The levels of the Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificates (VKT) are satisfactory, good and excellent. Find out from the employer or the study place which level of proficiency you are required to have. For example, a teacher in basic or pre-primary education should have excellent oral and written skills in the language of instruction.
You can register for the satisfactory and good level tests directly with the examiners, who operate in different localities. The tests for the excellent level take place in Helsinki, and organising them is the responsibility of the Finnish and Swedish language examination boards. The proficiency examinations of all levels consist of tests in oral, written and comprehension skills.
The oral skills test includes tests in speaking and speech comprehension, and the written skills test includes tests in writing and text comprehension. The comprehension skills test can also be completed separately. It will then include the tests in text and speech comprehension.
Content of tests at different skill levels
The tests have test assignments related to language use situations in central government. Different types of texts are produced in the writing test, however, not essays or translated texts. Speaking is assessed with different interviews, conversations and other interactive tasks that are carried out with the examiner.
In the speech and text comprehension tests at the good and satisfactory levels, the candidates read and listen to different texts and answer questions based on these texts. In the excellent level, the test in speaking and speech comprehension is carried out as a conversation with the language proficiency board.
Methods and schedule of completion
You can complete the proficiency examination either in its entirety at the same time (oral and written skills test) or in parts on different examination days. If you are taking the examination in parts, you have three years to complete the whole examination. The time is counted from the date of completing the first part.
Test fees
The test fee for the levels good and satisfactory is EUR 258 if you take the tests in oral and written skills at the same time. (The tests also demonstrate the corresponding skill level in comprehension.) If you take the tests one by one, each test (a test in written, oral or comprehension skills) will cost EUR 129.
The fee for the excellent level test is EUR 514 if you take the test in oral and written skills at the same time. (The tests also demonstrate the corresponding skill level in comprehension.) If you take the tests one by one, each test (written, oral or comprehension skills) will cost EUR 257.