Can You Really Pass the CILS B1 Cittadinanza Exam Without Being B1? Here's How.

The CILS B1 Cittadinanza is the Italian language exam required for citizenship and long-term residency permits. Most people assume they need to be fully fluent to pass it. They're wrong - and that assumption is exactly what causes people to spend years in language classes before they ever sit down to take the test.

The answer is yes, you can pass without being B1. Here's how Ready Set Italia students do it.

1. Know the scoring algorithm

Not all questions on the exam are worth the same amount of points. Some sections are easier than others - and interestingly, some of the most difficult questions are worth the least. Knowing which parts carry the most point value, and which questions are easiest to get right, lets you put your time and effort where it actually matters.

Most students walk out of the testing room with no idea how they did. Ready Set Italia students have a good idea before they even leave.

2. Laser focus on what's actually on the exam

The CILS B1 Cittadinanza exam is about 2 hours long. That's roughly the length of a single Italian language class. There is no way to test the entire Italian language in 2 hours - which means most of what stressed you out in class isn't on this exam. By focusing only on what is actually tested, you stop wasting time studying what you don't need to know. There are specific vocabulary items and question formats that appear on every single exam.

Ready Set Italia has the largest pool of past official exams you'll find anywhere - and we use that knowledge not only to give you plenty of practice, but to identify with certainty what shows up every time.

3. Use test-taking strategies when you don't know

No matter how much you prepare, you will encounter things you don't know. A question from the assessor during the speaking section that you don't understand. A multiple-choice question on the listening section where you didn't catch the audio at all. It happens to everyone. There are specific strategies for exactly these moments - a bank of flexible sentences that work for any speaking prompt, a writing template that works with any writing prompt, and a method for narrowing down which multiple-choice answer is most likely correct. Ready Set Italia students will never be totally lost on exam day.

This is why I built Ready Set Italia. In the US, I was a public school teacher and a principal for English as a Second Language learners. I know how to build a language curriculum. I was tired of spending too much time and money in language classes. I wanted to pass an exam so I could then have the freedom to learn the language on my own schedule.

There was no program available to teach just what's on the exam. It was either regular language classes, apps with pointless scenarios, or exam prep programs that required near-full fluency to understand anything being said. Ready Set Italia is designed specifically for native English speakers to pass their required Italian exams - fast.

Check out our programs for many official Italian exams, like the A2 Integrazione exam, B1 Cittadinanza, B1 Standard, and Patente B (Italian driver's license).

Unsure which exam you need? We can help with that too. Our 60 second survey will tell you exactly what exam you need for your specific situation.