DELE Exam: What is it? Do I need to take it if I want to live in Spain?

If you want to live in Spain for a while, knowing some Spanish is a necessity. If you want to take one step further and have some qualifications for your Spanish skills, DELE exams are certainly the best choice!

 

1. What is the DELE exam

2. Do I need to take it if I want to live in Spain?

3. How to register for a DELE exam?

4. Even though you are not required to obtain a Spanish-level certificate…

 

 

1. What is the DELE exam

 

 

The full name of the exam is, Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera (Diplomas of Spanish as a Foreign Language).  

 

The DELE Spanish diplomas are official titles certifying someone’s competence degree in the Spanish language, which are evaluated by the Instituto Cervantes (Cervantes Institute) on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training of Spain. The diplomas are official, reliable, and recognizable by companies, organizations, and governments all over the world.  

 

The usual DELE exam for adults has 6 levels: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2 (from the easiest to the most difficult). DELE para escolares (for adolescents from 11 to 17 years old) has two levels: A1 and A2/B1.

 

2. Do I need to take it if I want to live in Spain?

 

If you want to take the exam and you are between 11 and 17 years old, you can take the DELE para escolares A1 or A2/B1. But you are not required to if you want to simply enter Spain.

 

If you want to study in a Spanish language school before applying for degree studies, you are usually required to obtain a Spanish A2 level before starting.

 

Additionally, if you want to study for a degree taught in Spanish, you will be required a B2 or even C1 level depending on the university and program you applied to. You need to always present language certificates of the teaching language. If the degree is taught in English, you need to present English-level certificates.

 

If you want to work in Spanish companies using Spanish as a working language, you should at least have a B2 level.

 

In consulates of some countries, you are even required to have a Spanish A2 level certificate before applying for several types of visas. Consult your consulate in detail to see if this is applicable to your case.

 

Thus, passing DELE exams are key to the pursue your dreams in Spain. In this article, we will walk through you the most important things you need to know about DELE exams.

 

3. How to register for a DELE exam?

 

You can register online by accessing the official website of Instituto Cervantes:

 

1. Go to the Dónde section of the exam, choose the center and time, and finish the registration by clicking on inscribirse. You will be required to create a user account, manage your order there and you will receive the exam results on the same site.
2. Sometimes you will only see the contactar con el centro button available. This means that you need to contact the center to register. You cannot do it online.
3. It is usually normal that you will not get any news until 1 month before your exam starts. Remember, you can always contact the center where you registered for more specific information.

 

 

4. Even though you are not required to obtain a Spanish-level certificate…

 

You still need to learn some survival Spanish because in Spain less than 25% of the population speaks and understands English! And what’s worse, the workers in the service industry usually do not speak English.

 

But with us, you don’t need to talk in Spanish! We are an international multilingual team that knows not only English but also other languages such Japanese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, French and more. By contracting medical insurance with us, you can get full service in your own language without having to worry about anything! This medical insurance is also a perfect fit for a Spanish visa/NIE/TIE application, as it fulfills all the requirements. Come and talk to us!

 

 

If you would like to know more about this topic, check out one of these other blogs:

• Job opportunities for expats in Spain
• Can an international student earn extra money while studying in Spain?
• Tips for Expats: How to improve your Spanish quickly
• Guide on how to teach English in Spain
• DELE Exam levels: how to prepare for them?

 

Reference:

 

Qué son los DELE | Exámenes - Instituto Cervantes. (2021). Retrieved 27 December 2021, from https://examenes.cervantes.es/es/dele/que-es 

 

Our content will be updated according to the most recent legislation.