When I was preparing for CIPLE, my biggest problem was not the Portuguese — it was figuring out what to study with. There is no single official course. The useful resources are scattered across a university website, a bookshop shelf, and a handful of apps that all describe themselves the same way.
This is the roundup I wish I had found on day one: every CIPLE A2 self-study resource worth your time in 2026 — online platforms, books, mock tests, tutors — what each one actually does, and how I would combine them.
The short version
| Resource | What it gives you | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|
| CAPLE official site | Exam rules, dates, registration | No practice material |
| Lidel exam book | Model exams on paper, with audio | Two sets — you outgrow it fast |
| CIPLE Reviewer eBook | 100+ exam-style questions with sample answers (PDF) | Reading only — no audio, no feedback |
| CIPLE Ready | Daily practice for every component, AI feedback | Speaking still needs a human partner |
| prep2go | Quick online mock + Anki decks | Checks readiness, doesn't build it |
| Tutor (italki/Preply) | Real paired speaking practice | Costs per session, quality varies |
| Practice Portuguese, RTP | Daily European Portuguese listening | Not exam-specific |
1. Official CAPLE materials (free)
Start at the source. CAPLE — the University of Lisbon body that runs CIPLE — publishes the official exam description on caple.letras.ulisboa.pt: what each component tests, the task types, timing, and the exam calendar with registration deadlines.
Good for: understanding exactly what you are signing up for, and checking session dates for your country.
Falls short: it describes the exam — it does not teach the language or give you much to practise with.
2. The Lidel book: Exames de Português CAPLE-UL
Exames de Português CAPLE-UL: CIPLE, DEPLE, DIPLE (José Lino Pascoal & Teresa Brandão Oliveira, Grupo Lidel) is the closest thing to official past papers: complete CIPLE model exams with listening audio, transcriptions, and answer keys.
Good for: seeing the real paper format exactly as the exam presents it.
Falls short: the CIPLE part gives you two model sets — enough to learn the format, not enough for weeks of practice. And nobody corrects your writing or speaking.
3. CIPLE Reviewer — a question-bank eBook
CIPLE Reviewer is a downloadable eBook (PDF) with more than a hundred CIPLE-style questions and sample answers, written by Eunice Estipona — who passed the A2 exam herself after years in Portugal — and reviewed by native speakers. It focuses on reading and comprehension; by its own description, audio exercises are not included. Their site notes the current edition was last updated in December 2024.
Good for: extra reading and comprehension drilling in a simple offline format, with sample answers to compare against.
Falls short: no listening, speaking, or writing feedback — it covers one component of four — and a static PDF cannot tell you what you got wrong or why.
4. CIPLE Ready — my platform, built around this exam
After I could not find one place to practise everything, I built it. CIPLE Ready is a self-paced online platform shaped around the CIPLE format, not a general Portuguese course: 2000 grammar exercises in 20 modules, 876 exam-relevant words with European Portuguese audio, 32 reading texts, 18 writing tasks with AI feedback, 19 listening exercises, 20 speaking tasks with AI evaluation, and 10 full mock exams matching the official structure.
After I passed the real exam myself (final result: Bom), I rebuilt the mocks to match its actual difficulty — the real thing was harder than my first versions, and I wanted the platform to err on the honest side.
Good for: structured daily practice across every component, with feedback on writing and speaking — the two parts you cannot check yourself.
Falls short: the real speaking exam happens in pairs with human examiners, and no app fully replaces a live conversation — I still recommend a tutor for the final stretch. There is a free 5-minute readiness quiz and a free tier to try every section before paying anything.
5. prep2go.study — quick mock tests and Anki decks
Prep2go offers online CIPLE A2 mock tests with a readiness report, plus exam-vocabulary Anki decks. It covers citizenship-exam prep for several countries — Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Germany — so the philosophy is exam-check first: take a mock, see your gaps. I wrote a full side-by-side comparison with CIPLE Ready if you are choosing between us.
Good for: a quick external readiness check, and spaced-repetition vocabulary drilling if you already live in Anki.
Falls short: it is mock-centred rather than a full study system — you will still need somewhere to actually train grammar, writing, and speaking.
6. A tutor for the speaking exam (italki, Preply)
The speaking test lasts about 15 minutes, is taken in pairs, and is the component people underestimate most. Two to four sessions of simulated speaking tasks in the final weeks make a real difference.
One warning from experience: make sure the tutor teaches European Portuguese. Brazilian pronunciation and vocabulary differ in ways examiners notice.
7. Free listening practice (Practice Portuguese, RTP)
The listening component plays each audio only twice, at natural speed. Daily exposure fixes this faster than any drill: Practice Portuguese has a large library of European Portuguese audio and video with transcripts, and RTP Play — Portugal's public broadcaster — is free real-world listening.
Ten minutes a day from a month out is the cheapest score improvement available.
How I would combine them
- 8+ weeks out: read the official exam description on CAPLE, then take a free readiness quiz to see your starting level.
- 8–2 weeks out: daily structured practice — grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, listening — plus ten minutes of free listening. This is where a full platform does the heavy lifting.
- Final 2 weeks: full mock exams under timed conditions (the Lidel book on paper, full-length mocks online), and tutor sessions for paired speaking.
New to the exam itself? Start with my guide: What is CIPLE? Portugal's A2 exam explained — structure, pass marks, dates, and who needs it.
