The YKI test (the Finnish National Certificate of Language Proficiency) is the one and only language proficiency test that will get you that Finnish citizenship.
But how well do you actually need to know Finnish to pass the test?
The YKI test has 3 levels, all of which have 2 proficiency grades: basic (grades 1-2), intermediate (grades 3-4) or advanced (grades 5-6).
For the Finnish citizenship, you need to get at least grade 3 – equivalent to the CEFR level B1 – in at least two categories (speaking, writing, listening and reading), but they have to combine written and spoken skills and cannot both be comprehension.
In this article, you’ll learn exactly what skills you need to master – or at least get by without too many panic sweats – at each level of the YKI test.
(CEFR A1–A2)
The basic level exam, as its name suggests, is for beginners who need proof of only essential language skills. The official evaluation criteria for the first two grades sound very basic to me. Essentially, all they require is that you understand clear and simple speech or text about everyday topics – not too bad hey?
I don’t speak Portuguese, but with the knowledge of other Romance languages, I would probably pass grade 1 (not to toot my own horn obviously, just to make the point that this is not a very high level to reach).
One thing I disagree with in the evaluation criteria is the requirement to be able to produce the language at such low level of comprehension.
Following the comprehensible input method and the natural way our brains acquire languages, I recommend starting your speaking and writing practice later, once you have a decent level of understanding – so that you actually know enough vocabulary and structure to make your own sentences!
Anyway, the requirements at the basic level are fairly simple: simple exchanges and text with a lot of mistakes – probably something like asking where the train station is or other famous starter-level sentences I’m such a huge fan of (I’m not) 😁
A final point on the basic level: this is not enough for the Finnish citizenship, higher education or more advanced jobs. If you need proof of your Finnish skills for one of those, the next level is for you!
(CEFR B1–B2)
The intermediate level gets more interesting. To pass grade 3 – the one you need for the citizenship – you need to understand ordinary everyday texts, longer stretches of speech and the central idea of TV or radio programmes in familiar topics and at normal tempo speech.
In the production side, you have to be able to cope with most common speech situations and write simple, coherent text on everyday topics – but you can still make mistakes in grammar and vocabulary.
At grade 4, you need to understand texts and normal tempo speech on general topics, even if you miss some details.
👉 This is the level that you can get to with the method and material of my online course Finnish Me: Understand. And when you apply the method to other authentic Finnish material – movies, podcasts, videos, books – you can go even further than that!
On the production side, you’ll need to get by fairly well in different official and unofficial speech situations and be able to write private and semi-official texts, expressing thoughts coherently.
(CEFR C1–C2)
The advanced level is NEXT level (literally… hehe). You’ll need to understand all kinds of speech and contemporary literature and speak and write clearly and fluently on various topics. At the highest grade, you’ll be able to express even subtle nuances of meaning and make very few mistakes.
I admit, this sounds a bit scary… The good news is, reaching this level of fluency is rarely a requirement for jobs or study positions.
The other good news is that, in my opinion, you don’t really have to study for that level.
Let me explain: once you’re at the intermediate level and are thus able to communicate with people, consume native media and just use the language in your everyday life, you’ll go from studying to living it – and this is by far the best way to progress towards that very high level of fluency.
Want to understand complex texts and contemporary literature? Read a book in Finnish 📚
Want to write official texts clearly and fluently? Start writing your work or admin emails in Finnish 📧
If your goal is Finnish citizenship, the answer is clear: you need to pass grade 3, which means demonstrating B1-level skills in both a comprehension and a production category.
And I have good news: because YKI measures functional language proficiency in everyday situations, you don’t need perfect grammar. You don’t need to write essays like a native.
You just need to understand Finnish well enough to navigate everyday life – and respond clearly, even with some mistakes.
Published on 6 September 2025.