I have been in the process of applying for my Sephardic Spanish Citizenship for the last couple of years.  While it is no easy process, it’s totally doable.  In these series of posts, I am recapping how I am applying for Sephardic Spanish Citizenship and my experience.

I took the DELE A2 exam yesterday!  It sort of snuck up on me in the sense that I registered for it way back in May thinking “October is so far away”, but here we are…in October and finished with the exam.  

So, how was it?  Well, I don’t want to count any chickens before they hatch, but I think it went well!  I have a decent level of Spanish, so I didn’t really prepare for it.  All I did was look at a sample of the exam and run through some of the questions, just to get an idea of what the exam would be like.

Basic Information about the DELE A2 Exam

• The exam runs ~1x/ month certain months of the year.
• It is held at testing centers around the world.  Find a testing center HERE.
• It fills up quickly, so register way in advance
• The test is on paper and there is a separate answer sheet.  It was like being back in college!!
• The price of the exam varies depending on the country in which you take the exam, but I paid 124 Euros and part of my soul.
• Results are available within about 3 months at which time a diploma is sent to you if you passed.

Breakdown of the DELE A2 exam

• 1 hour for the reading comprehension
• 35 minutes for listening activities
• 20 minute break to eat or have a coffee
• 55 minutes for the writing section
• 15 minutes for the speaking portion (plus 15 minutes beforehand to prepare the speaking)

What to Bring to the DELE A2 Exam

1. ID or Passport
2. The confirmation page from when you registered (la convocatoria)
3. The registration information from the Cervantes website (your resguardo)
4. A pencil
5. An eraser
6. A pen
7. Food
8. Water

What Test Day is Like for the DELE A2

I registered to take the exam at Universidad Complutense in Madrid, which is a quick metro ride away, but I left almost two hours before the start of the exam to give myself plenty of time to find the correct building.  I’m glad I did, because once I got off the metro, it took me almost 40 minutes to find the right building.

The test begins at 9:00 am, but they want you to be there at 8:30 am.  You wait for a bit and during this time, you can talk to other people, which is what I did.  Then they eventually walk you to the testing room and one by one, take you to your assigned seat (there were only 10 people per group).  They explain which parts to use pencil (every part except the writing portion) and how the exam works.  Then they pass out the exam and you can begin

• Reading comprehension: Not too bad.  I thought there was enough time to finish all of the questions and go back and check everything.
• Listening:  This was the most difficult for me since it keeps moving, even if you are not ready.  You hear each part two times and they give you time beforehand to read the questions.  I used that time to do a quick translation next to each so I could quickly refer to it when the audio was playing.
• Writing:  This part was fairly simple.  There were three prompts (the first is 20-30 words, the second and third were 70-80 words).  I actually found it difficult to limit the number of words and wanted to write more than was allowed.  The first part had a prompt to review a restaurant, the second was the write an e-mail, and the third was to describe what someone did on their vacation based on 3 photos.
• Speaking:  You do the speaking test based on your registration number.  I was the last in the group, so I waited almost 1.5 hours for my turn, but I used this time to chat with others in the group.  There are 4 parts to the speaking exam and you will know what you will be talking about beforehand and will have 15 minutes to prepare.  First, they ask you basic questions about yourself.  After that, they ask you to talk 3-4 minutes about a topic which you prepped in the first 15 minutes.  After that, you have to describe a photo (which you also prepped).  Third, you have to do a role-play with the interviewer about the second topic you chose.  Finally, you do another role play, which they tell you on the spot (mine was about making weekend plans with a friend).

Exam Practice for the DELE A2:

Here is what I used to study for the DELE A2:  Level A2 Practice

You can also purchase books from the Cervantes Institute, which includes full-length practice exams, or join a class.  Both of these things can be very helpful if you are not confident with your level of Spanish.