Certification

Exam Sections

The exam consists of two parts:

• Part A – Written
• Part B – Performance

Features of Part A – Written

What does Part A measure?

The written part of the exam assesses the candidate’s knowledge and application of that knowledge across seven (7) domain areas:

• Educational interpreting ethics
• Standards of practice
• Language access in schools
• Educational policies and practices regarding general education
• Educational policies and practices regarding special education
• General educational terminology
• Special education terminology

What is the format?

Part A consists of 90 multiple-choice questions in English where the candidate reads the item and then selects the best answer from four (4) options. The questions appear in random order and are not organized by domain. The candidate is allowed to navigate through questions freely and change an answer at any time during the exam.

How long is Part A?

Candidates have a maximum of 90 minutes to complete the written section of the exam.

What is the passing score?

Candidates must correctly answer (a) a minimum of 85% of the questions overall and (b) a minimum of 80% of the questions in each domain area to pass.

How can candidates study for Part A?

Candidates may prepare for the written part of the exam by reviewing the study guides and other resources listed on our website. Candidates may also take a practice test in the exam system after registering for the exam.

Features of Part B – Performance

What does Part B measure?

Part B assesses the candidate’s capacity to deliver a pre-session, engage in consecutive and simultaneous interpreting, and sight translation in educational contexts.

What is the format?

Part B consists of seven (7) performance items. Depending on the item, the candidate listens to or reads what’s required in the item and then responds orally while being recorded.

• Item 1. Pre-session – the candidate will be asked to provide a pre-session in English and the candidate’s language other than English.
• Item 2. Consecutive interpreting segment #1 – the candidate will hear a monologue in English and interpret the content into their other working language (about 300 words). It is recommended that the candidate practice note-taking to prepare for this segment. The candidate can pause the recording up to two times during the segment to allow for interpretation. Points will be deducted if the candidate stops the recording more than two times or adjusts the speed of the audio. Note-taking is allowed during this portion of the test.
• Item 3. Consecutive interpreting segment #2 – the candidate will hear a monologue in their other working language and interpret the content into English (about 300 words). It is recommended that the candidate practice note-taking to prepare for this segment. The candidate can pause the recording up to two times during the segment to allow for interpretation. Points will be deducted if the candidate stops the recording more than two times or adjusts the speed of the audio. Note-taking is allowed during this portion of the test.
• Item 4. Sight translation segment #1 – the candidate will read a document in English (about 200 words) and orally render it into their other working language. The rendition must convey the message accurately and without omissions, with minimum false starts and hesitations.
• Item 5. Sight translation segment #2 – the candidate will read a document in their other working language (about 200 words) and orally render it into English. The rendition must convey the message accurately and without omissions, with minimum false starts and hesitations.
• Item 6. Simultaneous interpreting segment #1 – the candidate will hear a monologue in English and interpret the content into their other working language (about 300 words). No pauses are allowed in this segment, and points will be deducted if the candidate stops the recording or adjusts the speed of the audio while taking the exam. The segments are recorded at a speed of 140 words per minute.
• Item 7. Simultaneous interpreting segment #2 – the candidate will hear a monologue in their other working language and interpret the content into English (about 300 words).  No pauses are allowed in this segment, and points will be deducted if the candidate stops the recording or adjusts the speed of the audio while taking the exam. The segments are recorded at a speed of 140 words per minute.

How long is Part B?

Candidates can expect to take approximately 60 minutes to complete the performance part of the exam.

What is the passing score on Part B?

Oral performance on the items is graded by two human raters according to a rubric where performance is rated from 1 (low performance) to 4 (expert performance). The overall rating must be a minimum of 3 to pass.

How can candidates study for Part B?

Candidates should consult our website for study resources. Candidates may also take a practice test in the exam system after registering for the exam.

Available Languages

Part A – Written will be in English.

Part B – Performance is available in English and the following languages:

A candidate seeking certification in a language not listed above, should contact naetislcertification@gmail.com to confirm the availability of a certification test in that language.