CCSE exam dates

Data checked on August 17, 2026 on the Instituto Cervantes website. Always confirm the date at the official source before registering: they set it and they can change it. See the official calendar at the Instituto Cervantes

The deadline that matters is registration

Several weeks usually pass between the registration deadline and the exam. Anyone who looks only at the exam date and decides to sign up “the week before” discovers the window closed twenty days ago and the next sitting is a month later.

That's why the table carries both dates. The one to put in your calendar is the one to the left of the exam: the deadline.

One registration, up to two attempts

This is the part almost nobody knows and it changes the maths: according to the Instituto Cervantes, registration entitles you to sit the exam up to two times, if you don't pass at the first attempt or if you don't attend the first sitting.

It isn't an unlimited second chance and it doesn't replace preparing, but it does mean that failing once doesn't automatically mean paying again. The exact conditions are published by the Instituto Cervantes.

When it's worth sitting it

The useful answer isn't a particular month, it's a calculation: pick the sitting that leaves you at least three or four weeks of preparation ahead of it, and check that its registration window is still open.

Sitting the nearest session because “then it's done” is what fills the following ones with people retaking. The exam doesn't expire if you wait a month; the preparation does show.

Frequently asked questions

How many CCSE sittings are there a year?

Ten: one a month from January to November, with no sitting in August. There is none in December either.

When does CCSE registration close?

Several weeks before each exam, with its own date for every sitting. The exact date for each is in the table on this page, transcribed from the official Instituto Cervantes calendar.

How much does the CCSE exam cost?

The official fee is €85 according to the Instituto Cervantes, who also state that registration entitles you to sit the exam up to twice if you fail the first attempt or don't attend the first sitting. Confirm the current amount on their website before paying.

Where do I register for the CCSE exam?

Registration is done on the Instituto Cervantes website, which is also where the sittings, venues and conditions are published. This page only transcribes their calendar.