CELPIP-General vs CELPIP-General LS
Two tests, two purposes. One is for permanent residence and one is for citizenship, and taking the wrong one costs you the fee and the wait.
The one thing to know first. CELPIP-General tests all four skills, takes about 3 hours and is the IRCC approved test for permanent residence. CELPIP-General LS tests Listening and Speaking only, takes about 1 hour 10 minutes and is the IRCC approved test for Canadian citizenship. If you need PR, LS will not qualify no matter how well you score.
CELPIP-General vs General LS at a glance
| What is being compared | CELPIP-General | CELPIP-General LS |
|---|---|---|
| Skills tested | Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking | Listening and Speaking only |
| Total time | About 3 hours, one sitting | About 1 hour 10 minutes, one sitting |
| Approved for | Permanent residence | Canadian citizenship |
| Also used for | Professional designation, university, college and vocational admission | Citizenship applications |
| Fee | $290 plus taxes | $195 plus taxes |
| Separate speaking session | No | No |
Fees are the Canadian prices published by Paragon on celpip.ca, read on 12 August 2026. International pricing varies and fees change, so confirm on celpip.ca before you book.
Which one do you actually need?
Work backwards from the application, not from the test.
- Applying for permanent residence: you need CELPIP-General. Express Entry and the other PR streams score all four skills, so a two skill report cannot be used.
- Applying for citizenship: CELPIP-General LS is the test designated for it, and it is the cheaper and shorter of the two. CELPIP-General is also accepted, because it contains the same Listening and Speaking components, but there is rarely a reason to pay for the longer test.
- Not sure yet, or applying for both in sequence: take CELPIP-General. It covers both purposes, and your scores stay valid for two years from the date the report is issued.
One practical note: because the two tests share a name, it is easy to book the wrong one. Confirm the test type on your booking, not just the date and the centre.
The Listening section is identical, and that matters for practice
Both tests use the same Listening component: six parts, 38 scored questions and one unscored practice task at the start.
| Listening part | Questions |
|---|---|
| Part 1, Problem Solving | 8 |
| Part 2, Daily Life Conversation | 5 |
| Part 3, Listening for Information | 6 |
| Part 4, News Item | 5 |
| Part 5, Discussion | 8 |
| Part 6, Viewpoints | 6 |
So every minute of Listening practice counts towards whichever test you sit. If you are preparing for LS, the highest value parts to drill are the two longest: Problem Solving and Discussion, at 8 questions each. Both come with the full transcript and the reasoning behind every answer. Our free Listening tests use the same six part shape.
CELPIP-General LS is not a reading free test
This catches people out, and it is stated plainly by Paragon: test takers are required to read the answer choices in the Listening Test and the questions in the Speaking Test. There is no Reading component and no reading score, but you still read on screen throughout. If your reading speed is the weak point, LS does not remove the problem, it just stops measuring it.
How each test is scored
Both report a level from 1 to 12 for each skill they test, so a General report shows four levels and an LS report shows two. Neither issues an official overall number, and CELPIP levels map one to one onto CLB levels, so a CELPIP 9 in Speaking is CLB 9 in Speaking. Programs read the skills separately, which means your weakest skill usually decides your eligibility rather than any average.
Listening and Speaking are scored the same way in both tests, so an LS result tells you exactly what those two skills would have scored on the General test. Use the Listening score chart to turn a raw score out of 38 into a level, and the full CELPIP score chart for all four skills and the usual PR and citizenship targets.
Practise the right test
Our free full mock tests include both shapes, so you can sit the one you are actually booked for rather than a generic version. Listening and Reading are scored instantly against the conversion tables on this site, and Writing and Speaking come back with expert feedback against the four official rating categories.
If you are sitting LS, the two components to rehearse are Listening and Speaking, and the CELPIP speaking samples give you a spoken model answer for every question across all eight speaking tasks.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between CELPIP-General and CELPIP-General LS?
CELPIP-General tests all four skills, Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, takes about 3 hours and is the IRCC approved test for permanent residence. CELPIP-General LS tests only Listening and Speaking, takes about 1 hour 10 minutes and is the IRCC approved test for Canadian citizenship. The Listening component is the same in both tests.
Which CELPIP test do I need for PR?
CELPIP-General. Permanent residence applications require all four skill scores, so the LS test does not qualify. If you are applying for Canadian citizenship instead, CELPIP-General LS is the approved test and it is both shorter and cheaper.
Which CELPIP test do I need for citizenship?
CELPIP-General LS is designated by IRCC for citizenship applications. CELPIP-General is also accepted, because it contains the same Listening and Speaking components, but it costs more and takes about two hours longer, so most citizenship applicants take LS.
How much does each CELPIP test cost?
As published by Paragon on celpip.ca and read on 12 August 2026, CELPIP-General is $290 plus taxes and CELPIP-General LS is $195 plus taxes. Those are the Canadian prices and international pricing varies. Always confirm the current fee on celpip.ca before booking.
What is the CELPIP test price in Canada, and is it the same everywhere?
The CELPIP-General test price is $290 plus taxes and the CELPIP-General LS price is $195 plus taxes. That is one Canadian price rather than a per-city one, so the CELPIP test price in Toronto is the same as in Vancouver or Calgary. What does change is international pricing: Paragon states plainly that the figure above is the Canadian price and that pricing outside Canada varies, so a price quoted for a test centre in India, Nigeria or Ghana will not match it. Paragon sets the fee and takes the booking on celpip.ca; no preparation site, including this one, can sell you a test or change the price, so confirm the current figure there before you book.
How long is the CELPIP-General LS test?
About 1 hour 10 minutes in total, done in one sitting. Listening runs 47 to 55 minutes and Speaking runs 15 to 20 minutes. Paragon’s own comparison card rounds this to a single 1 hour test sitting, so you will see both figures quoted.
Is the Listening section the same in General and General LS?
Yes. Both use the same six parts and the same 38 scored questions: Problem Solving 8, Daily Life Conversation 5, Listening for Information 6, News Item 5, Discussion 8 and Viewpoints 6, plus one unscored practice task. That means Listening practice counts fully towards either test.
Does CELPIP-General LS involve any reading?
There is no Reading component, but the test is not reading free. Paragon states that test takers are required to read the answer choices in the Listening Test and the questions in the Speaking Test. Candidates who expect a purely spoken test are often caught out by this.
Do I get an overall score on CELPIP-General LS?
No. CELPIP reports a level from 1 to 12 for each skill it tests, so an LS report shows two levels, Listening and Speaking. There is no official overall CELPIP number on either test, and CELPIP levels map one to one onto CLB levels.
Test format, timing and fees on this page are taken from Paragon's own CELPIP-General LS page on celpip.ca, read on 12 August 2026. Paragon is the authority on the test and IRCC is the authority on which test your application requires. Confirm both before booking.
Booked the test? Find out where you stand.
Every mock test on celpipmocks.com is free and timed like the real thing, in both the General and the LS shape.
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