There are a limited number of CAPLE practice exams available online, and so for me when I booked the B1 exam I made a plan of how and when to test myself properly to be sure I was ready.
How (and when) I used practice exams ahead of my EU-PT B1 exam
My plan: A2 → B1 timeline
I had 10 months to go from a medicore A2 level, with poor grammar knowledge, to at least a passable B1. To do this I split my time up: 4 months to become a confident A2 speaker, ideally passing an A2 practice exam with flying colours, and then the 6 months to level up to B1.
Resources I used
To actually assess myself with the CAPLE exams, I stocked up on whatever I could that was close enough. Firstly, I bought their book that has 2 practice exams per level A2-B2 (Exames de Português CAPLE-UL). Personally, I found this extremely useful, but, as per usual, they go easy on you in the listening sections compared to the real deal.
I then went hunting for the online practice exams. Unfortunately, since I took the exams it seems they’ve changed the direct links to the full B1 exam on CAPLE’s website (for the life of me I can’t find their listening exam), but here’s what I could find:
Direct CAPLE B1 (DEPLE) links
Reading exam
Writing exam
Answer key
(If I find the B1 listening exam they should have, I will add it above)
Extra speaking practice
I also came across this practice B1 exam, which I remember was especially good practice for the speaking section (ideally if you have a partner): telc Portuguese B1.
Progress checks & results
For the B1 level practice exams that was pretty much it that’s online for free. However, there are a few more examples at A2, which I relied on in the early months. Even though I’d set the 4 month deadline for my A2 check-in test (using one of the CAPLE book’s tests), at 2 and 3 months I took additional A2 exams I found online and used the results to focus in on my weak points.
I took the first out of the 2 A2 exams that were given in my official CAPLE exam practic book at 4 months and passed with what would’ve been ‘muito bom’ in reading and listening and took that as my queue to move on to B1 grammar/topics. However, about 1 month later I took the 2nd A2 exam in that CAPLE book and struggled significantly more in the listening (a sign of things to come). I still did well enough to pass and kept pushing. However, at the 6 month mark I took the first of my 2 CAPLE B1 tests in the book. I passed the reading well enough, but failed the listening. This issue repeated with CAPLE’s online exam paper (linked above) that I had saved to take a month later too.
Around 1 month before my exam I read that if you fail one section you fail the whole exam (I still think this is indeed the case, just from reading online experiences) so I was heavily contemplating withdrawing. Luckily I chose to just go for the experience, and I don’t think there are refunds anyway, which is worth it in its own right (I’m very happy with the Camões pencil I got to keep).
I ended up passing the exam, and my results reflected the results I had been getting in my B1 level tests leading up to the real thing (doing well in all sections except listening, in which I scraped a ‘suficiente’). I do think timing how and when I took A2 or B1 level exams over the months leading up to the exam were really helpful, and it’s something that should be considered when you’re in the run up to an exam.
Final thoughts
- Map a realistic A2 → B1 timeline and use timed mock exams to anchor each phase.
- Expect listening to feel harder on the day than in most practice materials - try to train above level, but not too far above that you don't understand what's going on (and therefore don't notice an improvement over time).
- Add in picture description drills for speaking fluency and detail.