Hebrew requirements for licensed professions in Israel

Updated

In Israel, a regulated profession needs a licence, and the licence almost always needs Hebrew. But not the same Hebrew everywhere. A doctor must prove a set level; an accountant sits exams in Hebrew with no separate language test; a teacher has no published score, yet teaches in Hebrew all day.

This guide covers six regulated professions. For each, it says what is required and where the information comes from. The official rules we could read are stated as facts, with their date. The rest are attributed to Nefesh B'Nefesh, the aliyah organisation that works with the government ministries. Before you act, the body that issues your licence has the final word.

Two benchmarks first: YAEL and Ulpan Gimmel

Two kinds of proof come up in almost every profession.

The YAEL test (יע״ל) is the Hebrew proficiency test of the National Institute for Testing and Evaluation, NITE, the body that also runs the psychometric exam, Israel's university entrance test. Anyone who takes the psychometric in a language other than Hebrew is registered for YAEL automatically. You can also take it on its own, in a computer-based version. Each licence sets its own minimum score.

Ulpan Gimmel is the third level of the public ulpan. Several licences accept its passed final exam as proof of Hebrew. Note that elev's ulpan levels use the same Hebrew letters, but elev gives no recognised exam and no certificate. Its level ג׳ prepares you for that exam; it does not replace it.

Physicians

This is the only requirement in this guide that we could read in the official text. The 2013 Physicians Regulations on basic knowledge of Hebrew (text in force on 11 February 2025) ask, for a licence or an internship, for any one of these proofs:

Press reports announce a higher requirement from 2027. As of 25 October 2026, we have read no official page that confirms it, so rely only on the Ministry of Health.

Nurses

According to Nefesh B'Nefesh, a nursing licence needs a good working knowledge of Hebrew, proved by one of these: the licensing exam taken in Hebrew, the Hebrew bagrut (average of 60), the final exam of an approved Ulpan Gimmel (70 or more), a YAEL score of 65 or more, or the Ministry of Education Hebrew test (65% or more). A completed advanced Hebrew course gives an exemption.

Allied health professions

Occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists and dietitians sit a Ministry of Health licensing exam. According to Nefesh B'Nefesh, it is offered in Hebrew, English and Spanish. A speech-language pathologist who takes it in English must also prove Hebrew, with a YAEL score of at least 110. Nefesh B'Nefesh publishes no Hebrew score for the other three professions, but the work with patients happens in Hebrew.

Lawyers

According to Nefesh B'Nefesh, a lawyer trained abroad sits a series of exams that includes a Hebrew exam and exams in Israeli law. The law questions are in Hebrew; you may answer in Hebrew or English, except in the Hebrew exam. Olim get an extra hour for each exam. The exam after the internship calls, again according to Nefesh B'Nefesh, for "near fluency in Hebrew"; five years of practice abroad exempt you from it.

Accountants (CPAs)

According to Nefesh B'Nefesh, the Israel CPA Council asks for no separate Hebrew test. But a North American CPA with two years of experience still sits four exams: business law, corporate and commercial law, and two tax exams. The winter session runs in Hebrew or English, except part of the tax exam, which is in Hebrew only; the summer session is in Hebrew only. The accountants the organisation interviewed all say the same: the job is done in Hebrew, with the tax authority.

Teachers

According to Nefesh B'Nefesh, Hebrew is the language of instruction in every school, and English teachers need Hebrew too, even if at a lower level. The Ministry of Education runs a programme for immigrant teachers, and from time to time opens ulpan courses just for teachers. The organisation publishes no score. You can sometimes start teaching before your licence, but you must get it during your first year.

How to prepare

Three tips apply to every one of these professions:

  1. Ask your licensing body for the exact proof, in writing, before you choose a course. A proof your licence does not accept is wasted time.
  2. Aim for the most common proof in your field: Ulpan Gimmel or the YAEL test, whichever your licence accepts.
  3. Learn the language of the job on top of everyday Hebrew. A general Hebrew exam will not teach you a patient's chart or the wording of a contract.

elev's ulpan can help with the second and third points, at your own pace, without replacing the exam. For health professionals, elev's medical ulpan page is in French for now; it is in preparation and shows, for each health profession, its situations and first words. To find out where you stand, the placement test is free and needs no account. elev's ulpan is described here, and this guide compares the State's free ulpan options.