Studieprøven vs Prøve i Dansk 3: Which Danish Test Should You Take?

Danish Education 3 (Danskuddannelse 3) ends in two tests. Prøve i Dansk 3 (PD3) closes module 5 and documents Danish at CEFR B2. Studieprøven (SP) closes module 6 and documents C1 [official: SIRI “Om prøverne”; BEK 1687/2025 bilag 1 pt 4.3]. SIRI states the purpose of each in one line. PD3 “er fx knyttet til ansøgning om statsborgerskab og til en række autorisationer” — it is linked to citizenship applications and a number of professional authorisations. Studieprøven can be used to meet “en række videregående uddannelsesinstitutioners dansksproglige adgangskrav” — a number of higher-education institutions’ Danish-language entry requirements, for applicants without a Danish-language qualifying exam [official].

So the short answer is: PD3 for residence, citizenship and a number of professional authorisations; Studieprøven for Danish-taught higher education. The longer answer depends on your goal, and in three cases — permanent residence, citizenship, and doctors, nurses and dentists — Studieprøven also works.

Our arithmetic: Studieprøven asks for 45 more minutes of test time, twice the minimum words in the main writing task, three prepared oral topics instead of one, and 328 kr more in fees. The biggest difference is not in the table’s time rows but in the pass rule. On PD3 a strong oral can carry a weak reading grade; on Studieprøven it cannot. Details: the PD3 pass rule and calculator and the Studieprøven pass rule and checker.

The citizenship rules ask for proof of Danish through a passed PD3 “eller en af de i bilag 3.a angivne prøver” — or one of the tests listed in annex 3.a (circular 9461 §24 stk.1) [official]. The first item on that list is “Studieprøven bestået med mindst karakteren 6 (efter 13-skalaen) eller 02 (efter 7-trins-skalaen) i samtlige discipliner” — Studieprøven passed with at least 02 on the 7-point scale in every discipline. Since Studieprøven cannot be passed without 02 in every part, any passed Studieprøven meets it. The same circular also ranks Studieprøven above PD2 for the applicants who may use the lower PD2 route (annex 3.b).

Circular 9461 is still the one UIM’s own page on the language requirement links to for annex 3.a, checked on 29 September 2026 [official: UIM]; it was amended in 2022 (circular 9432) and we found no newer circular that replaces it or drops Studieprøven. Citizenship rules change by political agreement, so re-check UIM’s page when you apply. Which applicants may use PD2 instead is in PD2 or PD3 for permanent residence and citizenship. The citizenship knowledge test is separate and unaffected by your language test: Indfødsretsprøven format and pass mark.

For ordinary permanent residence, nyidanmark.dk names PD2 as a basic condition and PD3 as one of the supplementary conditions, and accepts “en danskprøve på et tilsvarende eller højere niveau” — a Danish test at the same or a higher level [official]. Nyidanmark’s list of tests at the same or a higher level than PD3 names “Studieprøven bestået med mindst karakteren 6 (efter 13-skalaen) eller 02 (efter 7-trins-skalaen) i alle discipliner” — Studieprøven passed with at least 02 in every discipline [official: nyidanmark.dk]. Its list for the PD2 level refers on to the PD3 list. So a passed Studieprøven covers both the PD2 basic condition and the PD3 supplementary condition, by our reading of the two lists. If you have neither test, PD3 is shorter and cheaper. The companion civic test for residence is Medborgerskabsprøven.

STPS asks doctors, nurses and dentists trained outside the EU/EEA, as a rule, for PD3 with oral 10, reading 7 and writing 7; the three grades need not come from one sitting [official: STPS]. Among the qualifications that exempt you from that test, STPS lists “Studieprøven, jf. bekendtgørelse om prøver inden for danskuddannelse til voksne udlændinge m.fl.” — Studieprøven under the regulation for the Danish tests, with no grade stated. The same list sets conditions on a PD3 used for exemption (the required grades, and an age limit on the result), and none on Studieprøven [official: STPS]. Before any of this matters, check the quota. As checked on 29 September 2026, STPS says the quota for doctors trained outside the EU/EEA is “fastsat til nul og gælder til og med den 31. december 2026”, and that non-EU/EEA nationals as a rule cannot apply as nurses either, the nurse quota also being zero until 31 December 2026 [official: STPS quota pages]. Both pages list exceptions, among them EU/EEA or Danish nationals, people trained in Denmark and people with lawful residence in Denmark. Dentists are not on those quota pages. Other health professions have their own rules, which we did not check.

For a doctor at C1 level this is a real choice. PD3 needs three grades well above a pass; Studieprøven needs 02 in each part, but at C1. Which is easier depends on your profile, and STPS decides what it accepts, so ask STPS if you are unsure.

Studieprøven is the test built for Danish-taught higher education. SIRI names no list of institutions that accept it and no national grade bar; it says the test meets “a number of” institutions’ requirements and sends you to each institution and to ug.dk [official]. Some programmes may want more than 02 in some or all parts. Check the admission page of each programme you apply to, and the grades you need, before you register. PD3 is not described by SIRI as a route into higher education.

Studieprøven has the lower pass rate in every year and in both groups [official: UIM]. The comparison is imperfect: the candidates differ, the level differs, and the pass rules differ — a per-part bar fails more people than an average at the same grades. So these are lower observed pass rates, not proof that the same person would find Studieprøven harder. Two counting notes from UIM: someone who has completed both Studieprøven parts and later completes one of them again is counted as a new Studieprøven completion, which pulls its rate down; and UIM says Campus Bornholm’s 2025 test data were reported with errors [official: UIM 2025]. Full tables for Studieprøven are in the self-study and pass-rate guide, and for PD3 in the PD3 self-study guide.

Yes. They are separate tests with separate registrations and fees, and in winter 2026 their written days are on consecutive days — Studieprøven on Monday 9 November, PD3 on Tuesday 10 November — with orals in the same 2–15 December window [official: SIRI dates page]. Normal registration for that term closed on 31 August 2026; after the deadline a centre can in special cases let you sit, and it can say no, for example if there is no room [official: SIRI registration deadlines]. Whether one provider will seat you for both in one term is its decision. A sensible order for many people is PD3 first, for residence or citizenship, then module 6 and Studieprøven if a Danish-taught degree is the goal. For the PD3 written and oral days, see the PD3 written exam guide and the PD3 oral guide. For updates on Studieprøven dates, including the 2027 term, follow the Studieprøven notice board.