How do I prepare for the CCSE test?
The CCSE is a short test about Spain, used for Spanish nationality. It has 25 questions and lasts 45 minutes. It is not a language test. It checks what you know about Spain’s government, laws, culture and daily life.
The best way to prepare is simple. All the possible questions are public, in a free official manual. Study that manual, take a few practice tests, and you are ready.
The short version
What is the CCSE?
CCSE stands for the test of constitutional and sociocultural knowledge of Spain. The Instituto Cervantes runs it. It is one of the steps to get Spanish nationality by residence.
People often mix it up with the DELE A2, but they are two different exams. The DELE A2 checks your Spanish. The CCSE checks what you know about Spain. Many people take both, because both are part of the same nationality application.
Watch in Spanish
See the CCSE explained
Want to hear how the exam works in Spanish? These short videos walk through the CCSE. Watching them is also good listening practice for the DELE A2.
Cómo es el examen CCSE para nacionalidad española
Freeda Language Space
A quick look at what the exam is like.
Guía completa para aprobar el examen CCSE
Freeda Language Space
A fuller walk-through of how to pass.
Datos clave sobre el examen CCSE de nacionalidad
extranjeriatv
The key facts in about a minute.
Tres preguntas reales del examen CCSE de nacionalidad
Agreda Abogadas
Three real questions from the exam.
The test
How does the CCSE work?
Questions
25
Time
45 minutes
Question type
Multiple choice and true or false
To pass
15 right out of 25 (60%)
Result
Pass or fail (apto / no apto)
You take it at an Instituto Cervantes centre or an approved centre, on paper or on a computer. The questions are short and the answers are given, so there is no writing.
What it covers
What is in the CCSE?
The 25 questions come from five tasks, in two groups. About 60% are about government and the law, and about 40% are about culture and daily life.
Task 1
Government, law and taking part as a citizen
Government, law and citizenship
Task 2
Basic rights and duties
Government, law and citizenship
Task 3
How Spain is organised, plus its geography
Government, law and citizenship
Task 4
Spanish culture and history
Culture, history and society
Task 5
Life in Spain today
Culture, history and society
The government part is the biggest, with 15 of the 25 questions. It is worth learning that part really well first.
The culture and society part is smaller, but it is the part that is fun to learn, because it is about real life in Spain, like festivals, food, regions and famous people.
The one thing to know · All 300 questions
Every question is public, and we list all 300 in English and Spanish
Your 25 exam questions are taken from a fixed set of 300. So you are not guessing what might come up. You can study the exact questions and answers. The official set is only in Spanish, so we list all 300 here with the correct answers, side by side in English and Spanish. This is why most people pass with a few weeks of study.
How to get ready
How do I prepare for the CCSE?
Go through all 300 questions and learn the answers.
Take a few practice tests, with a timer, until 60% feels easy.
Go over the government and law part again, since it is the biggest.
The manual is enough to pass. But the facts stick better when you see real life in Spain, not just a list of dates. If you like learning from video, here are a few good ones to start with, grouped by what the test covers. It also keeps your Spanish sharp for the DELE A2.
Learn about Spain
Cover the topics on video
Real Spanish videos that cover the things the test asks about. They will not replace the question bank, but they make the history, the regions and the culture easier to remember. Each one opens in the app.
Government, the Constitution and Spain’s regions
The biggest part of the test. How Spain is run and how it is organised.
Comunidades autónomas de España y puntos cardinales
VideoEle
A clear, slow tour of Spain’s 17 autonomous communities and where they sit.
La transición democrática en España explicada para niños
MaestraSuperIsa
See how Spain moved from Franco to democracy and got its 1978 Constitution.
Adivinando provincias de España con preguntas
alvacerod
Two friends guess Spanish provinces, with their regions and co-official languages.
The history of Spain
The key periods and dates, from Al-Ándalus to today.
Resumen divertido de la reconquista en España
A toda leche
A fun, fast run through Al-Ándalus and the long Reconquista up to 1492.
Resumen de la Guerra Civil Española en 10 minutos
Clases Particulares en Ávila
A ten-minute summary of the Spanish Civil War and why it still matters.
Cristóbal Colón y el descubrimiento de América explicado
Academia Play
How Spain backed Columbus and reached America in 1492, a key date the test asks about.
Culture and art
The writers and painters the test likes to ask about.
Por qué leer Don Quijote de la Mancha hoy
Sé Curioso - TED-Ed
Why Cervantes and his hero Don Quijote still matter in Spanish literature.
La misteriosa desaparición del cráneo de Goya
Antonio García Villarán
Meet the famous Spanish painter Goya through the odd story of his missing skull.
Picasso elige entre Málaga y París y habla de su padre
Antonio García Villarán
The painter Picasso was born in Málaga, in Spain, and looked up to Velázquez.
Festivals and daily life
The customs, festivals and food that come up in the culture part.
The other half of nationality
The CCSE goes with the DELE A2 language exam
For Spanish nationality by residence you usually need the DELE A2 as well, which is the language test. We have a free guide to it, plus a hand-picked pack of real Spanish videos at A2 level to help your listening.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is the CCSE a language test?
No. The CCSE checks what you know about Spain, like its government, its laws, its culture and its daily life. It is not a listening or speaking test. The language part of Spanish nationality is a separate exam, the DELE A2.
How many questions do I need to get right to pass?
You need 15 of the 25 questions right, which is 60%. The result is given as pass or fail (apto or no apto), not as a score. You have 45 minutes.
Are the exam questions public?
Yes. The 25 questions in your exam are taken from a fixed set of 300 questions that the Instituto Cervantes publishes. So the best way to prepare is to study that set until the answers feel easy. For 2026 about a quarter of the questions are new. We list all 300 here in English and Spanish.
Who has to take the CCSE?
Most people applying for Spanish nationality by residence take it. If you are from a country where Spanish is an official language, you usually do not need the DELE A2, but you still take the CCSE. Rules can change, so check the current rule with the official sources before you book.
Does the CCSE expire?
The CCSE certificate does not expire. Many people take the CCSE and the DELE A2 close together, because both are part of the same nationality application.
Official sources