CELPIP Listening Practice Test

The CELPIP Listening Test has 6 parts and 38 scored questions, and every clip plays only once. Here is the official format of each part, one free practice question in every part, and how the test is scored.

An Electronics-repair Shop Counter

This free question has 8 questions. The audio plays once, as on the real test, so you need to listen to answer them. Here are the first 3:

1. Why did the woman end up being charged more than she expected?
   1. The shop installed a higher-grade component without getting her approval.
   2. The technician ran an extra diagnostic that was not in the original quote.
   3. The woman had requested the premium screen panel when she dropped the laptop off.
   4. The standard part arrived damaged and had to be replaced a second time.
2. How does the woman feel when she first hears the new total?
   1. frustrated
   2. relieved
   3. indifferent
   4. grateful
3. What item did the woman not find in the bag when she collected her laptop?

Switching Cell Plans at the Coffee Shop

This free question has 5 questions. The audio plays once, as on the real test, so you need to listen to answer them. Here are the first 3:

1. What is this conversation mainly about?
   1. The woman helping the man find a cheaper data plan for his phone
   2. A woman reconsidering her current phone service after a friend shares a better alternative
   3. Two friends comparing their experiences with poor customer service hotlines
   4. The man explaining how a referral program can earn him money each month
2. Why is the woman considering leaving her current provider?
   1. Her contract has already expired and she has no service
   2. She recently moved outside her provider's coverage area
   3. She is paying a high monthly rate for a plan that has not met her expectations
   4. She lost her phone number after a previous transfer and wants better protection
3. How much data does the man currently receive on his plan?
   1. Fifteen gigabytes
   2. Thirty gigabytes
   3. Five gigabytes
   4. Twenty gigabytes

Customer and Mechanic at a Bicycle Shop

This free question has 6 questions. The audio plays once, as on the real test, so you need to listen to answer them. Here are the first 3:

1. What can we tell about the man?
   1. He is in charge of a community garden.
   2. He has a job delivering food.
   3. He has already bought a kit.
   4. He gives his time to help others.
2. Why does the man want a motor on his bike?
   1. His knees have started to hurt.
   2. His doctor told him to cycle less.
   3. He tows heavy loads uphill.
   4. He finds Crescent Road too busy.
3. What is the problem with the hub kit for the man?
   1. Its adapter takes weeks to come.
   2. It would wear out his chain quickly.
   3. It is harder to install.
   4. It might not fit his bike's frame.

A Week at the Alder Bend Arena

This free question has 5 questions. The audio plays once, as on the real test, so you need to listen to answer them. Here are the first 3:

1. The news item is mainly about
   1. a photo that spread quickly.
   2. a town's efforts to protect an owl.
   3. an owl's effect on a town.
   4. a new schedule at a local arena.
2. Boucher first noticed the owl because of
   1. the owl calling from the roof.
   2. a post on the town's community page.
   3. mice running across the snow.
   4. a group of noisy crows.
3. The morning practices were moved because
   1. the lot was full at practice time.
   2. visitors were blocking the main doors.
   3. the owl needed peace and quiet during the day.
   4. visitors were crowding the lobby.

Neighbors Planning a Block Party

This free question has 8 questions. The audio plays once, as on the real test, so you need to listen to answer them. Here are the first 3:

1. What is the discussion mainly about?
   1. deciding whether to hold a party
   2. starting a new street tradition
   3. a city rule about closing streets
   4. bringing back a street party
2. What is Nasrin's attitude toward the city's rules?
   1. respect
   2. frustration
   3. gratitude
   4. worry
3. What does Nasrin say about the signatures?
   1. Collecting them will be slow.
   2. The city needs a printed form.
   3. Some neighbors aren't in the group chat.
   4. Many houses would refuse to sign.

A Bill to Stop Changing the Clocks

This free question has 6 questions. The audio plays once, as on the real test, so you need to listen to answer them. Here are the first 3:

1. This is a report about a
   1. law that has already ended clock changes.
   2. study linking clock changes to collisions.
   3. plan to keep one time all year.
   4. plan to change the clocks only in spring.
2. Whether the bill takes effect would depend on
   1. what happens in nearby jurisdictions.
   2. support from medical associations.
   3. approval from small business owners.
   4. how much energy it would save.
3. Margaret Osei believes that brighter evenings would
   1. lower the amount of energy people use.
   2. make the roads safer for children.
   3. help teenagers get more sleep.
   4. be good for local businesses.

The CELPIP Listening test format

Listening is the first part of the CELPIP-General Test. It takes about 47 to 55 minutes and has 38 scored questions across 6 parts (there may also be one unscored part, and you will not know which one it is).

Every audio clip plays only once and cannot be paused. All speakers have Canadian accents, and in every two-person conversation one speaker is a man and one is a woman. The parts get harder from Part 1 to Part 6, and you cannot go back to a part you have finished.

In Parts 1 to 3 you hear each question, read four answer choices, and have 30 seconds to answer. The questions come one at a time, in order.

In Parts 4 to 6 the questions are sentence completions. All of them are on one screen, so you can answer them in any order within the time.

How CELPIP Listening is scored

Each of the 38 scored questions is worth one point, and no points are taken off for a wrong answer, so always answer every question. The computer works out your CELPIP level from your points and the difficulty of the questions. As a rough guide from CELPIP's own study pack, Level 7 is about 27 to 31 correct answers out of 38, and Level 9 is about 33 to 35.

CELPIP reports a level for each skill, and each CELPIP level equals the same CLB level for Canadian immigration (CELPIP 10, 11 and 12 all count as CLB 10+). Express Entry's Federal Skilled Worker program needs at least CLB 7 in all four skills. Canadian citizenship (ages 18 to 54) needs CLB 4 in speaking and listening. Express Entry gives the most points for your first official language at CLB 10 or higher in each skill. Results must be less than 2 years old.

How to prepare for CELPIP Listening

You get paper and a pen at the test center, and nobody looks at your notes. Write in point form, and keep your notes in order: the questions come in roughly the same order as the answers in the audio. Read the introductory statement before each clip for clues about the speakers and the situation.

While you listen, ask the questions CELPIP suggests. Is there a problem, what solutions are offered, and which one is chosen? Does one speaker want information, and why? In the news item, note each person's last name, because they are introduced by full name and then called by their last name. In the discussion, set up notes for three speakers. In the viewpoints part, note who is mentioned, what they think, and why.

Our question bank has 121 listening question sets organized by part, with one free set in every part. In practice mode you can replay the audio to learn, but try answering after one listen, because the real test plays each clip only once.