In this article we present the Portuguese Proficiency Exam Profile, as established by the Secretary of Higher Education (Secretaria de Educação Superior) of the Ministry of Education, also denominated CELPE-Bras. This is the Brazilian official proposal which will allow Portuguese as a Foreign Language (PFL) exams to be conducted in any part of the world, provided there is a Centre that is acknowledged and accredited by the Ministry of Education of Brazil. The exam, of a communicative nature, is an innovative proposal. In this article, we will present the objective, the nature and the format of the exam. We will also deal with selected portions of texts and the levels of certificates to be issued; we will deal with the growing demand for exams and our concern with CELPE-Bras backwash effect in the teaching of PFL in Brazil and abroad.