Focused, task-based preparation for Brazil's only official Portuguese proficiency certificate — taught by Dra. Carla Dias, PhD, Filologia Portuguesa, USP.
Understand the exam, prepare more effectively, and check your readiness — no sign-up required.
Structure, levels, registration, and a realistic prep timeline in one place.
Read the guideThe task-based errors that cost candidates a level — and how to avoid them.
See the mistakesA short self-assessment to estimate your current level and exam readiness.
Check readinessWhen the exam runs, how to register on INEP, and what documents you need.
See exam datesReal past exam tasks with expert commentary on what graders look for.
See sample tasksA phased study plan built around how the exam is actually graded.
Get the planThe certificate opens specific doors. Your reason shapes the level you need and how we prepare you.
CELPE-Bras doesn't look like a traditional grammar test. It measures whether you can use Portuguese for real purposes — which is exactly why strategic preparation matters.
Written · 3 hours
Tasks 1 and 2 combine listening to audio/video (played twice) with writing. Tasks 3 and 4 combine reading with writing. You produce real texts for a specific purpose, audience, and genre — it is not a grammar test.
Oral · ~20 minutes
A first guided phase about you and your background, then three "elementos provocadores" (images, short texts, or current topics) you discuss in turn. Assessed on fluency, clarity, interaction, and communicative competence.
The four certification levels
| Level (PT) | Level (EN) | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Intermediário | Intermediate | Handles everyday and familiar topics; simple structures, basic vocabulary used appropriately. |
| Intermediário Superior | Upper Intermediate | More complex texts on a wider range of topics; greater fluency, longer structured exchanges. |
| Avançado | Advanced | Comfortable in academic and professional contexts; nuanced, well-organized production. |
| Avançado Superior | Highly Advanced | Near-complete command across registers; precise, sophisticated written and oral Portuguese. |
All candidates take the same exam; performance places you into one of these levels. A result below Intermediate means no certificate is issued. Register at celpebras.inep.gov.br.
A linguist's approach to a task-based exam — targeted at the specific gaps between your level and your goal.
A free placement session pinpoints your current level and target level, plus the specific gaps standing between them. Every plan starts from where you actually are.
CELPE-Bras is task-based. We practise the exact moves the exam rewards: reading the prompt correctly, identifying purpose/audience/genre, and producing the right text — because misreading the task is the most common reason strong speakers lose a level.
You produce real exam-style texts and receive correction against the official evaluation criteria — clarity, adequacy to the task, coherence, and linguistic accuracy — delivered in writing and on video.
Mock oral interviews using real "elementos provocadores" so you can practise your fluency, hesitation patterns, and interaction skills before exam day.
Timed, end-to-end simulations so the three-hour written sitting and the oral feel familiar — not a surprise — when it counts.
If any of these gives you pause, that's exactly what preparation targets.
Can you understand a short Brazilian news video and write about it for a specific reader?
Core of Tasks 1–2 — the integrated listen-and-write skill the exam tests first.
Can you read a text and reshape its information for a different purpose and audience?
Core of Tasks 3–4 — strong readers still lose marks by ignoring purpose/genre.
Can you hold a 15-minute conversation about an unfamiliar image or topic?
The oral "elementos provocadores" demand spontaneous, structured interaction.
Do you know which level you need for your goal?
Your target level shapes the whole prep plan — we confirm it at the free placement class.
The placement class is free — 30 minutes, no credit card, no obligation. Carla confirms your level precisely.
Consistent daily contact with real Portuguese matters more than cramming. Small, focused habits compound fast.
Write a little every single day.
It beats occasional long sessions — the exam rewards the habit, not the marathon.
For Professionals & Academics
A real 30-minute diagnostic. Carla pinpoints your current level, target level, and a realistic plan to get there before your exam date — with a written plan sent after. No credit card, no sales pressure, no obligation.