Swedish language tests
Hiring Swedish-speaking talent? Ensure your candidates can communicate and comprehend Swedish with clarity and confidence – whether they’re writing, speaking, or listening.
TestGorilla’s scientifically designed Swedish language assessments help you evaluate applicants’ Swedish skills accurately and efficiently – for levels C1 and B1 – so you can confidently select professionals who meet your communication standards.
Why test Swedish proficiency?
Smarter team collaboration: When employees understand and use Swedish correctly in Swedish-speaking environments, it improves day-to-day communication and strengthens teamwork.
Stronger job performance: From day one, you’ll know your new hires have the language skills necessary to take notes, follow directions, and speak with coworkers and clients in Swedish.
Faster hiring: Use TestGorilla’s Swedish tests to instantly filter out candidates who don’t meet your language requirements – and spend more time on those who do. Our recent State of Skills-Based Hiring report shows that 81% of employers using skills-based hiring have reduced their time-to-hire.
Fairer candidate comparisons: Our language proficiency assessments level the playing field. Everyone takes the same standardized test, so you’re comparing actual Swedish skills – not resumes.
Better long-term results: New hires who struggle with the level of Swedish they need are less likely to stick around. Meanwhile, 91% of employers we surveyed who use skills-based hiring to hire right say it’s improved employee retention.
When to use the Swedish language proficiency test
Test for language proficiency in Swedish when you want to:Â
Hire new employees in a company or team where Swedish is a primary or secondary working language, ensuring smoother day-one integration
Expand into Swedish-speaking markets and hire employees who can communicate with local clients and partners
Recruit remote, globally distributed workers who must collaborate with Swedish-speaking colleagues or teams
Assess candidates for customer-facing roles – like support or sales – where fluent Swedish is essential
Help recruiters or hiring managers who don’t speak Swedish themselves ensure candidates meet language expectations
Measuring Swedish proficiency across levels
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) provides a globally recognized scale for measuring language ability for various languages – including Swedish. It defines six levels of fluency, from beginner to proficient, and helps hiring teams make informed, fair comparisons between candidates.
TestGorilla offers Swedish language proficiency assessments at the B1 (Intermediate) and C1 (Advanced) levels.
Here’s what Swedish-speaking employees can usually do at each level:
A1 (Beginner)
Understand and use very basic expressions and phrases in Swedish. Introduce themselves and answer simple questions if spoken to slowly and clearly
A2 (Elementary)
Handle routine tasks like reading basic instructions, completing forms, or asking for clarification in Swedish. Understand common expressions related to everyday tasks.Â
Learn more about A2 language proficiency levels
B1 (Intermediate)
Describe experiences and plans, understand straightforward Swedish media, and write simple texts on familiar topics. Communicate with colleagues about daily work and complete intermediate tasks, like responding to customer emails.
Learn more about B1 language proficiency levels
B2 (Upper intermediate)
Participate in job-specific conversations, present arguments clearly, and understand more technical or abstract texts.Â
Learn more about B2 language proficiency levels
C1 (Advanced)
Express complex ideas clearly, understand nuanced meaning, and write structured content in Swedish. Lead internal meetings, contribute to strategic planning sessions, conduct performance reviews, and negotiate with Swedish-speaking partners.
Learn more about C1 language proficiency levels
C2 (Proficient)
Understand virtually everything they hear or read in Swedish and respond precisely, even in complex or high-pressure situations.Â
Learn more about C2 language proficiency levels
Key skills assessed in the Swedish proficiency tests
Swedish language proficiency tests evaluate the following communication skills:
Grammar and vocabulary: How well they can understand and apply Swedish language structures and word usage
Sentence composition: Their capacity to construct correct, coherent, and professional sentences
Reading comprehension: How well they understand and interpret Swedish text, including formal documentation and everyday communications
Listening comprehension: Their ability to grasp spoken Swedish in different contexts
These core language skills are assessed at all CEFR levels, but higher-level tests (like TestGorilla’s Swedish C1 test) are more difficult.Â
What roles require Swedish proficiency?
Customer support representative
Requires B1 Swedish proficiency for handling routine customer queries and everyday interactions
Sales representative
Needs B1 proficiency to communicate with clients, understand needs, and present offerings in Swedish
Content writer or editor
Demands C1-level Swedish to produce structured, accurate, and professional written content.
Customer success manager
Requires C1 proficiency for addressing client needs, recognizing nuance, and managing complex communication.
Swedish language tests for every skill level
Swedish B1 (Intermediate)
Swedish C1 (Advanced)
Designed and reviewed by Swedish experts
TestGorilla’s language proficiency tests are developed by true subject matter experts. Every test is peer-reviewed by another expert and validated with real users to ensure fairness, accuracy, and professional relevance.
With a master’s in education from Jönköping University, Tobias has experience teaching social studies, religious studies, and communication. He’s also an experienced editor, proofreader, and translator and is fluent in Swedish, English, Russian, and Ukrainian.
Swedish language test FAQs
Get started with Swedish testing
Ready to evaluate your candidates’ Swedish language proficiency? Choose the right language level – B1 or C1 – and combine the language test with cognitive ability, personality and culture, and role-specific skills tests for a comprehensive view of each candidate.