Is the real CELPIP test harder than the 13 practice sets, and do old questions come back?

Updated 12 Nov 2026

Since my last few posts, the question I get most is whether the real test is harder than CELPIP's 13 practice sets, and whether old questions come back. To give a proper answer, I took test-taker recalls from more than 260 test days, from late 2024 to early November this year, compared them with the 13 sets, counted which questions came back, and read what other test-takers have shared.

The real test vs the 13 sets

When I took the test, Listening, Speaking and Writing felt quite close to the 13 sets. Reading was the exception, because the last part had noticeably more difficult vocabulary.

Recent test-takers I've read say much the same thing: the format, the interface, the timing and the number of questions are all exactly like the 13 sets. One person who got Listening 11 and Reading 11 on their second attempt said the real test was harder than they expected, and they had to reread a lot of questions carefully so they wouldn't fall for the distractors. But if the test feels hard on the day, don't panic too much. CELPIP says the difficulty of each test form varies slightly, so scores are equated. On a harder form you need fewer correct answers to reach the same CLB level.

What predicted tests are

Predicted tests (also called recalled tests) are written down by people right after their test, because nobody can know the questions of a test day in advance. For Writing and Speaking, test-takers remember almost all of the situation and the instructions for each task. A few small details like names or prices may differ slightly from the original, and the pictures are redrawn from their descriptions. This is the most useful part of predicted tests, because you see the exact types of questions that are coming up in the test room right now.

For Listening and Reading, test-takers usually remember the topic, something like "getting a library card at a new address", so the practice passages are rewritten around that topic. This part helps you get familiar with common topics, and for difficulty and speed, keep practising with the 13 sets as well.

Writing and Speaking: The two tasks that changed the most

The Writing and Speaking formats are the same as in the 13 sets. Writing Task 1 is still an email with three bullet points, Task 2 is still a survey where you choose one of two options, and Speaking Task 5 still has you pick an option and persuade someone who prefers a different one. In two tasks, though, the content of the real test is now quite different from the 13 sets.

In the 13 sets, only a few Speaking Task 8 prompts are about an unusual scene. Most are things like calling a store to describe a broken item or describing a lost pet. On recent real tests, about 85% of Task 8 prompts are about seeing something very strange, calling a friend to describe it and inviting them to come and see it, like a bakery with a bizarre cake, a weird car on the street, or animals giving a concert in a neighbour's backyard. If you only practise Task 8 with the 13 sets, you can easily end up practising the wrong type, so add some recent predicted questions as well.

Speaking Task 7 on the real test asks much less about government, taxes or laws. In the 13 sets about half of the prompts are about policy, while on the real test it's only about 20%. The rest are about school, kids and everyday life, such as whether children under 16 should watch horror movies, whether students should take courses outside their major, or whether parents should read their children's messages.

Because of these two changes, I think Writing and Speaking are best practised with both. The 13 sets get you used to the difficulty and how to approach each task, and predicted tests get you used to what's actually being asked now.

How often old questions come back

From what I've found, since the middle of this year about 1/3 of the Writing and Speaking questions on an average test day had appeared before. Old questions usually come back after a few months, and some come back after more than a year. Sometimes a whole test form is reused for several days in a row, across different cities, within a week or two.

If you only look at the last 2 weeks of predicted tests, only about 5% of the questions on your test day will be ones you've seen. With 6 months of them it goes up to about 20%, and with a full year about 1/4 (25%). So in my opinion it's more useful to review the questions that came up most often in the last 6 to 12 months, then check the most recent test days in your final week, in case a whole form comes back.

When a question you've practised comes up, you feel less thrown and have ideas ready from the prep time. The rest comes down to how you speak and write. As I said in my last post, prepare ideas and a frame, but don't memorize whole answers, because CELPIP warns that responses that aren't your own may lead to your score being cancelled. For Listening and Reading, you basically can't get a repeat, because the passages are rewritten around the topic.

The most common questions and topics

From what I found, the question that came back most often is Speaking Task 8 describing a strange concert in a neighbour's backyard, which showed up on 9 different test days. Next are the Task 3 picture of a crowded park and Task 8 a very strange car on the street, 7 days each. Task 3 pictures also often show a crowded train or bus, a messy library, a farm, a clinic and a café.

Writing Task 1 often has emails about studies and courses, work, shopping, charity and housing, for example hiring a moving company (5 test days) or leaving your laptop at a campsite. Writing Task 2 is mostly about companies and employees, community facilities and offices, like a company that wants to use less paper (5 test days), choosing uniforms for a restaurant, or choosing a new office.

Speaking Task 1 is often advice about health and eating, studying, the first day with a new boss, or a friend who is struggling at school. Task 2 often asks about a time you overcame a challenge, tried something new, or got help from a friend or neighbour. Task 5 often compares clothes, travel items, gifts and furniture. Task 6 is about working with coworkers, schedule conflicts, cars, and living with other people.

Predicted test bank

I have a bank of predicted tests from more than 260 test days, from late 2024 up to this week, mostly Writing and Speaking, rewritten in the real test format so you can practise as if it's the real thing. It's sorted by week and by topic, so you can see right away which questions keep coming back and prepare for them. I add new tests as soon as they come in. If you're taking the test soon and want to practise, send me a message.