A2 Exam Passed – Next Step: On to Applying for Citizenship!

Woohoo!!! I Passed My A2 Level Exam!

I’m so happy to share that I passed my A2 Level Portuguese exam! In this section, I’ll walk you through the experience of taking the exam in Lisbon, Portugal, using an easy-to-follow Q&A format. I hope this helps anyone preparing for their own exam!

1. How many people were taking the exam?

I took my exam at Lisbon University in May, and there were a few hundred people in total. They split us into smaller rooms, each holding around 20–30 people. The atmosphere was intense, but it felt organized.

2. What was the process of the exam?

The exam was divided into three main parts:

• Reading comprehension + writing (75 minutes)
• 30-minute break
• Listening comprehension (30 minutes)
• Lunch break
• Oral exam (around 15 minutes) – everyone will get a card that has their exam time written on it, you will have to wait outside the classroom for your turn as only two participants go in at a time.  

It was a long day, but it went by quickly since we were busy the entire time.

Above: My CIPLE Cert… 🎉  I am just showing here the best mark I got – 90 in reading comprehension.  The other marks…😂

3. What was the content of the exam?

Reading Comprehension

This section was very similar to the mock exams. We had to read short passages and then answer multiple-choice questions — there are a few question/ answer that are a little vague. 

Writing

We had to write two pieces on these topics:

• Instructions for a friend on how to cook your favorite recipe – You’ll need to use imperative verbs for giving instructions, so it’s crucial to be familiar with them.
• A letter to a friend about your experience at a hotel, advising them whether they should stay there – This required using two types of past tense: the imperfect and the past participle. If you don’t know these tenses, the writing section can be tough!

Pro Tip:

• Study your tenses—especially the imperative, imperfect, and past participle—because they are essential for this part.
• You will probably use up the whole 75 minutes to finish this part.  So don’t spend too much time on one part. Finish the whole exam first and review after.

Mistake Alert:

I made the mistake of signing my name in the writing section, as one would typically do in a letter (you are not supposed to write your name ANYWHERE on the exam paper). The examiner pointed it out, and I felt quite embarrassed. I don’t know if it affected my score, but I didn’t do well in writing—I got 39 out of 100. Whether it was the name or my shaky grasp of the tenses, I’ll never know.

Oral Comprehension

This part was tough! We had to listen to recordings twice and answer multiple-choice questions, but the speakers talk really fast, and the recordings had lots of background sounds and are long (±3 minutes), and you is really hard to  guess the answers if you can only catch a phrase here and there. You really need to understand what’s being said.

Oral Exam

For this section, we were paired with another person. The examiner asked us questions and showed us some pictures for us to describe. We needed to describe what people are doing in the images, focusing on actions and/ or appearances. Most of the conversation is in the present tense, so that helped!

4. Was the exam easy?

Honestly, I found the exam harder than I expected, especially the listening part. I barely understood the first part of the listening comprehension and guessing wasn’t an option, as all the answer options shows up in the recordings. But listening has always been my weak point.

For the writing and oral sections, if you prepare well (as I suggested earlier), you should be fine. I didn’t do well, but that’s because I didn’t fully prepare.

The reading comprehension section was okay (the only part that I felt comfortable with), but a few of the questions seemed like they had two correct answers, which made it tricky.

I spoke to other test-takers, including some native Spanish speakers (Spanish is very similar to Portuguese), and they also found it challenging. Many said it felt more like a B1-level exam rather than A2. I felt the same!

Above: This is how the final result is calculated.  55 is the passing mark. 

Final Thoughts

I passed the exam, very luckily, but just barely, and I felt it could go both ways—my result was “Sufficient” (55% – 69%). Now, when people ask how my Portuguese is, I can confidently say “sufficient” (in Portuguese, of course).

Key advice:

• Study the Three Key Tenses: Imperfect, past participle, and imperative are essential for the writing section.
• Practice Listening: The recordings are fast and have background noise, so improving your listening skills is crucial.

Many others at the exam seemed to be at a much higher level than me, so don’t be discouraged if you’re still working on your fluency!

Additional Tips

PS.  I felt really depressed after the first section of the test, not very confident that I would pass the exam and went online to check other exam dates during the lunch break.  All slots were gone except for the month of November.  So it would not be easy to schedule another exam immediately if you fail your first exam. Maybe enrolling yourself to multiple exam dates maybe one strategy?

Bear in mind, the result only comes out about 1.5 months after the exam, and you could only pick up your result (the CIPLE cert) about 1 month after the results came out.  

Exam Alternatives 

Consider taking a certified Portuguese course at a university or opt for an online A1 + A2 course.

The university A1 and A2 courses are 200 hours each.  So A1+A2 would take you 400 hours.  And there is an exam for each level, and you also need to achieve 55% in order to pass to course.

The online course is 150 hours, which is a lot less than the university course.  And there is no exam.  You will need to have a attendance rate of 90% to get the certificate.  

Applying for Citizenship

After getting this important piece of document, I could now proceed to apply for citizenship.

When we talk to clients, we often are faced with the following questions.  So we will clarify this for you here:

1.  Do I first need to apply for the PR (permanent residency), before I can apply for the Citizenship?  

The answer is NO.  You can immediately apply for the citizenship and skip the PR all together.  And that’s what I will do.  

2.  Does Portugal allows dual citizenship?  What if I have a few passport already? 

The answer is yes, Portugal allows dual citizenship and it doesn’t matter the number of passports you have. In fact, some team members in The Golden Portugal, including me, will be getting their 3rd passports if we get our Portuguese passports.

3.  How long does it take to apply for citizenship?  

The application process is currently taking 1 – 1.5 years.

4.  Do I need to live in Portugal during this citizenship application process?  

You don’t need to live in Portugal during the process.  Even for D7 or Digital Nomad visa applicants, there is no requirement of stays for the citizenship application.  But note that during the whole application process, your resident card must remain valid, meaning, you will have to renew your temporary resident card (or apply for permanent residency) if it expires before you get your citizenship.  

5.  Is there an interview for the citizenship application process?  

As of October 2024, there is no interview needed for the citizenship application. 

How to apply for Portuguese Citizenship?

The requirements are really simple.  

• Passport 
• Apostilled birth certificate
• Apostilled no criminal record
• CIPLE exam certification or course certification
• Your residence cards for the past 5 years
• A residence address  

I just submitted my citizenship application, how about you?

If you need help on your citizenship application, please contact us here.  

---

• YouTube
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

---