California Bilingual Superior Court Employees

Local trial courts throughout California employ many bilingual staff members. In 2015 the Judicial Council adopted the Strategic Plan for Language Access in the California Courts, which includes:

Courts must ensure that bilingual staff providing information to Limited English Proficiency court users are proficient in the languages in which they communicate. All individuals designated as bilingual staff by courts must meet minimum standards. Courts should not rely on self-evaluation by bilingual staff in determining their language proficiency. Each court may wish to select a standard (or multiple standards) based on the position being filled.

One resource available for testing bilingual staff members’ speaking proficiency in Spanish and 69 other languages is the Oral Proficiency Exam (OPE) currently available through Prometric. Although the Judicial Council uses this exam offering for court interpreters, anyone (including court staff) can take the exam with the standard fees.

The Oral Proficiency Exam measures the ability of an individual to communicate in the language being tested. Candidates go to a testing center to take the exam. The exam is conducted over a secure telephone line by a live, trained, and certified American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) interviewer. The exam will be recorded by the ACTFL interviewer so that it can later be rated. Register and schedule your exam at one time by calling Prometric at 888-226-9406, option 2 between 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. (Pacific time), Monday through Friday.

STATE COURT BILINGUAL EMPLOYEES

Bilingual staffs who work at the state courts can take the Oral Proficiency Exam to assess their proficiency in Spanish plus 69 other languages.

A list of available Oral Proficiency Exam (OPE) languages is shown below

*This language is a certified language for certified court interpreters in California. If bilingual staff would like to be a court interpreter in this language, they will be required to take the BIE. For more information, see Certified Court Interpreters. 

Steps

 1. Review the Candidate Information Bulletin

Before you sign up to take any California court examination, please review the Candidate Information Bulletin. This bulletin will provide you with important information about each examination including requirements, testing windows, what to expect on test day, rescheduling/cancellation policy and much more.

2. Testing Accommodations

If you require testing accommodations such as those necessary for disabilities, please complete an accommodation request form or contact Prometric at 888-226-9406, option 2 for assistance. You will need to provide professional medical documentation of your disability to help us determine the necessary testing arrangements. Advance notice is required for all special testing arrangements; please make your request at least 30 days in advance of your desired testing appointment.

3. Confirm the Language

Before you sign up to take any OPE exam, please confirm the below information with your court supervisor or manager:

• Agreed upon language in which you will be testing; 
• Which score/level is considered a passing grade for your court; and
• Payment method chosen to pay for your exam prior to scheduling your exam.

4. Register and Schedule Your Oral Proficiency Exam(s)

Identification

You may contact Prometric at 866-241-3118 between 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. (Pacific time), Monday through Friday, to register and schedule your Oral Proficiency Exam appointment(s). Individuals who wish to take more than one OPE may want to schedule back to back appointments.

When you register for any exam, be sure to use your legal name as listed on your official ID.  Your official ID should meet these three requirements:

• A valid, non-expired form of identification;
• Be government-issued (e.g., driver’s license, passport, state-issued identification card or military identification card); and
• Contain both a current photo and your signature (refer to the Candidate Information Bulletin if your official ID does not meet this requirement for further instructions).

Register with your full name exactly as it appears on your ID. Upon registration, Prometric’s data management system assigns a unique identification number, often called a Prometric ID number, to every candidate. You must use your Prometric ID number when registering and scheduling for any of the exams.

Location

Your Oral Proficiency Exam will be given only at select Prometric Test Centers in California. Select your preferred two exam testing locations before you call to register.  A complete list of the test center locations in California equipped to administer the OPE is provided on the OPE webpage. 

If you need to change your appointment, please review the policies in the Candidate Information Bulletin.

5. Prepare for your Exam

The Oral Proficiency Exam measures the ability of an individual to communicate in the language being tested at the moment of taking the exam; therefore, no preparation is required. However, bilingual individuals may want to practice conversing in the selected language for several minutes before taking the exam. In planning for test day, you can view our What to expect on Test Day, Video 1: The Oral Proficiency Exam.  You may also want to review our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document.

6. Take Your Oral Proficiency Exam

Confirm the Test Center address and review directions provided.

You must present a valid, non-expired form of identification before you can test. That identification document must:

• Be government-issued (e.g., driver’s license, passport, state-issued identification card or military identification card);
• Contain both a current photo and your signature (if it does not, you must present two government-issued identification cards: one with your photo and one with your signature);
• Have a first and last name that exactly matches the first and last name used to register for the examination. Review Test Center Procedures in the Candidate Information Bulletin.

Arrive at the Test Center 30 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment.

The Oral Proficiency Exam itself is a 20–30 minute conversation over the telephone between you on one end of the phone line and an American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) trained and certified interviewer on the other end of the phone line. The exam has four components:

• Warm-up
• Level checks
• Probes
• Wind down

During the test, the interviewer will engage you in discussion of topics of interest, and then probe your level of speaking ability.  

You will receive your score report within 30 days of your exam via US Mail.

If you need to change your appointment, please review the policies in the Candidate Information Bulletin.

7. After Your Exam

Follow the instructions provided by your court employer for submission of your scores.

If at any time your address changes, or your language of intent changes, please ensure you reach out to Prometric to update your profile.