· 7 min read
Hindi Language Test: Official Certificates
By Language Lab editorial team
Hindi language tests explained: the Indian government's Certificate, Diploma and Advance Diploma in Hindi, their exams, fees, eligibility and July start.
Hindi's official qualifications are course-based. On Indian government sites we found no single worldwide proficiency test of the kind Japanese has in the JLPT or Korean in TOPIK. What India offers non-Hindi speakers instead is a ladder of three one-year courses from the Central Hindi Directorate, each ending in an examination: the Certificate Course in Hindi, the Diploma Course in Hindi and the Advance Diploma Course in Hindi. They are taught by correspondence, sessions begin every July, and exams are held at centres in India and abroad. Foreign students pay US$50 or £30 a session for the Certificate or Diploma and US$200 or £120 for the Advance Diploma. A separate set of exams, Prabodh, Praveen and Pragya, is only for central government employees.
The three certificates
| Qualification | Length | Taught in | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate Course in Hindi | One year, from July | English, Tamil, Malayalam or Bangla | Mother tongue not Hindi; above 10 years of age |
| Diploma Course in Hindi | One year, from July | English, Tamil, Malayalam or Bangla | Passed the Certificate Course, or the Praveen course, or has the required language skills |
| Advance Diploma Course in Hindi | One year, from July | Hindi | Above 15; passed the Diploma Course, or a high school examination with Hindi as a subject |
The Central Hindi Directorate sits under India's Ministry of Education. Its Department of Correspondence Courses was set up in 1968 to teach Hindi to people in non-Hindi-speaking Indian states, Indians settled abroad and foreign nationals. It says nearly 10,000 students are on its rolls each year.
How the course and exam work
- Materials. Kits of lessons and response sheets are sent out on a set schedule.
- Response sheets. You complete and return them; they come back evaluated, with grammatical guide-notes. The last date for Certificate, Diploma and Advance Diploma response sheets is 30 April each year.
- Contact programmes. Personal Contact Programmes of five to eight days are held where students are concentrated, with classroom lectures and training in speech, pronunciation and conversation.
- Examination. An exam is held at the end of each course at different centres in India and abroad.
- Marks. Internal assessment marks from your response sheets are added to the marks of the final examination.
- Prizes. Cash and book prizes are awarded to meritorious students on the basis of exam results.
Fees
| Course | Indian students | Foreign students |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate Course and Diploma Course | Rs. 50 per session | US$50 or £30 per session |
| Advance Diploma Course | Rs. 200 per session | US$200 or £120 per session |
Where foreign-exchange restrictions make payment difficult, the Directorate allows applicants abroad to deposit the equivalent in local currency with the Indian mission in their country. Confirm the current year's admission notice before you apply, since eligibility wording and dates are set there.
Prabodh, Praveen and Pragya
You will see these three names wherever Hindi exams are discussed. They are officialese-oriented courses introduced in 1969, 1970 and 1972 for central government staff. The Directorate states that they are only for employees of the central government, public undertakings and autonomous bodies, and that their examinations are conducted by the Department of Official Language in the Ministry of Home Affairs. Sessions start each January. They are not open to the general public, though the government's LILA self-study packages follow the same syllabus and are described as useful for other non-Hindi speakers.
Other official routes
- The Central Hindi Institute in Agra runs a one-year course for foreign students on a fully funded scholarship: air fare, gratis visa, hostel, meals and a stipend.
- A Civil Services Course in Hindi exists for graduates from north-eastern Indian states who will take Hindi in the civil services examination. It has no fee and no examination.
Which one should you choose?
- A beginner abroad who wants a certificate: the Certificate Course in Hindi, then the Diploma.
- Someone with school-level Hindi: the Advance Diploma, which covers language and literature and is taught in Hindi.
- Someone who can spend a year in India: ask the Indian mission about the Central Hindi Institute scholarship.
- Someone who wants to study without an exam: LILA's Prabodh, Praveen and Pragya packages.
Preparing for the exam
- Return every response sheet. The marks count towards your final result.
- Attend a Personal Contact Programme if one is held near you; it is the course's speaking practice.
- Test yourself instead of rereading. A 2013 review of learning research rated practice testing and distributed practice as high utility.
- Read and write in the script from the start.
The written course gives limited speaking time. Language Lab's Hindi course is built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor, which adds spoken practice between response sheets.
Frequently asked
Is there an official Hindi proficiency test?
Hindi's official qualifications are course-based: the Central Hindi Directorate's Certificate, Diploma and Advance Diploma in Hindi, each with an examination at the end. On Indian government sites we found no single worldwide proficiency test like the JLPT or TOPIK.
Can foreigners take the Hindi certificate course?
The Directorate was set up to teach Hindi to non-Hindi-speaking Indians, Indians abroad and foreign nationals, and it publishes fees for foreign students. Check the current admission notice for the exact eligibility rules.
How much does the Hindi certificate exam cost?
The fee is for the course: US$50 or £30 per session for foreign students on the Certificate or Diploma, and US$200 or £120 for the Advance Diploma.
When does the Hindi certificate course start?
The Certificate, Diploma and Advance Diploma sessions begin in July every year and last one year.
What are Prabodh, Praveen and Pragya?
Hindi courses and exams for central government employees and staff of public undertakings and autonomous bodies. Their examinations are conducted by the Department of Official Language.
Where is the Hindi exam held?
At the end of each course, at different centres in India and abroad.
Sources: Central Hindi Directorate, Ministry of Education, Government of India, Correspondence Courses; High Commission of India, Port of Spain, Facilities of Hindi Learning and Scholarship in India and LILA; Japanese-Language Proficiency Test and TOPIK official sites (for comparison); Dunlosky et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2013. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: Humayun's Tomb, Delhi, Jakub Hałun / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
