The Catalan (and Spanish) language tests in the ICS competitive examination
You can apply without a Catalan certificate: not having one does not exclude you, it means sitting a pass/fail test. Nursing (A2-129) requires the C1 proficiency certificate or higher; TCAI (C2-159), the B1 elementary one or higher. The test is scheduled AFTER the main exam.
The question that brings most English-speaking readers here is whether an internationally trained nurse can apply to the ICS without Catalan. You can. The certificate is not a gate at the door of the call: candidates who do not hold it sit a language test, compulsory and eliminating, marked pass or fail, scheduled after the main exam.
The level required is where contradictory information comes from, and the reason is simple: this call uses four different Catalan levels depending on the category, and people generalise one category's level to all of them. This page settles it from each category's annex.
It also covers the Spanish-language test, which exists, is compulsory and eliminating for candidates without Spanish nationality, has its own format and is mentioned almost nowhere. And it clears up an expensive confusion: the test the ICS runs is NOT the Directorate-General for Language Policy's certificate exam, even though most guides link that exam's sample paper as if it were.
What Catalan level each category requires
Nursing (A2-129): certificate of proficiency in Catalan (C1) or higher. TCAI (C2-159): elementary certificate (B1) or higher. Both come from their own category annex, not from the common clauses, which is why they cannot be inferred from the professional group.
| Category | Level required | Source clause |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse — diplomat/ada sanitari/ària en infermeria (A2-129) | Proficiency C1 or higher | Annex 35, point 2.c |
| Nursing care assistant — TCAI (C2-159) | Elementary B1 or higher | Annex 68, point 2.b |
Resolution SLT/2380/2025 (DOGC 9441, 26.06.2025). The requirement refers to Decree 37/2024 and Decree 161/2002, and is evidenced under common clause 11.4.
Where the confusion comes from: the same call contains categories requiring C1, B2, B1 and A2, and the common clauses describe all four test formats, one per level (clauses 11.4.3.1 to 11.4.3.4). Anyone reading the common clauses without the annex finds four levels and picks one. YOUR level is in YOUR category's annex, point 2.
The required level never scores: it is a requirement. What does score is holding a level ABOVE the one required, worth 1 merit point (clause 11.5.1.b). Catalan levels follow the Common European Framework, so a C1 here means the same C1 you know from other European certificates.
Where this comes from: Resolution SLT/2380/2025 of 20 June — terms of call 100-2025 (PDF, DOGC 9441, 26.06.2025, 199 pages) · Decree 37/2024 on assessing and certifying general Catalan language knowledge · Decree 161/2002 on proving Catalan and Aranese knowledge in selection processes
How to be exempted without sitting anything
By producing the Directorate-General for Language Policy certificate at the required level or above. Qualifications formally declared equivalent also exempt you, as does having obtained a post in an earlier selection process that already included a test at the same level or higher.
- A Directorate-General for Language Policy certificate at the required level or higher. This is the direct route: hold it and you do not sit the test.
- Qualifications, diplomas and certificates declared equivalent by Order VCP/491/2009, as amended by Order VCP/233/2010. These cover, among others, studies completed in Catalonia with Catalan as the language of instruction and certificates from official language schools and other recognised bodies; the current list is published by the Directorate-General itself.
- Having taken part in and obtained a post as ICS statutory staff, or in a selection process for the Generalitat de Catalunya's administration, where a test at the same level or higher was required. Evidenced by a written statement naming the process in which you were exempted.
There is a discrepancy between two ICS texts here, and it is worth knowing. The terms (clause 11.4.3.5) accept both ICS processes AND Generalitat administration processes. The official ICS FAQ mentions only having obtained a post as ICS statutory staff. The terms prevail, since they are the binding norm; but if your case is a Generalitat process rather than an ICS one, keep the exact wording of clause 11.4.3.5 to hand.
A note for internationally trained candidates: no foreign language qualification maps automatically onto the Catalan scale, and a Spanish or English certificate does not exempt you from the Catalan requirement. If nothing on the equivalence list applies to you, your two routes are to obtain the certificate in the Directorate-General's annual sittings or to sit the ICS test.
Where this comes from: Resolution SLT/2380/2025 of 20 June — terms of call 100-2025 (PDF, DOGC 9441, 26.06.2025, 199 pages) · Order VCP/491/2009 on qualifications equivalent to the Catalan certificates · Order VCP/233/2010, amending Order VCP/491/2009 · Language Policy — recognised Catalan qualifications (equivalences) · ICS — FAQ on the 2025 competitive-examination call (last updated 27.06.2025)
There is no exemption procedure for this competitive examination
The "Exemption from the Catalan language test" procedure on the Generalitat's Tràmits site does NOT apply to the ICS competitive examination. It belongs to the Department of Education and Vocational Training and is aimed at candidates for entrance exams to vocational training, art and design, sports education and higher artistic degrees.
Its own requirements make that clear: you must be registered for those entrance exams and have lived in Catalonia for less than one or two years without ever having been schooled there. It has nothing to do with a statutory-staff competitive process.
In the ICS call, exemption is not applied for: it is evidenced. It happens inside the process itself, by producing the certificate or the equivalence when the board asks for it, and the outcome is published in a board resolution on the language requirement (clause 11.4.4, final paragraph).
We say so because that link has been circulating in ICS candidate guides and forums for years. Following it wastes an afternoon and has no effect at all on your application.
Where this comes from: "Exemption from the Catalan test for access exams" procedure (Department of Education) — NOT the one for this competitive examination · Resolution SLT/2380/2025 of 20 June — terms of call 100-2025 (PDF, DOGC 9441, 26.06.2025, 199 pages)
What the ICS test looks like if you have to sit it
Two compulsory parts. First: write a text and answer a questionnaire on points of language, within 60 minutes. Second: read a text aloud and/or hold a conversation on general topics, 10 to 15 minutes depending on the level. The result is pass or fail.
| Level | Length of the written text | Written part | Oral part |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proficiency C1 — Nursing | 160 to 200 words | Max. 60 min | Max. 10 min |
| Intermediate B2 | 140 to 180 words | Max. 60 min | Max. 10 min |
| Elementary B1 — TCAI | 80 to 100 words | Max. 60 min | Max. 15 min |
| Basic A2 | 50 to 80 words | Max. 60 min | Max. 10 min |
Common clauses 11.4.3.1 to 11.4.3.4. All four rows belong to the same call: each category sits the one its annex assigns.
The board is joined by a language-standardisation adviser, principal and substitute, who takes part with a voice but no vote, and it may call on language experts to help assess the test (clause 11.4.3.6).
Candidates are called once only. Not appearing for the test means exclusion from the selection process for the category you applied to, and every right derived from your application is void (clause 11.4.1). This applies to the Catalan test and to the Spanish one.
Where this comes from: Resolution SLT/2380/2025 of 20 June — terms of call 100-2025 (PDF, DOGC 9441, 26.06.2025, 199 pages)
When it happens: after the exam, not before
The date and time of the language test are published with the minute approving the list of results of the first test — that is, after the main exam. It has no date of its own in the call's timetable.
Two practical consequences. First: if you do not hold the certificate, the language test is not your October problem; the exam is. Second: if you pass and there is still time, obtaining the certificate before the test is convened saves you the language exam entirely.
We have watched this play out in the 2022 call, which is several steps ahead: in December 2025 the minutes named the categories where the level had to be evidenced and gave a deadline to produce the original; in February 2026 the date and criteria of the Catalan test were published; in March, the provisional results and the call for the oral part; in April, the final results and the list of candidates exempt from the Spanish test.
The Directorate-General's certificate sittings run on their own annual calendar, with registration, a fee and exam towns in Catalonia. If you live abroad, check the calendar and the locations before relying on that route.
Where this comes from: Resolution SLT/2380/2025 of 20 June — terms of call 100-2025 (PDF, DOGC 9441, 26.06.2025, 199 pages) · ICS — News page for permanent-post calls (where the tribunals' minutes are published) · Catalan certificate exam sittings (calendar, fees and registration)
The Spanish test: who sits it and what it is
It is compulsory and eliminating exclusively for candidates who do not hold Spanish nationality and are not exempt. It consists of a composition of 200 to 300 words and a conversation with members of the board, capped at 45 minutes for the first part and 15 for the second. It is marked pass or fail.
The legal basis is article 6 of Decree 389/1996 on EU citizens' access to the Generalitat's public service: a candidate holding the nationality of a state whose official language is not Spanish must evidence their Spanish, both spoken and written. If you hold Spanish nationality, this test does not apply to you regardless of where you studied.
- A certificate of having completed primary, secondary and/or upper-secondary education in Spain.
- The Spanish as a Foreign Language diploma (DELE) under Royal Decree 1137/2002, as amended by Royal Decree 264/2008, or a certificate of having passed all the tests leading to it.
- A certificate of aptitude in Spanish for foreign nationals issued by an official language school (escuela oficial de idiomas).
- Having studied, in Spanish, the programme leading to the qualification required for entry.
That last route is the one that reaches most people and is least known: if your nursing degree was taught in Spanish — anywhere, not only in Spain — the qualifying degree itself exempts you. A foreign degree still needs its homologation credential or certificate of equivalence separately (clause 4.3); the two things are not the same and neither replaces the other.
Where this comes from: Resolution SLT/2380/2025 of 20 June — terms of call 100-2025 (PDF, DOGC 9441, 26.06.2025, 199 pages) · Decree 389/1996 on EU citizens' access to the Generalitat's public service (article 6) · Royal Decree 1137/2002, governing the Spanish as a Foreign Language diploma (DELE)
The ICS test is not the C1 certificate exam
They are two different things and get confused constantly. The exam for the Directorate-General's certificate has five sections and takes a whole morning. The test the ICS runs has two parts, takes a little over an hour, and only evidences the requirement inside this call.
| ICS test (clause 11.4.3) | Certificate exam (Language Policy) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is for | Evidencing the requirement inside this call | Obtaining an official certificate, valid for life and for any process |
| Structure | Written text + language questionnaire, plus an oral part | Reading comprehension, written expression, listening, grammar and vocabulary, speaking |
| Length | Max. 60 min + 10-15 min | Several hours, depending on the level |
| Result | Pass or fail | Pass from 60 % in speaking and 60 % in the rest of the paper (B1) |
| Who runs it | Your category's examining board, with language advice | The Directorate-General for Language Policy, in its own sittings, with a fee |
The practical consequence: the "C1 sample paper" that every guide links is the certificate exam's model, not the ICS test's. It is still useful — the language level it measures is the same, and the composition task is comparable — but do not expect to find the ICS format in it, because it is not there.
Where this comes from: Resolution SLT/2380/2025 of 20 June — terms of call 100-2025 (PDF, DOGC 9441, 26.06.2025, 199 pages) · Catalan proficiency certificate (C1): structure, sections and sample paper · Catalan elementary certificate (B1): structure, sections and sample paper
Where to practise, with links that work
The official materials are free and live on the Language Policy website: each certificate has a page with the structure of the exam, a description of each section and a downloadable sample paper, and there are marking models.
- C1 proficiency certificate: page with the structure, the description of each section and the sample paper in PDF. This is the reference for Nursing.
- B1 elementary certificate: the same, with a sample exam booklet and a marking model. This is the reference for TCAI.
- Reading lists and preparation materials by level, published by the Directorate-General.
- Catalan learning itineraries, useful for structuring study towards the proficiency level.
- Parla.cat, the Generalitat's free online Catalan courses, which work from anywhere, and the Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística for in-person and online classes.
- The CPNL wiki of language resources, for specific writing questions while you practise.
The Barcelona nursing council (COIB) keeps a list titled, in so many words, "Resources for preparing the Catalan test of the ICS competitive examination". It is useful, but it was published on 29 May 2019 for the second test of the 2018 nursing call: some of its links no longer resolve and none of its content reflects the current call. We link it because it is the reference everyone finds, with the date attached.
Concrete advice for the written part: you are asked for 80-100 words at B1 and 160-200 at C1, within 60 minutes shared with the language questionnaire. Practise against a clock and count your words: overrunning eats into the questionnaire, and falling short breaks the instruction.
Where this comes from: Catalan proficiency certificate (C1): structure, sections and sample paper · Catalan elementary certificate (B1): structure, sections and sample paper · C1 certificate sample paper (PDF) · B1 certificate sample paper — exam booklet (PDF) · B1 certificate sample paper — marking model (PDF) · Language Policy — reading list and materials for each certificate · Catalan learning itineraries (proficiency level) · Parla.cat — the Generalitat's online Catalan courses · Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística — in-person and online courses · Online language resources (CPNL wiki) · COIB — Resources for the ICS Catalan test (published 29.05.2019)
What is not published
Three things about this test cannot be stated by anyone today, and any figure you find online about them is invented.
- The date and time of the language test in this call: they will be published with the minute reporting the first test's results.
- The specific marking criteria the board will apply to the written and oral parts. The terms only say what is assessed and that the result is pass or fail.
- How many candidates will have to sit it in Nursing and TCAI. That depends on how many produce a certificate, and the count is not published until the results resolution appears.
All sources for this page
- Resolution SLT/2380/2025 of 20 June — terms of call 100-2025 (PDF, DOGC 9441, 26.06.2025, 199 pages)
- DOGC record for Resolution SLT/2380/2025
- ICS — FAQ on the 2025 competitive-examination call (last updated 27.06.2025)
- Directorate-General for Language Policy — Catalan certificates
- Language Policy — recognised Catalan qualifications (equivalences)
- Catalan proficiency certificate (C1): structure, sections and sample paper
- Catalan elementary certificate (B1): structure, sections and sample paper
- Catalan certificate exam sittings (calendar, fees and registration)
- C1 certificate sample paper (PDF)
- B1 certificate sample paper — exam booklet (PDF)
- B1 certificate sample paper — marking model (PDF)
- Language Policy — reading list and materials for each certificate
- Catalan learning itineraries (proficiency level)
- Parla.cat — the Generalitat's online Catalan courses
- Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística — in-person and online courses
- Online language resources (CPNL wiki)
- COIB — Resources for the ICS Catalan test (published 29.05.2019)
- Order VCP/491/2009 on qualifications equivalent to the Catalan certificates
- Order VCP/233/2010, amending Order VCP/491/2009
- Decree 37/2024 on assessing and certifying general Catalan language knowledge
- Decree 161/2002 on proving Catalan and Aranese knowledge in selection processes
- Decree 389/1996 on EU citizens' access to the Generalitat's public service (article 6)
- Royal Decree 1137/2002, governing the Spanish as a Foreign Language diploma (DELE)
- "Exemption from the Catalan test for access exams" procedure (Department of Education) — NOT the one for this competitive examination
Read next
- How the ICS exam worksStructure, points and merit scale, with the clause cited.
- Timeline of call 100-2025When each step is published, including the language test.
- Short answer: what Catalan level is requiredThe two-sentence version, with the source.
Syllabus and tests by category
Each page sets out the full syllabus, what access includes, the price and the official sources each topic rests on.
- ICS Nursing exam (A2-129) — 8 category topics + the 11 topics of the transversal block See the full syllabus →
- ICS Nursing Assistant exam (C2-159) — 5 category topics + the 11 topics of the transversal block See the full syllabus →
The Catalan of the exam is trainable too
The exam paper is written in Catalan and so is the syllabus. Topic 1, free, gives you the vocabulary of the Catalan health system exactly as the call uses it.
Take Topic 1 freeHow this page was made
The levels were read in annexes 35 and 68 of the Resolution, not in any summary; the test format in clauses 11.4.3 and 11.4.4; and every external link was opened to confirm that it responds and says what we say it says. All of those documents are in Catalan. Where two official sources disagree, this page sets out both and says which one prevails.
Last reviewed 06.08.2026 · Links checked on 06.08.2026 · Published on 06.08.2026
OposICS is an independent project. It is not affiliated with the Institut Català de la Salut or the Generalitat de Catalunya. Official documents belong to their authors and are linked directly.