B1 bez stresu · All guides

How to prepare for the B1 Polish exam in a few weeks

As of 26 October 2026

If your Polish is already close to B1 level and you practise every day, 6-8 weeks is usually enough to prepare well for the exam. The most important things are to learn the exam format, do tasks from official exam papers and keep track of time. Remember that you need at least 50% of the points in each part separately.

What the B1 exam looks like

The exam for adults has a written part (up to 190 minutes) and an oral part (up to 15 minutes). In the 2024 exam papers, the parts looked like this:

The 50% pass mark applies to each part. There are breaks between the parts of the written exam, and each break lasts at least 10 minutes.

An 8-week study plan

You can find official sample tests on certyfikatpolski.pl, in the “O egzaminie” (About the exam) tab. The same website also has exam papers from the 2024 sessions.

Study for 45-60 minutes every day. If you only have 6 weeks, shorten weeks 2-3 and 4-5 to one week each.

The B1 bez stresu app also has a timed mock exam, with writing and speaking marked using the exam criteria.

What to practise in each part

• Listening: short statements, dialogues, an interview. In the 2024 papers, the recordings in the first task were played only once, and in the other tasks twice. Practise marking your answers during the first listening.
• Reading: choosing answers, YES/NO sentences, putting missing parts back into a text, matching (for example, headings to paragraphs), choosing the right word in a text. Read the instructions and the questions first, then the text.
• Grammar: eight tasks - forms of nouns, adjectives and pronouns, conjunctions, comparison, verb forms in the present and past tense, questions about the underlined part of a sentence, rewriting sentences, aspect and mood, prepositions.
• Writing: you choose one of three sets and write both tasks from that set - a short text (for example, good wishes, an invitation, a notice) and a longer one (for example, an email, a description, a review, an essay).
• Speaking: you draw one of three sets with two or three tasks. In the official sample test, these were describing a photo, talking about your family and a role play at the information desk of a railway station.

The most common traps

• Word count. The instructions for each writing task give the number of words, and in the 2024 papers the two tasks together had about 200 words. The length of your text affects your marks, so count the words in your draft.
• Tasks from two different sets. Both texts must come from the same set.
• Time in the writing part. 75 minutes for two texts goes quickly. Leave 10 minutes to copy out your text and check the word endings.
• Pencil and correction fluid. In the exam you may not write in pencil or use correction fluid, so practise writing by hand, not only on your phone.
• One weak part. Even a high total score will not help if you get less than 50% in one part.

How to practise speaking

Speaking gives the most points, and for many people it is the most stressful part. What helps most is regular practice: 10-15 minutes of speaking out loud every day.

1. Choose a topic (family, work, housing, shopping, travel, health) and talk about it for 2 minutes while you record yourself on your phone.
2. Listen to the recording and write down 3 mistakes that you keep making.
3. Describe photos from the internet: who is in them, where they are, what they are doing, what might have happened before.
4. Act out situations: at a public office, at the doctor's, in a shop, at the station. It is best to do this with another person who asks you questions.

The description of the oral part on certyfikatpolski.pl says that the influence of your native language on your pronunciation may be noticeable, but it should not make it hard to understand you. You do not have to speak without an accent. What matters is that people understand you.

The last week before the exam

1. Take your last full mock exam 4-5 days before the exam.
2. Revise what you already know: your list of typical mistakes and ready-made phrases for letters and good wishes.
3. Check the address of the exam centre and the time of the exam. You must arrive on time, as shown in the schedule.
4. Get your photo ID and pens ready.
5. On the day before the exam, rest and get enough sleep instead of studying late into the night.

You may not bring a phone or other devices into the exam room. If you do not pass this time, you can take the exam again in the very next session.

The times, points and word counts come from the official 2024 exam papers. Before the exam, check the latest information on certyfikatpolski.pl.