How to prepare for the CELPIP® test: scores, format and a study plan

Each Canadian program sets a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level, usually in every skill. From level 3 up, a CELPIP level is the same number as the CLB level, so CLB 7 means a 7 in each skill.

Most programs ask for a minimum in every skill, so your lowest skill decides. In Express Entry, levels above the minimum still count: each skill earns more CRS points up to CLB 10. See what every level means on the CELPIP score chart, or work out your CLB levels and CRS points with the CLB calculator.

Rules change, so check IRCC’s language page for Express Entry and the page for your own program on canada.ca before you book.

Before you study, take one full mock test under timed conditions. It gives you a level for each skill, so you know where to spend your time. Without it, most people practise what they already do well.

• Take the whole test in one sitting if you can, with headphones and a microphone, in a quiet room.
• Do not stop to look things up: you want to see your levels as they are today.
• Afterwards, write down your four levels, your lowest skill and the parts that felt hardest.

CELPIP Practice Test 1 is free: take the free mock test, with every part in the real test’s order and timing.

Compare your four levels with the level you need. Give most of your time to the skill furthest below it, even if it is not the skill you enjoy most.

• Listening: practise taking short notes, because each recording plays once and the questions come after it. The CELPIP Listening guide goes through all six parts.
• Reading: practise reading against the clock, one part at a time, and check why each wrong answer is wrong. See the CELPIP Reading guide.
• Writing: learn what each task asks for and the tone that suits the reader. Start with the CELPIP Writing guide.
• Speaking: learn the eight tasks and how to plan in 30 seconds. Start with the CELPIP Speaking guide.

Prepiva Pro does this with you: after your second full CELPIP mock test it finds the parts and the mistakes that cost you points, from questions left blank to the grammar you repeat, and builds practice from your own answers. After your fifth and eighth tests it shows what you fixed and what is still there.

Writing and Speaking levels move with regular practice and honest feedback. Raters score both on four dimensions, so practise with them in mind: Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Readability and Task Fulfillment for Writing, with Listenability in place of Readability for Speaking.

• Write a timed email in 27 minutes and a survey response in 26 minutes, each about 150 to 200 words. Check that you covered every point and that the tone suits the reader.
• Record yourself on the Speaking tasks with the real preparation and speaking times, then listen back for long pauses, unclear words and answers that stop early.
• Compare your work with the CELPIP Writing samples and CELPIP Speaking samples at different levels.

With a free account, Prepiva rates the Writing and Speaking of your first full CELPIP mock test, and of your first Writing practice and first Speaking practice. Prepiva Pro rates every attempt, in every CELPIP mock test.

• Book your test early: dates at your nearest test centre can fill up, and your scores need to be ready before you apply.
• Take your last full mock test three to five days before the test, not the day before, and review your mistakes without starting new material.
• Plan for about 3 hours on a computer, in one sitting. The test centre gives you a pen and paper for notes, which you hand back at the end.
• Your scores are online in your CELPIP account 2 to 4 business days after the test. IRCC accepts results less than 2 years old for Express Entry and the post-graduation work permit.
• Check ID rules, fees and dates on celpip.ca before you book.

Each guide takes one skill part by part, with its timing, strategies and sample questions or answers.

To practise one skill on its own, free, take the Listening, Reading, Writing or Speaking practice test. For citizenship, take the CELPIP-General LS practice test, and to choose between practice sites, read the best CELPIP practice tests compared.

The components always come in this order, on a computer, in one sitting. Each part has its own clock, each recording plays once, and Speaking is recorded with no examiner. See every part on the CELPIP test format page, or compare it with IELTS General Training on CELPIP vs IELTS.

After the free mock test, your report gives a CELPIP level and its CLB level for each skill and marks your lowest skill. Then it shows where you lost points: every Listening and Reading question you missed, with the line that gives the right answer, and each Writing and Speaking answer rated with its next step. Every level is a practice estimate.