Frequently Asked Questions

1. I do not have a Brazilian pilot license, but I already have an ANAC code. Can I take SDEA?
No. Only pilots already holding a Brazilian pilot license can take SDEA.

2. I am a flight attendant / I am a flight engineer. Can I take the SDEA?
No. SDEA’s target audience is aeroplane, helicopter, powered-lift and airship’s pilots.

3. Where can I take SDEA?
A pilot can take Santos Dumont English Assessment at any institution (criar link para a página "List of accredited institutions.doc") certified by ANAC for administering SDEA. Candidates must schedule the test directly with the chosen certified institution.

For additional clarifications regarding Santos Dumont English Assessment send inquiry to Fale com ANAC (Contact Us) - available only in Portuguese.

4. What are the possible levels of assessment in the current format of the SDEA and when is the result released?
The current format of the SDEA was designed to distinguish the following levels of language proficiency: Expert (6), Advanced (5), Operational (4), Preoperational (3), Elementary (2) and Pre-elementary (1). For each of the six categories, one level is assigned: the candidate's final grade is the lowest of them. The complete result, with the levels reached by the pilot in each category, is sent to the candidate by e-mail, exclusively by ANAC, up to 30 (thirty) working days after the test. The final level appears on the license under "Remarks", as follows:

5. I was awarded level 4 in five skills and level 3 in only one, and my final result was level 3. Why?
ICAO has established that “the final rating is not the average or aggregate of the ratings in each of the six ICAO language proficiency skills but the lowest of these six ratings” (DOC 9835, 4-7).  As a result, lower than Level 4 (Operational) in any skill indicates inadequate proficiency and therefore below the minimum level considered safe for radiotelephony communications. The holistic concept is applied to communication and, in this sense, a level 3, in any of the skills required for effective communication, reduces its effectiveness to this level, since a poorly conducted ability affects communication as a whole. 

6. How long is my language proficiency endorsement valid?

• Final level 04 – Valid for 03 years;

• Final level 05 – Valid for 06 years;

• Final Level 06 – Indefinite Validity.

7. Can I request an extension to the validity of my language proficiency endorsement?
No. There is no extension to the language proficiency endorsement. Pilots should schedule their revalidation considering the periods of validity of each level, as well as the time required to comply with all stages of the process, so that they can continue to regularly work as crewmembers on international flights.

8. If I disagree with my results regarding SDEA, is it possible to appeal?
Yes. The candidate must send to ANAC the Score Review Request Form available for download on the ANAC’s SDEA webpage. The appeal must be sent within 30 (thirty) running days from the date the candidate receives the e-mail with the result. As stated in IS 61-003, item 5.4.7, "the grade obtained through the appeal filed against the results of Santos Dumont English Assessment may remain unchanged, be higher or lower in comparison with the original grade". The deadline for response is up to sixty business days after the date of receipt of the Score Review Request Form at ANAC. The electronic form must be filled in, signed and sent to the Eletronic information System - SEI-ANAC (available only in Portuguese).

9.  How long will the appeal process take?
Up to 60 (sixty) working days. A letter with the result is sent to the address given in the Appeal Form.

10. When can I take the exam again?
In any situation, pass or fail, the candidate is only eligible to take a new test when: a) the result obtained in the previous test has already been informed to the pilot by ANAC; and (b) after sixty running days of the previous test.

11. How can my foreign pilot’s license English proficiency level be validated for my Brazilian license?
The conversion of the English language proficiency endorsement is only possible when it is associated with the process of convalidation (conversion) of the foreign license. See chapter 6 of IS 61-003 (available only in Portuguese) for details.

12. Does ANAC recognize certificates of other English proficiency tests (such as TEA, ELPAC and others) for endorsement on Brazilian pilot licenses?
No. ANAC, in the exercise of its sovereignty, performs only the validation of language proficiency level endorsements when associated with the process of validation of foreign licenses. ANAC does not endorse results of tests, as explained in chapter 6 of IS 61-003. The license conversion process takes place between civil aviation authorities. There is no conversion of a certificate or license between a private entity and the Brazilian civil aviation authority.

13. Why is there a difference in the SDEA fee at the accredited institutions?
ANAC does not regulate the fees that are charged by the accredited institutions. 

14. Who can apply for the language proficiency exam for the assessment of English Level 6 - Expert?
The English Level 6 – Expert exam encompasses the assessment of skills that are not assessed by ANAC's current language proficiency test, the SDEA. As per guidance contained in ICAO Doc 9835, “The Level 6 descriptors in the ICAO Rating Scale refer to features of language use that go beyond the work-related context indicated in descriptors at lower levels” (ICAO, 2010, p. 6-7). Therefore, ANAC determined an additional module of the SDEA specific for assessment of Level 6, which will be applicable exclusively by public servers in ANAC.

The skills to be assessed are those available in the Level 6 descriptors of the ICAO Level Scale, corresponding to the six assessment criteria: pronunciation, structure, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and interactions. ICAO Doc 9835 details, on pages 4-9 to 4-14, what is expected of the Level 6 candidate in terms of communication skills in each of these six criteria.

Candidates who obtain Level 5+ (plus five), which is an indication that their performance required language proficiency above level 5 (Advanced), can be invited via email by ANAC to attend the Agency's premises in date to be disclosed to take the specific exam to assess Level 6.

It is important to clarify that taking the exam to obtain English Level 6 - Expert is optional and that once the pilot does not pass the exam, the candidate will keep his/her English Level 5 - Advanced, already reached, with its original validity. In case of failure, candidates will only take a new exam twelve months after taking the previous test.