What the NAATI CCL test is
The Credentialed Community Language test, run by NAATI in Australia, checks that you can interpret an everyday conversation between English and another language. It is not a test of grammar or literature. It asks whether you can carry meaning accurately and quickly, the way a community interpreter would at a clinic, a bank or a council office.
Most people from Pakistan take it for one reason: a pass can add 5 points to your score for Australian skilled visas such as the subclass 189, 190 and 491. Five points can be the difference between waiting and receiving an invitation. Our Australia PR points calculator guide shows where those points fit, and our Australian PR service covers the rest of the process.
How the test works
You hear two recorded dialogues, each about 300 words and roughly half in English and half in your language, such as Urdu or Punjabi. Each dialogue is split into short segments of up to 35 words. After each segment a chime sounds, and you interpret it into the other language.
- Start speaking within about five seconds of the chime. Long pauses can cost you marks.
- You may ask for one segment to be repeated in each dialogue without losing marks.
- There is no reading or writing. Everything is spoken.
How the marking works
Each dialogue is worth 45 marks, so the test is out of 90. Examiners start from full marks and deduct for errors, such as leaving information out, adding something that was not said, changing the meaning or hesitating for too long. Bigger errors cost more marks. To pass you need at least 63 in total and at least 29 in each dialogue. That second rule catches many candidates: a strong first dialogue cannot carry a weak second one.
Results usually arrive by email within four to six weeks. If you narrowly miss with a result of 58 or more, NAATI lets you apply for a review within 30 days.
Taking the test from Pakistan
NAATI delivers the CCL test online only, so you sit it from home in Pakistan with a remote proctor watching. You need:
- a personal computer with a working camera, built in microphone and speakers, and the latest Google Chrome (no headphones or earphones are allowed);
- a phone or tablet as a second camera, with the ProctorExam app;
- a private, stable internet connection of at least 10 Mbps download and 1.5 Mbps upload (public connections are not allowed);
- a valid passport or other accepted photo ID.
Test times follow Australian time, so plan for the time difference when you book. We run a full equipment and connection check with you before test day, because a dropped connection is the last thing you want in the middle of a dialogue.
Preparation in Urdu and Punjabi
Our CCL preparation focuses on Urdu and Punjabi. Practice uses realistic dialogues on the topics NAATI draws from, such as health, housing, education, employment, consumer affairs and dealing with government services. You learn the English and Urdu or Punjabi terms side by side, then practise turning them around under time pressure until it feels natural.
NAATI CCL preparation is one of our specialities, and every student our team has prepared for it has passed. That is a record we work to keep, not a promise about your result: only NAATI marks your test.
Classes online or in Lahore
You can prepare with us online from anywhere in Pakistan, or meet us at our office in F Block Commercial Market, Lake City Meadows (Ex State Life Housing Society), next to DHA Phase 5, Lahore. We are open Monday to Saturday, 11 am to 8 pm. For IELTS, PTE and the other English tests that Australia accepts, see our English test preparation page.
