Czech Language Exam for Foreigners to Get Tougher

A new, more challenging test of a foreigner’s Czech proficiency is in the works for the near future

Elizabeth Zahradnicek-Haas

Written by Elizabeth Zahradnicek-Haas Published on 18.11.2015 14:45:41 (updated on 18.11.2015) Reading time: 1 minute

If you’re a foreigner who hasn’t worked up the courage to take the Czech test for permanent residency, now is the time—the Ministry of Education is proposing future changes to the exam that would make it more challenging, reports Novinky.cz

Between 2009 and April of this year, 55,207 candidates for permanent residency, most of them from Ukraine, Vietnam, and Russia, have passed the mandatory Czech language test which reflects a knowledge of Czech proficiency at an A1 level. The ministry believes that prospective permanent residents should know Czech at an intermediate (B1) level.

Officials are also reconsidering how tests are being monitored amid recent cheating scandals which have included the selling of tests, identity fraud, and the tendency of foreigners to opt for taking the test outside of the capital where it’s alleged that bribes are more readily accepted.

Suggeseted measures to boost security are the prohibiting of pencils, installing cameras in testing areas, and bringing in the education inspectorate to monitor exams alongside officers of the Czech foreign police.

While no indication has been made as to how exactly the test will change, ministry officials are saying that foreigners with 140 hours of Czech classroom instruction should be prepared for the new exam, which could be instituted as early as 2018.

There are a handful of testing dates left for 2015; steps for registering, interactive sample tests, and study resources can all be found here

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