How to prepare for the B1 Polish exam in one month

Updated 2 November 2026

What can you realistically achieve in a month?

A month works if you already understand everyday Polish, read simple texts and can make yourself understood, mistakes and all. The job then is to learn how the exam works, get used to the timer and close the gaps. If you are closer to A2, aim for a later session.

Unsure of your level? Take the free diagnostic test: about 10 minutes, with a forecast for each part and a plan.

The main trap: 50% in every part

The B1 exam has five parts: Rozumienie ze słuchu, Rozumienie tekstów pisanych, Poprawność gramatyczna, Pisanie and Mówienie. The pass mark is 50% in each part separately. There is no averaging: 90% in reading will not offset 45% in writing. You cannot resit one part — only the whole exam.

So build your plan around your weakest part.

Part	Time at B1
Rozumienie ze słuchu	25 min
Rozumienie tekstów pisanych	45 min
Poprawność gramatyczna	45 min
Pisanie	75 min
Mówienie	about 15 min

Week 1: diagnosis and format

Day 1: the diagnostic test and the exam overview with the task types.
Days 2–6: one timed test a day: listening, reading, grammar, writing, speaking. The first test of each part is free.
Day 7: note your percentage per part. Anything below 60% is a priority — you want a margin above 50%.

Week 2: weak parts and grammar

30 minutes a day on one of your two weakest parts, on the task types you get wrong most.
Grammar in short bursts in the exercises: cases after prepositions, verb aspect, the past tense, the conditional.
Keep an error log — what you wrote, the correct form, why — and review it every other day.

Week 3: writing by text type and speaking aloud

Learn the set phrases in written forms: formal and informal letters, complaints, notices, invitations.
Write 3–4 full sets (part a + part b) in 75 minutes each, count words and check against the Commission’s three criteria. See a B1 writing example.
15 minutes a day speaking aloud against a timer: photo, monologue, dialogue. Record yourself and listen back. More in the B1 oral exam.

Week 4: mock exam and official samples

Early in the week, the full B1 mock exam, with the written part in one sitting (about 3 h 10 min).
Midweek, the Commission’s official samples with answer sheet and key, timed.
Last two days: no new topics — error log, letter phrases, sleep.

What does an hour a day look like?

10 minutes — error log and 10 new words on exam topics.
30 minutes — one timed part, following the week’s plan.
15 minutes — speak aloud or write a short part-a text.
5 minutes — note down new mistakes.

At weekends, do a full part or two in a row.

Tips for each part

Listening: the recording for the first task is played once, the others twice. Read the questions first; use the second listening to check.
Reading: questions first, then the text. Do not get stuck on one unknown word; watch the time.
Grammar: practise transformations (the same idea in other words) and reread the whole sentence after answering.
Writing: you choose one of three sets and write both texts. Each topic sets its own length (about 200 words in total), ±10%: asked for 150 words, write 135–165. Marks: task completion, range of language, accuracy — 10 points each. Leave 10 minutes to check.
Speaking: three tasks — describing a picture, a monologue, a dialogue. Roughly 4 minutes for the photo, 4 for the monologue, 7 for the dialogue, plus about a minute to prepare for the first two. In the dialogue the examiner raises obstacles — suggest alternatives and reach an agreement.

When should you sit the exam and how do you register?

The next adult sessions are 5–6 December 2026 (B1 only) and 6–7 March 2027 (B1 and B2). You register through an exam centre listed on certyfikatpolski.pl. The centre must enter you into the Commission’s database at least a month before the exam, and its own deadline is usually earlier. Registration only counts once you have paid. For December, ask your centre now whether places remain.

New rules (fees, certificate, registration) apply from 1 January 2027. Anyone entered into the database before 1.01.2027 sits the exam under the old rules. Details in changes in 2027.

Exam-day checklist

An identity document — ask your centre which ones it accepts.
Address and start times of both parts: the session runs over two days; the centre sends the schedule.
Arrive early — about 30 minutes before the start is a good idea.
Leave your phone, smartwatch, earphones and notes outside the room. The law forbids bringing aids and devices for transmitting, receiving or recording information into the exam room (art. 11h ust. 9); breaking this means the exam is stopped and annulled, which counts as a fail (ust. 13–14). Checked 2 November 2026; this wording applies from 1.01.2027 — in December, follow your centre’s instructions.
Sleep and eat well: the written part lasts over three hours.

Take the diagnostic test B1 listening test Official samples

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Zdałem is an independent trainer, not affiliated with Państwowa Komisja. Rules change: before registering or filing documents, check certyfikatpolski.pl