Hello Garrett,
If you are using Windows-based machine, download and install (for free) English International keyboard (either in UK or US English). It will take a bit of adjustment to get used to, but you can use double strokes to accentuate most of characters. I use it routinely in French and Italian, and it works great, once you get past the initial consternation.
Cheers.
Heads up. Memrise has a beta of its AI chat bot available. It seems to be free for now but probably will get upcharged soon. It works fairly well and is in some ways better than ChatGPT as it provides pronunciation help along the way. I suspect that this technology will rapidly improve.
Edit: duolingo max is a similar technology.
Since several people have mentioned that the listening part of the test is the hard, I decided to practice my listening with Portuguese podcasts.
A great one I found is Portuguese with Leo which has full transcripts on the website so you can check the written version if you have trouble making out the spoken version initially.
In fact the same episodes are available as videos on youtube https://www.youtube.com/@PortugueseWithLeo
This pairs very nicely with the browser plugin https://www.languagereactor.com/. With this combination, I can listen to the video, view the Portuguese subtitles, and click on any phrases I don’t understand to immediately get an English translation.
It’s like having your own Portuguese tutor sitting next to you while you watch videos in Portuguese!
I took the test in November and passed w/ ‘Bom’ although I only received a 60 on the Compreensão do
Oral (this is the listening part of the exam). The folks at Learn European Portuguese Online have developed two sample exams and their listening section is similar to what is currently on the exam. So, if you want a feel for what is on the exam, their mock exams are excellent and can be purchased here https://www.learneuropeanportugueseonline.com/ The other sample exams that are out there including the [a] one on the CIPLE (government website) as well as the two that are [b] in the book for purchase (Exames de Portugues CAPLE-UL - CIPLE, DEPLE, DIPLE) have the old audio format that was easier.
Hope this opens up more options for online classes and REALLY hoping for a course that can replace taking the test because my test anxiety is crazy. 
Can you share some more details of the online PLA courses? Thx!
I have already applied for the online course that begin in the end of May until the end of July. Service fees are 700 Euros.
I completed the 150-hour on-line course in January from EdPro https://www.edpropt.org/, and received an A2 Portuguese Language certificate about 3 weeks after the last class that was filed with my citizenship application to meet the Portuguese language requirement. My wife took the same course Feb-April 2024. The course is well-organized and all attendance is logged to insure compliance with the strict 90% attendance and participation policy. I highly recommend that anyone hoping to learn A1&A2 in 3 months learn some basic Portuguese before the class starts.
Do they run it as a class (scheduled times) or is it flexible as to when you do each lesson. We have university and work in the way of the former, so flexibility very useful.
Thanks
The classes are taught live on a scheduled time, based on Portuguese time, and there is a morning, afternoon, and evening class, GMT. I am in Texas, so the best time for me was 6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. GMT (12 noon to 4:00 p.m. CST). The class meets 4-5 days a week, except holidays, for a total of 37-38 classes.
Can the classes be attended on a phone/mobile device (which has zoom or teams app installed), or is a laptop necessary. This would help give some flexibility in case you need to be somewhere else and it’s time to attend the class.
Yes, some people attended by mobile phone on occasion. It is my understanding that logging into the class on your phone does count for attendance credit. While it is likely permissible, using a phone is not ideal to view the screen sharing and participate in class.
Has anyone used Pimsleur? I got an email advertising a Labor day deal to buy the full European Portuguese levels 1 and 2 for $210 (usually $300). It says this is for use in the App, is not a subscription - it’s lifetime use of this course. I’ve not bought it yet, but want to. However when I log in to the app all i see is the option to subscribe for GBP18.99 per month or around GBP145 per year (downloaded from UK app store). If I buy the lifetime Portuguese course will I be able to view it in the app?
I was able to get European Portuguese Level 1 through my public library’s audiobooks service. Worth a look before buying it.
Frankly, the subscription is probably the better deal. I wouldn’t expect you need to review the lessons after more than a few months
Actually for me I think buying it outright will be better. I don’t have much time to devote to study so I’m planning to take it slowly over a long period. I’m going to sign up for an in person course locally to where I live, but that will only take me to A1 level over an academic year. Want to use Pimsleur to supplement the speaking and listening. Then after I’ve completed the A1 level course I’ll either progress to their A2 level course, or do some private tuition at that stage.
So I’m just trying to work out if I’ll be able to use this version that’s on sale through the UK version of the app I’ve downloaded…
My wife and I are using the Michel Thomas method to learn Portuguese. It was one lifetime purchase for about $170 or so. It can be installed on multiple devices. We both have it on our iPhones and iPads. It is giving us a good foundation while we wait for GV processing!
And so, it is designed for 10-year period of learning basic A2 Portuguese? 
Answered my own question - I was able to purchase this course and can use it in my UK app store app.
It’s US$210 for all 60 lessons - usually $300. The discount expires in about 3 days from now.