities as a proof of competence in the Portuguese language. In Brazil, it is a precedent condition so that foreign students can take undergraduate and post-graduate courses in Brazil, offered by the government and through the Undergraduate Students Programme Agreement (PEC-G) and Post-Graduate Students Programme Agreement (PEC-PG).

The exam takes place twice a year, in Brazilian embassies and consulates abroad. Itamaraty works in close coordination with the INEP for sending and receiving the tests, through diplomatic courier. The Ministry of External Relations also helps on the registration of new posts abroad, facilitating the dialogue between them and the INEP.

Currently, 12 out of 22 Brazilian Cultural Centers are registered at the exams network from CELPE-Bras.

Exam’s Structure

The exam has two main parts:

•    WRITTEN PART (lasting 3 hours) ¬ – two tasks evaluating oral comprehension and written production and two tasks evaluating reading and written production;

•   ORAL PART (lasting 20 minutes) – interaction based on activities and interests mentioned by the examinee in the application form and a short talk on daily topics of general interest.

For getting the certificate, the applicant shall reach a certain performance level in both parts of the Exam.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Follow the publication of the most recent public notices at CELPE-Bras page.

Applicant’s Manual

Refer to the applicant's manual on specifications on the nature, structure and correction of the exam at INEP'S webpage.

Enrollments

For the enrollment and checking of the necessary documents for completing it, visit http://celpebras.inep.gov.br/inscricao/. At this page, it is also possible to track the status of your enrollment.

Results

The results divulgation of the last exams can be checked at the webpage: http://portal.inep.gov.br/celpebras-resultados

Models of previous exams

Increase your preparation checking models of previous tests.