PLIDA certification is a diploma awarded by the Società Dante Alighieri, that testifies tests the knwoledge of the Italian language as a L2.
The initiative is directed to all native speakers other than Italian, who want to check their language level and to obtain an official recognition of their language competence.
To obtain PLIDA is necessary to pass an exam, which is different according to a scale of six levels (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2), that represents as many stages of language learning; each applicant can choose the level to test and it isn't necessary to pass the lower levels (i.e. it is possible to sign up pfor B2 without passing A1, A2, B1 first).
The certification of competence in Italian PLIDA is one of the four recognized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Italian Reublic.
Moreover, the LIDA works on the base of a convention with the University La Sapienza (Rome), that gives scientific acclaim to this certification; finally, the PLIDA is also recognized by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the Ministry of University and Research, as a certificate for university registration on preferential terms for foreign students.