What is my CEFR level? A free five-minute test
What this test measures
This test estimates your CEFR level, from A1 to C2, from up to 36 short questions on grammar, vocabulary, usage and short reading. It takes about five minutes, needs no sign-up, and stops early once a level is clearly too hard. The result is an estimate of your reading and grammar level, not a certificate and not your speaking level.
Each level has six questions. You pass a level with four correct answers out of six, and your result is the highest level you pass with every level below it also passed. Three correct out of six on the next level up shows as approaching that level. If two levels in a row are clearly too hard, the test stops and scores what you have answered.
Why speaking is usually one level lower
Most learners read and recognise grammar about a level above what they can produce out loud under time pressure. Choosing the right verb form on a screen and finding it in half a second in the middle of a sentence are different skills, and the second one is what interviews, meetings and conversations test. If this page says B2, plan as if your speaking is B1 until you have heard yourself hold a conversation.
The honest fix is to speak and get corrected. Lucida listens to you talk about real topics and scores pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency and pace inside the conversation, which is the measurement a multiple-choice page cannot make.
How to read your result
These are plain-language paraphrases of the official CEFR global scale. Each level describes what you can do, not what you know.
• A1: you can introduce yourself and handle very basic exchanges if the other person speaks slowly and helps.
• A2: routine situations such as shopping and directions, and simple descriptions of your job, family and surroundings.
• B1: you can deal with most travel situations and describe experiences, plans and opinions, with pauses and some searching for words.
• B2: you can follow and join a discussion, argue a point, and talk with native speakers without strain on either side.
• C1: flexible, fluent speech for social, academic and professional use, with few visible searches for words.
• C2: you understand almost everything you hear or read and express fine shades of meaning, close to an educated native speaker.
What to do next at each level
Below B1, the fastest gains come from short daily sessions with material you understand completely: shadowing, simple conversations, and a small set of phrases used until they are automatic. Between B1 and B2, most learners stall because they stop speaking under pressure, and the fix is more conversation, not more grammar. From B2 upwards, precision matters most: pronunciation that never causes a misunderstanding, and the ability to sound formal or relaxed on purpose.
The widely cited Cambridge estimate is roughly 200 guided learning hours per level. Treat it as a planning range with wide error bars, not a promise, and remember that hours spent listening to a class are not hours spent speaking.
How this compares with official tests
A placement test is a starting point, not a qualification. Universities, employers and visa offices accept certificates such as IELTS, TOEFL, the Cambridge exams or the Duolingo English Test, each of which reports results that map to CEFR levels in published ranges. If you need a certificate, use this page to choose which exam level to prepare for, then take the real thing.
What this test cannot do: it does not hear you, so it cannot judge pronunciation, fluency or how you cope in a live exchange. It does not test writing. And 36 questions cannot separate a strong B1 from a weak B2 as reliably as a two-hour exam. Expect the estimate to sit within one level of a formal result.
What A1 to C2 actually mean in conversation, how long each step takes, and why your speaking level is often below your test score.
Frequently asked questions
Is this CEFR test free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no email and no payment. The result appears on the page as soon as you finish, and nothing you answer is stored.
Is the result an official CEFR certificate?
No. It is an estimate of your reading and grammar level. For a certificate you need a recognised exam such as IELTS, TOEFL, a Cambridge exam or the Duolingo English Test, each of which reports a CEFR-aligned result.
Which languages can I test?
English and Spanish, with the same format and scoring. Each language has its own set of 36 questions written for the six CEFR levels.
How accurate is a 36-question test?
Accurate enough to place you within about one level. Six questions per level cannot separate a strong B1 from a weak B2 as reliably as a full exam, and the test cannot hear you speak, which is where most learners score lower.
Why does my speaking feel lower than my result?
Because recognising the right form on a screen is easier than producing it in half a second in the middle of a sentence. Speaking adds time pressure, pronunciation and listening all at once. Most learners speak about one level below what they read.
How do I check my speaking level?
Say a few sentences to something that can score them. In the Lucida app you hold a real conversation with an AI coach and get a level estimate with feedback on pronunciation, grammar, fluency and pace.
Check your speaking level, not just your grammar
Lucida is an AI speaking coach app for iOS and Android. You talk about real topics and get real-time feedback on pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency and pace. Free to download, with some features requiring a subscription.
