In the CELU exam candidates read and write texts belonging to different genres, listen to radio recordings and have a 15-minute interview with two teachers who assess their oral performance in Spanish. The whole exam is done in one day. Candidates will be able to understand the rubrics and texts in the examination regardless of the Spanish variety they may speak. It is a single examination, the level achieved will be granted and  certified according to each candidate's performance.  
The examination consists of a set of oral and written activities. The former assess contextual and interactive adequacy, fluency, pronunciation and intonation, grammar and vocabulary; the latter assess the discursive, grammatical and lexical adequacy of the content. Language proficiency in working and academic contexts is evaluated.

The CELU certificate carries the candidate’s name, identity card number and nationality details, the date of the exam, the level achieved (Intermediate or Advanced) and a distinction among three assessment degrees in each level (Good, Very Good, Excellent). Certificates are signed by the President (Chancellor) of one the universities participating in the ELSE Consortium. Certificates are then sent to the Ministry of Education of Argentina where they be sealed and signed.
The exams are held regularly twice a year, in June and November, in all the universities which are part of the ELSE Consortium, in several venues in Brazil, in Paris, in Berlin and in Milan. There are also special examination dates in the Argentine venues that apply for this.