Institut Ramon Llull Catalan Proficiency Exams - 2025 Convocatòria
UC-Berkeley has once again been deemed an official hosting site for the 2025 Institut RamonLlullCatalan Proficiency Exams. l'Institut RamonLlull, an internationally renowned organization (more than 150 sites worldwide) that promotes and supports Catalan language learning, each year hosts formal, standardized Catalan proficiency examinations. Anyone over the age of 14 can register to take an exam, and if they pass the exam, they earn an Institut Ramon Lllull Language Certificate that certifies their proficiency level. These certificates are highly accredited and recognized by the Catalan government (should anybody seek employment in a Catalan-speaking territory).
Exam Information (dates, content, levels, prices, etc.)
Exams will be administered at the UC-Berkeley campus (5215 Dwinelle Hall) in May, 2025. Exact times/dates will be arranged individually with Professor Justin Davidson
Exams are available for each of 5 levels, ranging from Basic to Superior. Exams are scored as either PASS or FAIL, with different requirements for each (below and on the website, also below). Registration for a single exam level is allowed per year, so you'll have to assess which proficiency level you are striving to be certified in. While the specifics of each exam(in addition to PDFs of sample exams) are available on the Ramon Llull website, my personal placement suggestions would be:
Basic Level (A2) - Suitable for anybody that's taken Catalan 101 and/or has a minimal (basic) command of the language.
[Price of Exam - 30 euros; Minimum Score to pass: 60% on speaking section, 60% average on rest of exam]
[Price of Exam - 35 euros; Minimum Score to pass: 60% on speaking section, 60% average on rest of exam]
[Price of Exam - 35 euros; Minimum Score to pass: 60% on speaking section, 60% average on rest of exam]
[Price of Exam - 60 euros; Minimum Score to pass: 65% average on exam, with no lower than 50% on the listening and writing sections]
Superior Level (C2) - Suitable for anybody that's had 2+ years of Catalan exposure/use/practice and is extremely fluent, with a highly active command of the language.
[Price of Exam - 60 euros; Minimum Score to pass: 60% on the exam, period.]
Registration Information
Registration is open until March 4, 2025.
How to Study/Prepare for an Exam
The Ramon Llull website (https://www.llull.cat/catala/aprendre_catala/certificats_intro.cfm) offers many study materials depending on the exam level. For the basic and elementary levels, you'll find 4 example exams with 4 answer keys, and the audio files used for the listening sections. For exams of higher levels, only one example exam appears, without an answer key nor audio files.
To offer additional help, I've amassed a set of sample exams (with answer keys and audio files) for all exam levels. Simply contact me and I will provide you with sample exams, exercises, and answer keys so that you can get the most out of studying.