What the CCSE is
CCSE stands for Conocimientos Constitucionales y Socioculturales de España: knowledge of Spain's Constitution, institutions and society. Instituto Cervantes designs and runs it. It's one of the requirements for Spanish citizenship by residence, and anyone over 16 with legal capacity can take it, whatever their nationality.
It is separate from the DELE A2 Spanish language exam. People whose nationality of origin is that of a Spanish-speaking country don't need the DELE, but they still need the CCSE. Minors and people whose legal capacity has been modified by a court are exempt. This page isn't legal advice: check the requirements for your own application with Spain's Ministry of Justice.
Source: Instituto Cervantes FAQ.
Format and the 5 tasks
25 questions, 45 minutes, 15 correct to pass (the result is APTO). Questions are multiple choice with 3 options or true/false. Wrong and blank answers score the same, zero, so never leave one empty.
| Task | Topic | On the exam | In the manual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Government, law and civic participation | 10 | 120 |
| 2 | Fundamental rights and duties | 3 | 36 |
| 3 | Territorial organisation and geography | 2 | 24 |
| 4 | Spanish culture and history | 3 | 36 |
| 5 | Spanish society and everyday procedures | 7 | 84 |
| Total | 25 | 300 | |
Our own calculation: every task draws 1 in 12 of its manual questions, so no task is safe to skip. Tasks 1 and 5 alone give you 17 of the 25 questions, which is why we suggest starting there.
Source: How the CCSE works · CCSE 2026 manual (PDF).
The exam is only in Spanish: how to study if Spanish isn't your first language
- Learn the Spanish sentence, not the translation. On the day you'll see the question in Spanish only, so recognise its wording and the right answer in Spanish.
- Use the official glossary. Instituto Cervantes publishes a free glossary of CCSE terms with English, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Turkish and Hebrew equivalents, plus audio of the 2026 questions.
- Study the 2026 manual only. 25% of the questions changed from 2025, so older books and apps are out of date.
- Read true/false questions to the end. One word can flip the answer.
For the full guide in Spanish, with sample questions from the manual and a 4-week plan, see the Spanish version of this page.
Source: Instituto Cervantes, preparing for the CCSE.
2026 dates and the €85 fee
| Exam date (Spain only) | Registration closes |
|---|---|
| 29 October 2026 | 8 October 2026 (closed) |
| 26 November 2026 · next open sitting | 5 November 2026 |
| 2027 sittings | Registration opens 23 November 2026 |
The fee is €85 worldwide. It includes the exam, the certificate, the preparation materials and a second attempt if you fail or don't show up the first time. You register online in your private area on the Instituto Cervantes website using your NIE, and you can request a refund within 14 calendar days. Results arrive about 20 days after the exam, and a pass is valid for 4 years.
It's a common exam: Instituto Cervantes reports that 277,222 candidates sat the CCSE in 2025 (269,080 in the standard test and 8,142 in the version for candidates who can't read or write).
Source: dates · fee · FAQ · Instituto Cervantes, 19 Dec 2025.
How to practise
- The official manual (free PDF): all 300 questions with answers, plus a sample exam.
- The official Instituto Cervantes app (free): the 300 questions and a mock exam with your score, on iOS and Android.
- Free test websites: useful, but check they use the 2026 questions.
- CCSE 2026 - Study Guide: the same 300 questions, with your most-missed questions first, accuracy per task and a timed mock exam, on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
CCSE 2026 - Study Guide is an unofficial app and isn't affiliated with Instituto Cervantes. Its questions come from the CCSE 2026 manual, which Instituto Cervantes publishes for free (NIPO 110-25-054-X).
Instituto Cervantes has its own free official app, “CCSE Nacionalidad Española”, for iOS and Android, with all 300 questions. It's a good option. Ours uses the same questions and focuses on something else: it puts your most-missed questions first, shows your accuracy per task, keeps a history of your mock exams and also runs on iPad and Mac.
The app
- Practice by task: the 5 manual tasks, instant feedback, your most-missed questions first.
- Mock exam: 25 random questions, a 45-minute timer, free navigation and an instant pass/fail result (15/25) with a review of every answer.
- Progress: accuracy per task, exam history and how many of the 300 questions you've seen.
- Official resources: links to the CCSE 2026 manual, the official audio, and exam dates and centres.
- Free to download, no ads. iPhone, iPad and Mac (iOS 17 or later). The questions are in Spanish, as in the exam.
CCSE exam FAQ
How many questions are on the CCSE exam and how many do I need to pass?
25 questions across 5 tasks, each multiple choice with 3 options or true/false. You have 45 minutes and pass with 15 correct answers (60%). Wrong and blank answers don't lose points, so answer every question.
Can I take the CCSE exam in English?
No. The exam is only in Spanish (peninsular Spanish). Instituto Cervantes publishes a CCSE glossary with equivalents in English, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Turkish and Hebrew to help you study, but every exam question is in Spanish.
How much does the CCSE exam cost?
€85 worldwide. The fee covers the exam, the certificate and the preparation materials, and includes a second attempt if you fail or miss your first sitting. You can ask for a refund within 14 calendar days of registering.
When is the next CCSE exam?
The remaining 2026 sittings (in Spain only) are 29 October (registration closed on 8 October) and 26 November (registration closes on 5 November). Registration for 2027 opens on 23 November 2026.
Is there an official CCSE app? How is this one different?
Yes. Instituto Cervantes has a free official app, “CCSE Nacionalidad Española”, with all 300 questions. CCSE 2026 - Study Guide is not official. It uses the same 300 questions from the 2026 manual and adds review that puts your most-missed questions first, accuracy stats per task, a mock exam history and a Mac version.
Checked on 16 October 2026 against Instituto Cervantes sources: format, dates, fee, CCSE 2026 manual and FAQ (all in Spanish). Maintained by Evgeny Goncharov, the app's developer. Not affiliated with Instituto Cervantes.