DELE Exam Preparation Course | Official Examination Centers

DELE stands for "Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera". These diplomas are the only officially accredited qualifications issued by the Ministry of Education, Social Policies and Sports of Spain, that are administered internationally and recognized worldwide by private companies, chambers of commerce and public and private educational systems and centers, such as Habla Ya Spanish Schools in Boquete and Bocas del Toro, Panama.

The DELE Spanish Exams are issued by the Instituto Cervantes on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Education, Social Policies and Sports. The DELE Diplomas are the single most important official qualifications that provide accreditation for the different levels of competence and command of the Spanish language. The Instituto Cervantes is the official governmental organization who promotes the Spanish language and is in charge of the DELE Spanish language exams. The University of Salamanca collaborates with the Instituto Cervantes in the development of the examinations and in the marking of the examination papers.

There are six (6) levels at which you can take a DELE Spanish Test:

• Certificado Elemental / Elementary Level (A1) - 60 hours of Spanish studies: this diploma attests to sufficient linguistic ability for a very basic range of the most commonly simple expressions used in the Spanish-speaking world and in order to satisfy immediate needs of a concrete type.
  View course syllabus for the A1 DELE here...
• Diploma de Principiante / Beginner Level (A2) - 120 hours of Spanish studies: this diploma attests to sufficient linguistic ability for understanding a basic range of the commonly simple and immediate relevance of expressions used in the Spanish-speaking world (basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).
  View course syllabus for the A2 DELE here...
• DELE Inicial / Intermediate Level (B1) - 180 hours of Spanish studies: this diploma attests to sufficient linguistic ability for understanding and responding appropriately in most normal day-to-day situations and for expressing desires and needs in a basic way.
  View course syllabus for the B1 DELE here...
• DELE Intermedio / Advanced Level (B2) - 280 hours of Spanish studies: this diploma validates sufficient linguistic ability to get by in average day-to-day situations in normal communication circumstances, which do not require specialized use of the language.
  View course syllabus for the B2 DELE here...
• Certificado Proficiente / Proficient Level (C1) - 380 hours of Spanish studies: at this level, users are expected to be able to use the structures of a language with ease and fluency. Users are able to adapt their language use to a variety of social situations, and express opinions and take part in discussions and arguments in a culturally acceptable way.
  View course syllabus for the C1 DELE here...
• DELE Superior / Superior Level (C2) - 780 hours of Spanish studies: this diploma accredits the necessary linguistic competence to integrate in situations requiring an advanced use of the language and knowledge of the cultural customs embedded within it.
  View course syllabus for the C2 DELE here...

Be sure to take the DELE examination at the appropriate level for you. When you prepare for the DELE Spanish exam at Habla Ya Spanish Schools, we will tell you what is realistically achievable in the timeframe that you have available to get ready for the DELE Test and we'll make sure that you get your DELE Diploma. As of today, every single candidate that has chosen us to prepare their DELE Test has successfully passed it. Please complete and submit your Online Placement Test and we will tell you how much time you need to be ready to pass each DELE Spanish Test.

* The amount of hours listed is the average time of instruction needed to complete each level according to CEF.

• Habla Ya: Levels at Habla Ya Spanish Schools
• CEF: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
• DELE: Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera (the exams organised by the Instituto Cervantes to earn each DELE Diploma)

The first two exams (A1, A2) have four parts and the other four exams (B1, B2, C1 & C2) have five parts each. The main difference for each level is the difficulty and time available for each part. To pass each exam you have to pass each individual part. If you would like to know the exact contents for each level, please refer to our level system and course syllabus section.

The DELE Spanish Exam is arranged several times a year, in February, April, May, July, September, October and in November. The DELE Spanish Exam can be taken in nearly all major Spanish Universities and can also be taken in many countries abroad (including non Spanish speaking countries), such as in Panama at Habla Ya Spanish Schools. Click here for specific examination dates.

When you Sign Up & Register to prepare for the DELE Test at any of our Spanish Schools in Panama we will guide you throughout the entire process and make everything easy for you! If you have any questions before registering, please contact us!

To register for the test you'll have to:

1. fill out a registration form provided by an approved DELE examination center (contact us to receive this form)
2. pay the fee for taking the exam (see fees below)
3. provide documentation to prove that you're not a citizen in a Spanish speaking country and hand in (or fax or email) all the required documentation to the approved examination center about two months before the examination date

Once you complete the above, you'll be provided with documentation that you'll have to show on the examination date.

Depending on your current Spanish level, and on the DELE Diploma you wish to obtain, preparation can take anything from 1 to 9 months.

Please submit your Placement Test to determine your current Spanish level and let us know which DELE Diploma you would like to get (if you're not sure, we can make a suggestion) and we will tell you how much time you'll have to study for to be ready.

Preparation could start before or after registration for the actual exam depending on each individual case.

Prices are in US Dollars. Official registration requirements, sample examination papers, official dates and examination centers can be looked up at the DELE's Official Website by the Cervantes Institute.

The DELE Exam Preparation course at Habla Ya Spanish Schools is primarily offered through One to One Private Lessons taking 20 - 30 hours of private Spanish lessons per week.

You can also join our Group 4 PLUS 2 Course (4 hours of group lessons + 2 hours of private lessons per day) and devote the extra hours of private lessons to prepare the DELE, while utilizing your group lessons to keep improving your general Spanish and conversational skills.

We assess each candidate's Spanish level through an Online Written Spanish Placement Test and an Oral Interview upon arrival. In this way we are able to determine which of the six DELE Exams you should take and how many hours of lessons in total (weeks) you'll need to achieve that level of proficiency.

Each DELE exam has five different parts, except the first two exams which each have four parts each. We will customize your DELE Exam Preparation Course to focus on those skills that you most need to work on, be it reading, writing, listening, grammar/vocabulary or speaking.

You can also prepare for the DELE Spanish Exam with Online Spanish Lessons over video-conference. Special Online Courses and material to prepare for the DELE Spanish exam up to the B2 level (including the DELE Inicial and DELE Intermedio exams) are available through our online platform. These courses provide practice for all papers, including models of written texts and compositions, videos of interviews of the oral section and useful tips for the exam. You can find more information about our Online Spanish Courses and our Online Spanish learning Platform here.

For more information about how to prepare the DELE Spanish Exam read the account of former Habla Ya student Ariana Lopes about how she prepared and passed the C2 DELE Test.

A DELE Exam Preparation Course can be arranged to start whenever you want to, but our advice is to start preparing for your DELE exam with at least 2 months of anticipation before your examination date, although this also depends on your specific Spanish level and on the specific DELE Cervantes Diploma you want to achieve.

Please submit your Placement Test before registering for the DELE exam and we will let you know your current Spanish level and help you decide which of the 6 DELE exams you should take and when you should take it, also taking into account how much time you have to prepare for it.

Habla Ya Spanish Schools in Panama City, Boquete and Bocas del Toro are all threee Official DELE Examination Centers in Panama. When students Sign Up & Register for a DELE Exam Preparation Course at any of our Spanish schools, we assist candidates so that they can present their DELE Test before leaving our country and we also advise on dates for them to start their Preparation Course in order to successfully pass it, as well as selecting the most convenient examination date for each applicant.

The amount of hours you'll end up purchasing is the exact amount of hours that you'll need to prepare for your DELE Test and get your DELE Diploma. You can choose to have between 4 - 6 hours of 1 to 1 Spanish Lessons per day.

You can also join our Group 4 PLUS 2 Course (4 hours of group lessons + 2 hours of private lessons per day) and devote the extra hours of private lessons to prepare the DELE, while utilizing your group lessons to keep improving your general Spanish and conversational skills.

When considering how many of hours to sign up for, take into account the specific level that you should complete in your DELE Preparation Course in order to successfully pass your DELE Test. In order to determine your current Spanish level, please submit your Placement Test.

For the first level test (DELE A1) you should study for 60 hours if you don't know any Spanish. The second DELE Test (DELE A2) requires 60 hours more of Spanish studies after the first level test (120 hours from not knowing any Spanish). The third DELE Test (DELE B1), requires an additional 60 hours of lessons (180 hours in total). The fourth DELE level (DELE B2) test requires an additional 100 hours after the third level test (280 hours in total). The fifth DELE Exam (DELE C1) requires an average of 380 hours in total (an additional 100 hours after the fourth level). And to prepare for the last DELE Test (DELE C2), and be considered just as a native, the average amount of hours needed is an additional 400 hours (780 hours in total). To have a clear idea about this you can consult the above table.