Speak out loud
Practise everyday conversations in Finnish.
Practise for the YKI test
Lexie's practice course has texts, tasks, and writing and speaking practice that prepare you for the test. The practice is in Finnish, like the test. Start today.
How you practise
Each practice set has one real text. You read it, listen to it, practise the vocabulary and do tasks. Then you write and speak yourself.
Feedback
You always get feedback on speaking tasks, so you know what to practise next.
Reading comprehension
Do tasks that test whether you understood the text.
Listen to the texts
You can listen to every text and do listening comprehension tasks.
Vocabulary
Practise key words and phrases with flashcards.
Topic areas
The course has eight topic areas and 32 texts. The topics are the same as in the test: housing, work and education, health, services, transport and travel, family and relationships, free time, and society and media. The topic names and texts are in Finnish.
Choose a plan
One subscription gives you every Lexie course.
Free
Try Lexie free with 3 study sets.
0€
Monthly
9,99€Per month
Annual
Best deal59,99 € billed yearly
4,99€Per month
Buying Lexie for someone else?
Pay here, and they unlock everything in the app with a code. No card needed on their device.
One purchase unlocks Lexie on the web and in the app.
The test at a glance
How the intermediate test works.
- Levels
- The intermediate test measures levels 3 and 4. They match the European levels B1 and B2.
- Subtests
- Four parts: reading comprehension, writing, listening comprehension and speaking.
- Duration
- You do all parts on the same day. The intermediate test takes about four to five hours.
- Speaking
- You do speaking and listening in a studio. You speak into a microphone, not with a person.
- Price
- The intermediate test costs 190 euros. A single subtest costs 43 to 84 euros.
- Registration
- Register at yki.opintopolku.fi during the registration period. Places can fill up.
- Results
- Your certificate arrives by post about two months after the test.
- Organiser
- The Finnish National Agency for Education runs the YKI tests. The University of Jyväskylä writes them.
Which level do you need?
Check this before you register, because it decides which test you take.
For Finnish citizenship, level 3 of the intermediate test is enough. You need one oral and one written subtest, both at level 3 or higher. The oral part is speaking or listening comprehension. The written part is writing or reading comprehension.
Level 3 matches the European level B1. So you do not need level 4, even though the intermediate test can also give you that. This course practises both levels.
Other uses, such as work or study, can have a different requirement. Always check the requirement with whoever asks for the certificate.
What do you do in the test?
Reading comprehension: you read everyday texts, such as notices, instructions and news, and answer questions.
Writing: you write, for example, a message, feedback or an opinion. The task tells you who you write to and why.
Listening comprehension: you listen to conversations and announcements and answer questions.
Speaking: you speak into a microphone in a studio. You talk about a topic, answer a recorded partner's questions, react to short situations and finally give your opinion. Nobody answers you for real, so practise speaking in exactly this format.
Test dates and registration
Finnish National Agency for EducationThe Finnish intermediate test runs several times a year. The next test dates are 2 October 2026 and 7 November 2026. In 2027 the dates are 16 January, 13 February, 10 April, 12 May and 2 June.
Registration is open only for a limited time before each test, and places can fill up. Register at yki.opintopolku.fi. From the start of 2026, you cannot move your registration to another test date.
Always check test dates, registration periods and test locations on the Finnish National Agency for Education website, because that is where they are confirmed.
Frequently asked questions
The YKI test (yleinen kielitutkinto, National Certificate of Language Proficiency) is an official language test for adults. It measures how well you use the language in everyday life: at work, with public services and in studies. The Finnish National Agency for Education is responsible for the test, and the University of Jyväskylä writes it. There are three levels: basic, intermediate and advanced.
Level 3 of the intermediate test is enough. You need one oral and one written subtest, both at level 3 or higher. The oral part is speaking or listening comprehension. The written part is writing or reading comprehension. Level 3 matches the European level B1.
The intermediate test costs 190 euros. The basic level costs 165 euros and the advanced level 216 euros. If you take only one subtest in Finnish or Swedish at the intermediate level, the price is 43 to 84 euros, depending on the subtest. You pay the fee every time you take part.
You register online at yki.opintopolku.fi. You log in with Suomi.fi identification or with an email address. Registration is open only for a limited time before each test. Places can fill up, and then you can join a waiting list.
The Finnish intermediate test runs several times a year. The next test dates are 2 October 2026 and 7 November 2026. In 2027 the dates are 16 January, 13 February, 10 April, 12 May and 2 June. Check the dates and registration periods on the Finnish National Agency for Education website before you make plans.
You do all four subtests on the same day. The intermediate test takes about four to five hours. Listening comprehension and speaking happen in a studio, the other parts in a classroom. Your certificate arrives by post about two months later.
Yes. The test measures everyday language skills, so focus your practice on the text types and situations the test uses. Lexie's course has 32 real texts from eight topic areas. Each text comes with vocabulary, structure exercises, and writing and speaking tasks. The Finnish National Agency for Education also publishes free practice material.
No. The texts and tasks are in Finnish, because the test is in Finnish. This page explains the test in English so you can decide whether the course suits you.
The course practises the skills and text types of the intermediate test, but your Finnish also grows when you use it elsewhere. Read, listen to and speak Finnish outside the course too. Also do the practice tests from the Finnish National Agency for Education, because they show the real format of the test.
Sources and method
The test facts come from the Finnish National Agency for Education's pages on the National Certificates of Language Proficiency, the Finnish Immigration Service's language requirement and the University of Jyväskylä's site ykitesti.solki.jyu.fi. The course texts follow the intermediate requirements, levels 3 and 4. The practice uses the two methods with the most evidence: you recall things yourself instead of rereading the text, and you come back to the same thing on different days.