Registering for the Slovak A2 exam and what it costs

Once you know you genuinely need the exam, the practical part begins: find a school, register, pay, and turn up. Here is the whole process, including the things that most often catch people out.

Where you can sit the exam

The exam is administered by a language school which, under the Ministry guidance of 27 October 2025, meets three conditions:

1. it is entered in the network of schools and school facilities — municipal, regional, private and church schools all qualify;
2. in the current school year it teaches Slovak as a foreign language to foreigners;
3. its teachers meet the qualification requirements of §§ 9–17 of Act No. 138/2019 Coll. and Decree No. 173/2023 Coll.

A separate authorisation to run state language exams is not required — which is precisely why the Ministry publishes certificate templates for schools that do not hold one. The pool of eligible schools is therefore wider than the market usually claims.

Exams are held in Bratislava and also in Košice, Nitra, Žilina, Poprad, Banská Bystrica, Zvolen and other towns. From 15 July 2026 a public university is added as a possible venue (amendment No. 128/2026 Coll.).

If you are unsure whether a particular school meets these conditions, ask them in writing before you pay, and confirm the procedure with the foreigners police as well.

What it costs

There is no single national price. Each school sets its own fee — § 6(6) of Decree No. 321/2008 Coll. speaks of "a fee determined by the head of the language school".

Published prices currently run roughly from 100 to 180 euros. The bottom of that range is the state language school at 100 euros; private centres are generally dearer and some add a surcharge for an individual or an earlier date. The gap between the cheapest and the dearest option is close to double, so it is worth comparing several schools.

Confirm the fee with the school directly. It changes every school year, and what the fee covers — a repeat of the oral part, say, or a more detailed result report — differs from school to school.

If you come across markedly higher figures, check whether you are looking at a different product altogether, such as a preparation course or a residential camp. A course-attendance confirmation does not replace the exam: in the residence procedure only the exam certificate is accepted.

How to register

There are no national exam sessions. Each school publishes its own rolling calendar, so you are not registering for "the spring session" but for a specific day at a specific school.

At most centres the process is the same:

1. Pick a date on the school's website — places per date are limited, so register early.
2. Fill in the online application or place an order in the school's e-shop.
3. Pay the fee in advance, usually several days before the date. Your place is normally held only once the payment arrives.
4. An invitation arrives by e-mail with the time, the place and the list of documents to bring.

Read the invitation in full — it carries your school's exact schedule, which differs between centres, and tells you which identity document is required.

Candidates aged 15 to 18

A candidate under 18 needs the application to be signed by a parent or guardian, who then waits outside the exam room. Children who were under 14 at the date of the residence application do not sit the exam at all — they are exempt under § 52(7) of Act No. 404/2011 Coll.

What exam day looks like

The written part usually starts in the morning. A few practical points:

• Arrive with time to spare. At several centres, arriving late means exclusion from the exam with no refund. It is the most expensive mistake available.
• Plan for a whole day. After the written part comes marking by two independent markers, and the oral part follows the same day for those who progressed. Do not book work or an appointment for the afternoon.
• The order is fixed. Only candidates who pass the written part go on to the oral one. The marking details are in How the A2 exam runs and how it is marked.
• Bring the identity document named in your invitation, and arrive rested — the oral part sits at the end of a long day.

If you do not pass

The Act sets no limit on the number of attempts.

• If you fail the written part, you do not progress to the oral one and must register for a new date — the whole exam again.
• If you pass the written part but fail the oral one, some centres let you repeat the oral part alone at a later date, with the full fee payable again. This is not the rule everywhere, so check the retake terms with your school before you first register.

The certificate

A pass produces an osvedčenie (certificate) issued on a template published by the Ministry of Education. It contains:

• one assessment field holding a single word — výborný (excellent), veľmi dobrý (very good), dobrý (good) or nevyhovel (fail);
• the CEFR level;
• a reference to § 17a(2) of Act No. 245/2008 Coll.

The official certificate does not report percentages per skill — if a school gives you a more detailed report, that is its own added service.

The certificate's validity is not time-limited, and from 15 July 2026 it may expressly be submitted even if it is older than 90 days.

Before you pay

Two things to confirm before you send any money:

1. Whether you need the exam at all. It is a condition for long-term residence only — not for permanent residence, temporary residence, work or study. In detail in Which residence permit needs the exam.
2. What your school's terms are — the price, the schedule, the retake rules, and whether it applies stricter marking.

And before you buy a preparation course, try the format for free: sample tests, the first pack and a speaking exercise with AI feedback. The AI assessment is a practice aid, not an official exam result.

Neither pass rates nor candidate numbers are published, so we do not estimate them either.

Where to check

• Conditions for schools and certificate templates: Ministry guidance of 27 October 2025 — minedu.sk
• The fee: Decree No. 321/2008 Coll. — slov-lex.sk
• Language schools: Language-school education — minedu.sk
• The residence procedure: Long-term residence — IOM Migration Information Centre

Always confirm the date, price and terms with the language school you choose, the exam rules with the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic, and the documents for your application with the foreigners police. We are not an examination centre and not a law firm — we do not administer exams, we cannot register you for a date, and this text is not legal advice.

Last verified: 12 August 2026.