How to prepare for the CCSE when your Spanish is limited
The real CCSE is written in Spanish. It has 25 questions, lasts 45 minutes, and you pass with 15 correct answers. If your Spanish is limited, study each idea in the language you understand best, then learn the Spanish term for it. Practise full timed mocks, because 45 minutes leaves under two minutes a question.
Sources: Instituto Cervantes, CCSE specifications; Instituto Cervantes, how to prepare; Real Decreto 1004/2015, article 6; Orden JUS/1625/2016, article 10. Last checked on 17 October 2026. That day the Instituto Cervantes site was in maintenance, so the figures come from the excerpt of its specifications that search engines show; the note on our CCSE format page says what we re-read next.
What the real exam asks of your Spanish
The CCSE (Conocimientos Constitucionales y Socioculturales de España) is the test of constitutional and sociocultural knowledge that applicants for nationality by residence take together with the DELE. It is a knowledge test, not a language test: 25 closed questions, with three options or true or false, all worth the same (Real Decreto 1004/2015, article 6.3). But the questions are written in Spanish, so you need enough Spanish to read a question and its options.
By law, 60% of the questions are about the Constitution and the administrative and territorial organisation of Spain, and 40% about Spanish culture, history and society. Terms you will meet while studying the Constitution include Cortes Generales, Comunidad Autónoma, Jefe del Estado and Defensor del Pueblo.
Three steps
- Learn the idea in the language you know. Read what the Constitution says about the topic in Arabic, French or English first. If you do not know what the Defensor del Pueblo does, no amount of Spanish vocabulary will help you answer.
- Learn the Spanish term next to it. Write each idea and its Spanish name side by side. The exam will show you the Spanish name only.
- Take full mocks against the clock. 45 minutes for 25 questions is under two minutes a question. Run complete mocks, not only topic quizzes, and check every wrong answer.
The Instituto Cervantes publishes a free preparation manual for the CCSE, with 300 questions classified by tarea, and an official app. Both are free, and you never have to take a preparation course to sit the test (Orden JUS/1625/2016, article 10.1).
Where our free mock fits
Our mock has 25 questions and a 45-minute timer, and it names the area to study next. Each answer comes with an explanation in Arabic, French, English or Spanish, so you can check an idea in your own language and then see the Spanish wording. It is a practice tool: every question links to its source.
Practise: 5 questions from the free CCSE mock
Five questions drawn at random from the free mock's bank, corrected straight away with an explanation. No account.
Frequently asked questions
Is the CCSE available in Arabic, French or English? The questions on the real exam are in Spanish. Our practice mock explains each answer in Arabic, French, English or Spanish to help you study, but the exam itself is in Spanish.
Do I need a Spanish course to sit the CCSE? No. Preparation courses are never compulsory to sit the tests (Orden JUS/1625/2016, article 10.1).
How many questions do I need right? You need 15 correct answers out of 25, which is 60%.
Where can I get free official practice material? The Instituto Cervantes publishes a free manual with 300 questions and an official app.
You have read the guide. Now see where you stand with 25 timed questions.
Take the free CCSE mock (25 questions)