Language Proficiency Test to get Brazilian Naionality

Hi I will also be applying later this year in Rio.  If anyone has any recent experience, please let us know or message me directly.  Obrigado!!

I know of the Celpe Bras. I took the exam in 2015 and I passed with the minimum mark allowed. You really need to be proficient to pass because you have to listen to some passages and answer questions about them. Then you do the oral exam with some interviewers. I thiink you should look at the site for appropriate information

Hi Lanre2, were you required to take the Celpe Bras to apply for citizenship?  Please tell us which city you applied in.  Obrigado!

I needed language proficiency for another reason...academic but I understand it's the official language proficiency test. So, my guess is, it will also serve the purpose. I am in Sao Paulo and I applied here.

Obrigado Lanre2.  Could you tell us how you prepared for the test, how long you studied for it?  I'm not the best at languages.  Right now I'm using the free app Duolingo.  Before I was listening to Pimsleur but the advantage of Duolingo is that it combines reading, writing, and speaking while Pimsleur is mostly listening with a little reading.  I also have a beginning-intermediate book that my Brasil wife helps me with.  This is not an easy test by any means.  There is music and movies but I'm not at that level yet.  Thanks!

Unfortunately, I really didn't prepare for the exam, thats why I scored the least pass...which was sufficient for what I needed. I later saw real preparation materials with some colleagues. I'll see if I can get them for you. If I do, i'll ask for your email to pass it across.

Muito Obrigado Lanre2!  How long have you been in Brazil?  You must have taken a Portuguese class while in Brazil.  Quite amazing to pass with the minimum mark needed which is all I am looking for as well.  If you can get the preparation materials I will be forever grateful and I will private message you my email today.

A lil more than 3years but I related well with a lot of locals and picked the language comparatively easily.

WHAT IS THE MINIMUM PASSING MARK FOR THE BRAZILIAN LANGUAGE TEST?

rgg815 wrote:

WHAT IS THE MINIMUM PASSING MARK FOR THE BRAZILIAN LANGUAGE TEST?

Intermediate,  and it must be at least Intermediate on both the Written and Oral, because final grade is the LOWER of the two.

Passing range is:
- Intermediate:  2.00-2.75 points
- Intermediate Superior:  2.76-3.50 points
-Advanced:  3.51-4.25 points
-Advanced Superior:  4.26-5.00 points

chicagoan777

See this thread.  It should answer your questions:

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 30#4748066

It should not be difficult if you already speak it and read a lot of newspapers. Test taking technics, reading and comprehension and grammar are very important though to pass.

Perhaps a university language course might be imperative if your Portuguese is really poor.

More than any other single thing, CelpeBras is a test of Portuguese composition skills.  The candidate will need to write five compositions in longhand, in legible handwriting, on topics that s/he will only know when the test begins.  Knowing and following the conventions of written Portuguese are expected.  One essay is about a video that is shown twice, one is about an audio file that is played twice.  The other three are based on written material; one of them is generally in letter form, so knowing the conventions for letterwriting in Brazil is a definite plus.  Three hours are allotted to the written test, although a candidate finishing earlier is allowed to leave. No electronics of any kind are permitted in the exam room, and the exam must be completed in BLACK ink.  The best possible practice is to time yourself taking some of the old tests that the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul makes available, which can be found following the link that I provided above.

The oral portion of the test lasts 20 minutes (although mine went over), and is administered either the same day or the next day.  About five minutes is spent in general conversation, really to put the candidate at ease; the remainder is directed conversation based on written materials having to do with contemporary Brazilian culture.  For example, one of the texts in my test was about "sebos", the second-hand bookstores that are popular with students in Brazil.  There are two examiners, plus an observer present who sits out of the direct line of sight to the examiners.  The test is recorded, in case there is a disagreement later on the grading.

The oral and written tests are graded separately by different people who don't know the   names or nationalities of the candidates.  The overall grade is the LOWER of the two, not the average, so it's not possible to bootstrap a poor written grade into a "pass" through an excellent oral, or vice versa.

One question came to mind for the sake of our fellow expats wanting to be brasileiros:

In cases where you do really have a very bad handwriting where you would risk your answers
not to be graded at all. Can you print your anwers - ie: O PEDRO REALMENTE COMPLETOU
O TESTE E FOI ALEVIADO ULTIMAMENTE - all
capital letters. Or the first letter only capital and the rest also somewhat capital but smaller in size than the first instead of the longhand?

It's complicated because it's supposed to be a correct composition including the spelling, grammar, correct construction and accentuations.

robal

robal wrote:

One question came to mind for the sake of our fellow expats wanting to be brasileiros:

In cases where you do really have a very bad handwriting where you would risk your answers
not to be graded at all. Can you print your anwers - ie: O PEDRO REALMENTE COMPLETOU
O TESTE E FOI ALEVIADO ULTIMAMENTE - all
capital letters. Or the first letter only capital and the rest also somewhat capital but smaller in size than the first instead of the longhand?

It's complicated because it's supposed to be a correct composition including the spelling, grammar, correct construction and accentuations.

robal

Good question!  I would think that it's acceptable to use block letters ("letra de forma"), simply because for so many people nowadays, especially younger people, that IS their handwriting, and legibility is so important.  If the verb tenses, the genders, and the accents are right, I doubt candidates would be dinged for block letters.  It wasn't not specifically addressed in the Edital of March 2019, that governed the test I took in May.  In that one, blue ink was forbidden for the first time, and that was the big issue.  The Edital is reissued for every test, however, so there's always the potential for changes from one to the next.

During the approximately two months between the time that a candidate's registration is accepted and the date of the test, it's possible to submit this kind of significant administrative question to the person in charge of the test site.  At least here in Amazonas, a big test site with 180 seats,  the professor in charge was very good about responding to emails.

Some interesting facts about CelpeBras that I've discovered by analyzing the actual numbers from the edition (May 2019) that I took:

1. About 10,000 seats (9,937 in May 2019) are made available worldwide for the test each time that it's given.
2. Of the available seats, about 34% are located in Brazil; the rest are overseas.
3. Of the overseas seats, 67% are in other countries of South America; that's about 1000 more than are in Brazil itself.
4. Assuming that only 80% of the available seats are actually occupied on test day (this is probably very conservative:  candidates pay to take the test, and there's a lot of effort to match supply with demand, but let's be conservative), 48% of the test takers fail to qualify for a certificate.
5. Again, being conservative, here's the breakdown of results for the candidates who pass, as a percentage of people who sit for the test:

Advanced Superior (4.26-5.00) --  2.83%
Advanced (3.51-4.25) -- 11.41%
Intermediate Superior (2.76-3.50) -- 20.77%
Intermediate (2.00-2.75) -- 16.82%

abthree wrote:

Some interesting facts about CelpeBras that I've discovered by analyzing the actual numbers from the edition (May 2019) that I took:

1. About 10,000 seats (9,937 in May 2019) are made available worldwide for the test each time that it's given.
2. Of the available seats, about 34% are located in Brazil; the rest are overseas.
3. Of the overseas seats, 67% are in other countries of South America; that's about 1000 more than are in Brazil itself.
4. Assuming that only 80% of the available seats are actually occupied on test day (this is probably very conservative:  candidates pay to take the test, and there's a lot of effort to match supply with demand, but let's be conservative), 48% of the test takers fail to qualify for a certificate.
5. Again, being conservative, here's the breakdown of results for the candidates who pass, as a percentage of people who sit for the test:

Advanced Superior (4.26-5.00) --  2.83%
Advanced (3.51-4.25) -- 11.41%
Intermediate Superior (2.76-3.50) -- 20.77%
Intermediate (2.00-2.75) -- 16.82%

Very high failure rate. In Brazil, the highest portion of that mortality rate must be the new residents of 1 year, still learning Portuguese. Aspiring naturalization candidates should heed the statistics and go for a university language course if still within a 1 year residency period.

robal

On the PF site, several other options for fulfilling the language requirement are listed. Celpe-Bras was only offered once this year, and it is unclear when the 2021 date will be announced (I imagine it is impacted somewhat by Covid). Has anyone had any experience fulfilling the language requirement with the other options listed?

I will be eligible to apply in January, and would prefer to apply as soon as possible!

Cafe1992 wrote:

On the PF site, several other options for fulfilling the language requirement are listed. Celpe-Bras was only offered once this year, and it is unclear when the 2021 date will be announced (I imagine it is impacted somewhat by Covid). Has anyone had any experience fulfilling the language requirement with the other options listed?

I will be eligible to apply in January, and would prefer to apply as soon as possible!

I believe that this is another case, all too common with Brazilian officialdom, of "what the large print giveth, the small print taketh away!"  Reading the other options carefully, you'll see that they usually come down to either earning a degree from a Brazilian public university, or passing the Brazilian examination for recognition of a professional qualification, either of which is a rare and specialized case.

I realize that there is a reference to Portuguese courses for foreigners.  As I've advised elsewhere,  if you try going this route, ask before putting your money down whether your graduation certificate will be accepted by the Federal Police as a substitute for the CelpeBras.  All of the courses that I've seen advertised to date, under the marketing talk, are nothing more than CelpeBras prep courses.

Portuguese for foreigners course” in a Brazilian University can be an alternative to CELPE-Bras applying for citizenship from February 2019. How true is this

olutunlaaugustine wrote:

Portuguese for foreigners course” in a Brazilian University can be an alternative to CELPE-Bras applying for citizenship from February 2019. How true is this

Welcome, Augustine!

In theory, that can be true.  In practice, many of the courses offered with that as a selling point are probably in fact preparation courses for the exam, CelpeBras.  That in itself is not necessarily a bad thing:  a good course will definitely be a big help in passing the exam.  Before paying any money, just make sure to understand what promises they are making to you.

olutunlaaugustine wrote:

Portuguese for foreigners course” in a Brazilian University can be an alternative to CELPE-Bras applying for citizenship from February 2019. How true is this

My wife took this course at the local Federal university (UFSC), tested into and passed the 4th of 5 classes. Then the university decided to cancel the class as she was about to start the final semester (it would have been this past January - June of this year) and now she's gonna have to take the Celpe in December anyway.

Also, UFSC decided not to be a Celpe test post this year and we have to drive like 8 hours to the nearest testing place for her.

09/27/21

haragiar wrote:

My wife took this course at the local Federal university (UFSC), tested into and passed the 4th of 5 classes. Then the university decided to cancel the class as she was about to start the final semester (it would have been this past January - June of this year) and now she's gonna have to take the Celpe in December anyway.

Also, UFSC decided not to be a Celpe test post this year and we have to drive like 8 hours to the nearest testing place for her.

Best of luck to her!  The pandemic, on top of disarray
in the Ministry of Education, really has disrupted CelpeBras.

The Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul maintains an archive of old tests that can be downloaded for practice.  I found them to be very helpful preparation.  If she isn't already using them, she can find them here:

http://ufrgs.br/acervocelpebras/acervo

When the new Edital for the test comes out, it's important to read it very carefully; there are sometimes changes to the test day rules from one year to another.

Please write the address of the website where the exam material is available

Please write the address of the website that has the content. How do they start a conversation? I have memorized the words.

01/22/23 @Wassem Choudhury. Please note that the CelpeBras examination is only required for people applying for naturalization as Brazilian citizens. No language test is required to apply for permanent residency in Brazil, if the candidate meets the legal qualifications.

A foreigner can apply for naturalization after living in Brazil as a legal permanent resident for four years. This period is reduced to one year for the husband or wife of a Brazilian citizen. There is no credit for time spent in Brazil prior to having a CRNM.

CelpeBras is normally administered twice a year. This schedule was disrupted by the pandemic, however, and in 2023 it will only be administered once. Applications for the test will be accepted from July 26 to August 6, 2023, and the test itself will be administered worldwide on October 18, 2023. The full schedule, and frequently asked questions, can be found here:

https://www.normasabnt.org/celpe-bras-2 … ebras-2023

If you're hoping to take the test this year, you should start checking the site regularly, in case the schedule changes. Note that the test fee must be paid within days of application.

For resources, the link I provided in Post #24 above for downloading tests from previous years is still valid. I found these tests enormously helpful in preparing for the written test. You can practice for the oral test by taking the three articles from the written test, and discussing them with someone in Portuguese. The topics for the oral test change constantly, but they're similar to those articles.

The final grade on CelpeBras is the LOWER of the two grades, written and oral, so it's not possible to bolster a weak written grade with a strong oral one, or vice versa.

For the language test, you can study based on the old tests mentioned above, or you can use a book that's called ''Muito Prazer, O Portuguese do Brasil''. When I used to teach at an all exclusive Asian company, they used this book for their Asian clients that wanted to learn Portuguese. There's a newer version out and sold by Lexicon. It's also on Amazon and worth it in my opinion. I've seen a lot of Asians learning the language in less than 3 months and passing CelpeBras in mass*. This is an option also, self-study.

*Note: they had no choice, the course was 3 months and 5 days a week class in order to take the language test and pass.