Lietuvių A2

Why people fail the exam: the weakest part decides everything

4 min read

Four columns of unequal height on a table, the lowest one circled with a pencil.

According to published 2024 data, roughly 73–76 per cent of candidates pass the state language exam — that is, about one in four does not. The number is not dramatic, but it is not small either, and the reason people fall is almost always the same.

The trap is not the points, it is the rule

The biggest trap is not the total number of points but the assessment rule itself: level A2 has to be reached in each part separately, and level A1 in each part is a precondition.

From that follows a conclusion worth reading twice: the weakest part decides the whole result, even if the others were written very well.

There is no point at all in asking the general question "how many points out of 80". The meaningful question is a different one:

Part Points A1 threshold A2 threshold
reading and writing 50 13 out of 22 17 out of 28
listening 20 6 out of 10 6 out of 10
speaking 10 5 6

Why well-prepared people still fail

Three of the most common preparation patterns look sensible but run into the same rule:

  1. "I am preparing for the higher level." The A1 tasks get skipped as too easy. But if the A1 group has not been reached, A2 is not even begun to be counted — even excellently done A2 tasks stay uncounted.
  2. "I will collect points where I am strong." That is how an average works, and here there is no average. A strong reading part does not make up for a speaking threshold that was not reached.
  3. "Speaking gives only 10 points, it does not matter." That is exactly what makes it dangerous: the part is small, the threshold is relatively high, and any failure to reach it falls on the whole result.

What to do about it

The practical advice is short: find out your weakest part as early as possible and train precisely that one.

That is not the same as "study more". It means:

  1. First go through all four parts once — not in order to get a good result, but in order to see which threshold was not reached.
  2. Then divide your time unevenly, in favour of the weakest part. Keeping the strong part in shape is enough.
  3. Check thresholds, not the total. After every practice session the question is "did I reach 13/22 and 17/28", not "how many did I score altogether".

How the final result is assembled from the parts is described separately: how the exam is assessed.

What these numbers do not tell you

  • Why exactly those 24–27 per cent fall. What is published is the overall statistic, not a breakdown of reasons for failing; everything said above follows from the assessment rule, not from a published analysis of causes.
  • How the statistic is distributed across the parts. No such breakdown is published, so we do not present one.
  • How many times people retake on average. That is not published either.

So this text is not a prediction about you. It is only a rule that applies to everyone equally, and the conclusion that follows from it.

Where to try this

Your weakest part usually shows up fastest when you go through the whole format in order: sample exam tests, and writing and speaking tasks with assessment can be trained in the training section. Described separately: the reading and writing part and speaking part strategy. Short answers — on the FAQ page.

Sources

Last checked: 26 October 2026.

"Lietuvių A2" is an independent exam preparation website. We are not an examination centre and not a legal services office; we are not connected with any institution that organises or recognises state language exams. Our assessment is training feedback, not an official exam result. This text is informative in nature and is not legal advice. Before the exam, check the assessment thresholds and the current procedure with the institution administering the exam.

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