When I first arrived in Spain, my Spanish was pretty much limited to ‘hola, gracias, adiós.’ I even struggled to buy groceries at the supermarket. To better integrate into life here and improve my job prospects, I decided to take on the DELE exam. Considering my budget and schedule, I opted to self-study for B2. I just got my results recently and was thrilled to find out I passed on the first try! Today, I want to share my experience from this period of intense study, hoping it can help others who are also on their preparation journey.
Step One: Choosing the Right Materials is Key
There are countless DELE prep books on the market, but only a few are considered essential. I mainly used what many call the ‘exam bibles’: Preparación al DELE and El Cronómetro. The Preparación series is excellent because it provides detailed explanations, in-depth analysis of each question type, and test-taking strategies. It’s perfect for beginners to understand the exam format and what to expect. On the other hand, Cronómetro focuses more on practice tests. Its mock exams are very similar in difficulty to the real thing, making it ideal for final-sprint cramming and getting a feel for the exam. I recommend starting with Preparación to build a solid foundation and then using Cronómetro to work through practice questions.
Tackling Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing One by One
The DELE exam is divided into four sections, and you need to pass each one, so you can’t have any significant weaknesses. Here’s how I structured my practice:
- Reading: There are no shortcuts here—just read a lot. Besides doing practice questions, I made it a daily habit to read news from El País or El Mundo. At first, I didn’t know many words, but by sticking with it, my feel for the language and my vocabulary improved dramatically.
- Listening: This was my weakest area, so I spent the most time on it. I saved the audio from mock exams to my phone and listened to them repeatedly during my commute until I could understand most of the details. Listening to RTVE radio and watching Spanish TV series was also incredibly helpful.
- Writing: Structure and logic are the most important aspects of writing. I created templates and compiled useful phrases for different types of essays. For example, you can start a formal letter with Estimados señores/as or express an opinion with Desde mi punto de vista. After writing, it’s crucial to have a friend or a language exchange partner review it, as it’s hard to spot your own grammatical errors.
- Speaking: You absolutely have to speak! Don’t be afraid of making mistakes! I found a language exchange partner and we chatted online at a set time every week. We talked about a wide range of topics, from the weather and food to social news, which significantly improved my fluency. During the exam, confidence and a smile are also important!
My Study Schedule
I studied intensively for about three months. Since I have a full-time job, my DELE preparation time was quite fragmented. I created a simple table to plan my daily study tasks, which I’m sharing here for your reference:
| Time Slot | Study Task |
|---|
| Morning Commute | Listen to mock exam audio or news radio |
| Lunch Break | Read a Spanish news article |
| Evening | 1.5-2 hours of focused practice: complete one full test set and analyze it |
| Weekend | Practice writing and speaking, chat with language partner |
Finally, I want to say that self-studying for DELE can be a lonely journey. There are times when practice tests will drive you crazy and listening exercises will make you question everything. But if you persevere, the moment you see ‘APTO’ on your score report, you’ll feel that all the effort was worth it! Although people can still tell I’m a foreigner when I speak, at least now I’m much more confident chatting with my neighbors or handling business at government offices. I wish you all the best in your studies! ¡Mucho ánimo a todos!
