CELPIP online practice test: what is free, what is paid and how to use it

Paragon, the company that runs CELPIP, gives away a free online sample test and free practice tests, and sells paid sets of two tests from CAD 25.00 for the General LS test or CAD 35.00 for the General test. Bundles cost less per test, for example 24 online practice tests for CAD 275.00. We found no official PDF of the paid sets, so below we cover what is free, what is paid and how to score it.

Paragon is the company that runs CELPIP, and it offers some practice for free. Start there, because it costs nothing and it comes from the company that writes the test.

There are also free practice tests, which sit behind a short form. Paragon says: “Get instant access to sample questions and tools that help you prepare with confidence.” The form asks for your first name, last name, email and test type (CELPIP General or CELPIP General LS), and it has a marketing-consent box. Paragon's pages describe the amount of free practice a little differently, so here are the three wordings we found.

Our reading: expect one free sample test and one free set of two practice tests, and expect the page to change. The route is the same each time: open the free practice tests page, choose General or LS, and sit the tests. Paragon also says the practice tests are a good guide to your current level.

A full CELPIP General practice test follows the real test: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, in one sitting. These are the component times and the counts on Paragon's General page and its Australian page.

Paragon's pages do not agree on every timing, including the total length of the test and the lengths of Reading and Writing. Our CELPIP General vs LS page shows each page's figures side by side. For a practice test, plan for the longer figure in each range and do not stop the clock.

When you have used the free material, Paragon sells practice tests in its online store. They are online tests with a 6-month subscription. The prices are in Canadian dollars as the store page showed them. Paragon also says: “Please note that there are no refunds or exchanges on Study Materials purchased.”

We read the store page on 3 October 2026, so check the price on the day you buy.

Paragon lists General sets up to Set 13, and LS sets up to Set 13, with each single set priced the same as Set 1.

Our arithmetic: six single General sets at CAD 35 come to CAD 210, against CAD 155 for the Sets 2-7 bundle. Twelve single sets come to CAD 420, against CAD 275 for the Sets 2-13 bundle, which is about two thirds of the price. The bundles start at Set 2, so Set 1 is bought on its own or comes with the Prep Plus package. A bundle only makes sense if you will really sit the tests inside the 6 months.

Many people search for a “PDF” of the practice tests or a bundle of the first ten sets. Here is what Paragon's store page lists. The practice tests are described as online tests, each bundle has a 6-month subscription, and the bundles on the page are Sets 2-7, Sets 8-13 and Sets 2-13.

We did not see a PDF download or a Sets 1-10 bundle on the store page we read on 3 October 2026. The PDFs we found from the test owner are its Guidebook for Test Takers, its score descriptors and the study packs that come with its webinars. We did not find a paid PDF download.

Paragon says of one of those: “Download the Study Pack for Listening Pro below”. The study packs explain the test, and they are not full practice tests.

Be careful with any “free CELPIP practice test PDF” that claims to be an official set or to hold real exam questions. Paragon says cheating includes “memorizing test answers”, and that it uses many different test forms to minimize the chance of somebody having access to the questions before their testing time. Memorising leaked questions can put your result at risk.

Listening and Reading are marked by computer, one point for each correct answer. Paragon's approximate charts turn your count out of 38 into a level. Here they are side by side. The ranges share end points: on the Listening chart level 8 is 30-33 and level 9 is 33-35, and on the Reading chart level 9 is 31-33 and levels 10-12 are 33-38. A score on a shared end point sits in two levels. Paragon's disclaimer under the tables says the raw score for a level may vary slightly from one test to another.

Speaking and Writing are different. Paragon says trained raters score them, and its results page says each Speaking performance is rated by three to five raters and each Writing performance by four to six. The FAQ section of its Contact CELPIP page says the Writing Test is scored by an AI-human hybrid system with a human rating panel. Either way, you cannot mark your own Writing and Speaking the way you mark a Listening test.

Our reading: for Writing and Speaking, mark yourself against Paragon's descriptors one dimension at a time, and, if you can, get a person to mark you too. Our CELPIP score comparison chart page explains the descriptors. Be wary of any app or site that gives an exact level for a spoken or written answer. A practice score is a guide, not a result.

Paragon's Reading test has four parts, and Part 2 is “Reading to Apply a Diagram”, with 8 questions. In that part Paragon says you read a diagram with point form text and visuals, such as a schedule, a brochure or a flyer, then answer questions and complete a short email about it. This mini set is our own. It is not from any test owner and it does not predict a level.

Paragon's own tip for Reading is to skim first and then scan: “First, skim through the text to get the main idea. Then read the questions and find some key words for which you can scan the text.” It also says: “on the CELPIP Test you can always find all the answers in the passage.” Use both ideas below.

The timetable: Riverside Community Pool, autumn

The questions

1. Question 1. Maria is 64. She wants the cheapest session she can attend on a Tuesday. Which session should she choose?
   A. Lane swim
   B. Seniors’ swim
   C. Aqua fitness
   D. Family swim.
2. Question 2. Two adults, a 7-year-old and a 2-year-old go to family swim on Saturday. What is the total fee?
   A. $8
   B. $10
   C. $12
   D. $16.
3. Question 3. Leo planned to do lane swim on the first Monday of the month. What does the timetable tell him?
   A. He can swim, but only until 7:00 am
   B. He must pay an extra fee
   C. No sessions run that day
   D. Lane swim moves to Tuesday.
4. Question 4. Which statement about aqua fitness is true?
   A. It runs on weekends
   B. It is free for seniors
   C. Registration is online only
   D. You must register at the front desk by 5:00 pm on the day.
5. Question 5. A mother arrives at family swim with her 6-year-old and plans to sit on the pool deck and read. What does the timetable say she must do?
   A. Stay in the water with her child
   B. Pay a second fee
   C. Wait until 3:00 pm
   D. Bring a swim cap.

Answer key

Give yourself about six minutes for the five questions. Underline the rule you used for each answer in the timetable. If you got one wrong, find the cell that decides it. Mistakes in this kind of task often come from using the right row with the wrong column, or from forgetting a rule in the notes column.

This routine is ours.

1. Sit it like the real thing. One sitting, one play of each audio clip, a timer, no phone, paper and pen only. If you cannot do a full test, do one component at full speed.
2. Mark Listening and Reading first. Write your raw score out of 38 for each, find it on the chart, and write down which part lost the most points.
3. Redo every wrong answer. Find the exact words in the transcript or passage that decide the answer. Note whether you misheard, misread or misjudged.
4. Review Writing and Speaking with the descriptors. Mark one dimension at a time. Pick the weakest one and work on that alone for a week.
5. Leave gaps between tests. A few days of targeted work between tests tells you more than three tests in a row.
6. Do not reuse a test to measure progress. You remember the answers. Use a fresh test each time.
7. Stop adding new material two days before the real test. Rest, and re-read your notes system.

For one skill in depth, see our CELPIP listening practice test page, which has a free mini set, and CELPIP listening tips.

Paragon's pages that we read describe online practice tests, and none of them describes an app. Many independent apps and sites use CELPIP in their names. One of them, on Google Play, says on its own listing: “ExamHero is an independent study app. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Government of Canada, IRCC, or Paragon Testing Enterprises.” It adds: “All scores in this app are practice estimates and are not official CELPIP results.”

Use this checklist for any app, site or PDF. It is ours.

• Does it match the real structure: six Listening parts, four Reading parts, two Writing tasks, eight Speaking tasks?
• Is it timed, and does each Listening clip play once?
• Does it give an answer key with a reason and a transcript?
• Does it say clearly that its score is a practice estimate and not a CELPIP result?
• Does it avoid claims of “real exam questions” and “guaranteed score”?
• Does it ask for money before showing you a sample?

Common questions