Guides to the Italian A2 test
Plain-language explanations of the language test required for the EU long-term residence permit in Italy: the structure of the three parts, booking, scoring, exemptions and a preparation plan.
Which level of Italian you need: A2 for the permit, B1 for citizenship
A2 for the EU long-term residence permit, B1 for citizenship: two different requirements, two different instruments. Who is exempt, in which order it pays to move and for which procedures no level is published at all.
6 min read
The day of the A2 Italian test: documents, how it runs and how long it takes
What to bring on the day of the A2 Italian language test, how the test runs on a computer, how long each of the three papers lasts, how to justify an absence and what happens the moment you finish.
5 min read
A2 Italian practice tests: how to actually use them to pass
How to get real value out of past papers and practice tests for the A2 Italian language test — what a serious mock has to reproduce, why a PDF on its own is not enough, how to read your score and how many tests to sit before your summons.
5 min read
The A2 Italian test at the CPIA: how it works and who runs it
Why the A2 Italian language test takes place at a CPIA, who sits on the commission, what role the Prefettura plays, how you end up at an exam venue and why the CPIA is not the counter where you file the request.
5 min read
A2 Italian test results: when they come out and where to check them
After the A2 Italian language test you are not handed a certificate: the result goes into the Ministry of the Interior's system and the Questura reads it. Where to check it, what it says, how long it takes and what to do if it is negative.
5 min read
Preparing for the Italian A2 test in 4 weeks: a concrete study plan
A week-by-week plan to arrive ready for the A2 "test di conoscenza della lingua italiana" — listening, reading and written interaction, with practice tests in the real format and the strategy for the 80-out-of-100 threshold.
5 min read
Who is exempt from the Italian A2 test: every case provided for
All the cases in which you do not need to sit the A2 "test di conoscenza della lingua italiana" for the EU long-term residence permit — recognised certificates, school qualifications, age, health and professional categories, with references to the decree of 7 December 2021.
4 min read
How to book the Italian A2 test at the Prefettura: step-by-step procedure
How to request the A2 "test di conoscenza della lingua italiana" — the Prefettura's online portal, access with SPID or CIE, the summons within 60 days, the CPIA venue, justified absence and retaking the test.
5 min read
The Italian A2 test for the EU long-term residence permit: what it is and who must take it
What the "test di conoscenza della lingua italiana" (A2) is, who has to pass it to get the EU long-term residence permit in Italy, how it is structured, and how it differs from the B1 requirement for citizenship.
6 min read
The Italian A2 test score: how the 80-out-of-100 threshold works
How the score of the A2 "test di conoscenza della lingua italiana" is calculated — 80 points out of 100 on the total, with no minimum per section. The weights of the three parts, the writing bands, the strategy, and what happens after the test.
5 min read
Practise for the A2 test, free