Esperanto exams and certificates: KER levels B1 to C2

The main Esperanto language certificate is the KER exam of the Universal Esperanto Association (UEA). KER stands for Komuna Eŭropa Referenckadro, the Esperanto name of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The exam is offered at B1, B2, C1 and C2, each with a written and an oral part, and the pass mark is 60%. You can take it online from home or on paper at congresses. A complete exam costs €30–130, depending on the level and the country you live in.

UEA launched the system at the end of 2008. By December 2025 it had awarded 2,888 certificates after more than 90 sessions in 33 countries, to candidates from 84 countries (figures from edukado.net, which runs the exams with UEA).

#Which Esperanto exams can you take?

For most learners outside Hungary, the KER exam is the one to aim for: it uses the same scale as exams in other languages.

#What do the levels B1, B2, C1 and C2 mean?

There is no KER exam at A1 or A2. Beginners can rate themselves with the CEFR self-assessment grid, which edukado.net offers in Esperanto and dozens of other languages. UEA published the CEFR itself in Esperanto in 2007, translated by Roel Haveman.

#What is in the KER exam?

The exam is monolingual: tasks and answers are all in Esperanto, and there is no translation. The oral part tests speaking and listening; the written part tests reading, writing, and grammar and vocabulary. You can take the two parts separately; together they form the "complete" exam.

To pass, you need 60% of the points in each part and at least 40% in every task, except the grammar and vocabulary tasks. In the letter you choose one of two topics. The speaking test takes place before a board of examiners, sometimes via Zoom.

The topics come from real life, and each level includes the topics of the levels below. At B1 you ask for and understand information; at B2 you also express opinions; at C1 you report other people's views and argue about abstract topics.

#How much does the KER exam cost?

Prices have applied since 15 March 2025 and are still valid in 2026. They are the same for online and paper exams.

Each cell shows written part + oral part = complete exam.

• Base includes, among others, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, the UK and the USA.
• Group A includes, among others, China, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Russia.
• Group B includes Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Vietnam and every country not listed in the other groups.

UEA sends an invoice after you register, and asks candidates never to pay before receiving it. The PDF certificate is free. A printed certificate costs €10 if ordered with the exam or €15 afterwards, plus postage. It can carry a translation into one of 19 languages, including English, Chinese, Japanese, Russian – and Toki Pona. For the 2026 congress exams, TEJO, edukado.net and some national associations, such as the French, British and US ones, offered grants towards the fees.

#Where and when can you take it?

• Online, from home. Online exams at B1, B2 and C1 started in June 2022. A remote supervision service (ProctorExam) watches the exam. You need a suitable computer and a good connection, and you must pass a technical check before your registration is accepted.
• On paper at events. Sessions take place at the World Esperanto Congress, the ILEI congress and other events. The oral interview can often be done on Zoom before or after.
• C2 started at the World Congress in Montreal in August 2022 and runs once a year, on paper and online.

In 2026 the written exams were scheduled online on 11 July, with paper sessions in Riga, Grésillon (France) and Zaozhuang (China), and at the World Congress in Graz on 7 August. A B1 session in Antananarivo, Madagascar, is planned for 6 November 2026.

Registration usually closes about six weeks before the exam day. A level runs only if at least 12 candidates register for it, counting paper and online together.

#How many people have passed?

5004003002001000

2010201520202025

Show the data

Year	Passed
2008	8
2009	117
2010	146
2011	226
2012	464
2013	289
2014	260
2015	177
2016	164
2017	161
2018	230
2019	165
2020	56
2021	0
2022	187
2023	104
2024	70
2025	64

Of the 2,888 certificates awarded by December 2025, 864 were at B1, 849 at B2, 1,106 at C1 and 69 at C2. The peak year, 2012, saw the first Worldwide Exam Day on 9 June, held in 19 countries at 29 venues. Nobody passed in 2021: exams paused during the pandemic while UEA prepared online exams and the new C2 level. By early October 2026, 57 more candidates had passed.

#Why was the Esperanto exam so popular in Hungary?

In Hungary, a language exam certificate was a condition for receiving a university degree, and Esperanto counts as a foreign language there with the same rights as any other. Many students chose it, probably because it was seen as the easiest way to meet the requirement:

• By 2005 Esperanto was the third most popular exam language, after English and German, and it held third place for 2001–2010 as a whole.
• From 2006 to 2010, Hungarians took more than 5,000 Esperanto language exams a year.
• Most Esperanto candidates were aged 20–29, while in English, German, French and Italian the largest group was aged 14–19 – a sign that they needed the exam for their degree.

These figures come from the Hungarian Educational Authority's statistics, as reported in 2011; we found no newer official numbers. Rules for degrees can change, so check the current requirement with your university.

The state exam is run by the ELTE Origó Language Centre of Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, formerly called ITK. It offers bilingual Hungarian–Esperanto exams at B1, B2 and C1. The same centre validated UEA's KER exams, which it co-organised from 2008 until June 2021. In that period, 2,463 people from 76 countries passed. Since July 2021 UEA has run the KER exams alone, with a working group of the Academy of Esperanto for the C2 level.

#What are the ILEI–UEA exams?

The International League of Esperanto Teachers (ILEI, founded in 1949) and UEA have run joint exams in their present form since 1989. About 500 people passed in the first five years, and about 1,000 in total, according to edukado.net, whose page on these exams lists decisions up to 2012. They differ from the KER exams in three ways:

• They use their own levels: the second (formerly "elementary") and the third (formerly "intermediate"). In 2012 ILEI approved rules for a first, entry level, meant to match A1–A2.
• Each exam has three steps: a grammar test, then a written part (pass mark 60 out of 100), then an oral part. You go on to the next step only if you pass the one before.
• They also test knowledge of Esperanto culture: literature, the history and structure of the movement and its speech community.

These exams have status only within the Esperanto movement. UEA's board recommends that its local delegates reach at least the intermediate level.

#National exams

Several national associations run their own exams. France has four degrees, from the Certificat d'études élémentaires to the Diplôme de hautes études d'espéranto. Germany has four exams, from a course-final test to a course-leader exam. Italy has three grades. Japan has four, with braille versions for blind candidates. The United States has had a three-grade system since 1966. Edukado.net collects the details.

#How to prepare for an Esperanto exam

1. Take a free practice test. Edukado.net offers about 180 free practice exams, with new tests since 1 February 2026. You get your results within a week, with your mistakes and advice on which level to choose. Each practice test can be taken only once.
2. Work through sample papers. The guide Esperanto de nivelo al nivelo (2009) contains two sets of sample written and oral exams for B1, B2 and C1, and is free to download.
3. Read the topic lists for your level, also free on edukado.net.
4. Join the preparation sessions. The fee includes at least one technical training and one preparation session on Zoom.
5. Practise speaking. Speaking gives about two-thirds of the oral score, so regular conversation matters most: see how to learn Esperanto and the conversation programmes in free resources.

For grammar review, the grammar section covers everything tested in the language tasks. How long it takes to reach each level is discussed in how long it takes to learn Esperanto.

#Common questions

#Is there an official Esperanto certificate?

Yes. UEA's KER exam certifies Esperanto at the CEFR levels B1, B2, C1 and C2. C2 certificates are also signed by a representative of the Academy of Esperanto.

#Can I take the Esperanto exam online?

Yes. Since June 2022 you can take the KER exam from home under remote supervision, after a technical check. The oral interview is done on Zoom.

#How much does an Esperanto exam cost?

A complete KER exam costs between €30 (B1, group B countries) and €130 (C2, base countries); each part can also be taken alone for half the price. The PDF certificate is free, and a printed one costs €10–15 plus postage.

#Is an Esperanto certificate recognised?

The KER exam follows the same European framework as exams in other languages, and Hungary's state-accredited ELTE Origó exam counts like any other language exam there. Elsewhere, whether a school or employer accepts it is up to them.

#Is there an A1 or A2 Esperanto exam?

UEA's KER exam starts at B1. For A1–A2, rate yourself with the CEFR self-assessment grid on edukado.net. The ILEI–UEA exams have rules for an entry level matching A1–A2, approved in 2012.

#Which level should I choose?

Take a free practice test first: the feedback recommends a level. To see how well you speak, you can also join one of our conversation circles. If you are not ready for B1 yet, start with our 12-lesson course.

#Sources

• edukado.net: UEA-KER exams (history, 2,888 certificates by December 2025, levels, online exams since June 2022)
• edukado.net: Description and task tables for B1, B2 and C1 (2026)
• edukado.net: Fees and certificates
• edukado.net: Sessions, 2026 schedule, KER in Graz and online exams
• edukado.net: News about C2 (UEA press release no. 1001, 14 December 2021) and Worldwide exam days
• edukado.net: Statistics of KER candidates (accessed 7 October 2026)
• edukado.net: Practice tests and sample papers
• edukado.net: ILEI–UEA exams, national exams and the CEFR in Esperanto
• ELTE Origó Language Centre: bilingual exams
• Nyest.hu / Edupress (26 April 2011): Az angol mellett az eszperantó nyelvvizsga is népszerű
• Wikipedia (Hungarian): Eszperantó nyelv – Nyelvoktatás
• Vikipedio: Internacia Ligo de Esperantistaj Instruistoj (founded 12 August 1949)