How to pass the Polish language certificate exam

Poland's state certificate exam has a simple but demanding rule: you have to reach the minimum in every single part. Our guide to the B1 certificate for citizenship explains why many people need it. This one is about passing it, and our preparation path lists the steps.

Updated November 9, 2026 · 5 min read

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The five parts

The official structure page lists listening, language structures, reading, writing and speaking. The State Commission's website covers levels from A1 to C2.

The pass rule

This rule means that a single weak part ends the attempt, however good the others are. Plan with the lowest score in mind, and not the average.

How to prepare

1. Take a free Polish level test to see where you stand.
2. Learn 16 words a day, with spaced repetition.
3. Practise case endings in full sentences, since a table on its own will not help you under pressure.
4. Train the sounds. Spelling and pronunciation are consistent once you know the rules.
5. Work through the official sample tests.
6. Find the next session on the official registration page.

Finding your weakest part

Do an official sample in full before you plan your weeks. Score every part as a percentage, and put your effort into whichever is furthest below the required mark. Repeat every few weeks. It is a plain method, and for an exam with a minimum in every part, it is the right one.

See also language exams for citizenship.

Keep exploring

Every exam below has its own preparation page on 16Word.

The other language exams

• Sproochentest (Luxembourgish)
• Inburgeringsexamen (Dutch)
• Staatsexamen NT2 (Dutch)
• TOEFL iBT (English)
• IELTS (English)
• Cambridge English (English)
• PTE Academic (English)
• DELF (French)
• DALF (French)
• TCF (French)
• TEF (French)
• Goethe-Zertifikat (German)
• TestDaF (German)
• telc Deutsch (German)
• DELE (Spanish)
• CILS (Italian)
• CAPLE (Portuguese)
• HSK (Chinese)
• JLPT (Japanese)
• TOPIK (Korean)
• YKI (Finnish)
• Ellinomatheia (Greek)

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• How to prepare for the Greek Certificate of Attainment
• Staatsexamen NT2: how scoring works and how to prepare
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