In 2024, I moved to Italy with my Italian husband, determined to pass the CILS B1 exam and secure my citizenship as quickly as possible. Knowing that applications take years to process, I didn’t want to waste any time. Although I didn’t speak any Italian when we arrived, I was eager to dive in. I immediately enrolled in an online exam preparation course, only to quickly realize it was designed for students already at the B1 level. Frustrated, I left that class and began researching other options.

I then enrolled in an in-person language school here in Italy. After two months and nearly 1500€, my instructor informed me that I was still at the A1 level. This was a shock—I had been attending classes 15 hours a week and had been living in Italy for two months! As a working mother, I simply didn’t have any more time to devote to language study. In search of a better solution, I bought a highly recommended B1 test preparation book—only to find that it was entirely in Italian. Feeling overwhelmed, I knew I needed to rethink my approach.