The Second Language Evaluation – Oral Language Assessment (SLE-OLA) was developed by the Public Service Commission to help departments and agencies staff bilingual positions. This test assesses a candidate’s ability to communicate orally in their second official language in response to work-related questions. This test is available for all types of requests.

The test is administered remotely over the internet using the MS Teams video conferencing platform by a language assessor at the Public Service Commission. It lasts 20 to 40 minutes including pre-test instructions. Since candidates don’t need to be in a federal government building to take the test, an onsite responsible officer is not required. Candidates can take the test from home; however, they should make arrangements to be alone in a quiet environment where they will not be disturbed for the duration of the test. The test will be administered with the camera on, which means that the assessor and candidate will use the video function in MS Teams throughout the test, from confirming the identity to the end of the test.

The criteria for oral proficiency are defined by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Qualification Standards in Relation to Official Languages.

Level B

Level C

Understands most speech that deals with concrete and routine topics and is delivered slowly and clearly in standard speech

Understands the main points of clear standard speech that deals with concrete, work-related topics and is delivered at normal speed

Understands linguistically complex speech that deals with work-related topics and is spoken in standard dialect at normal speed

A person speaking at this level can:

A person speaking at this level can:

A person speaking at this level can:

A person speaking at this level:

A person speaking at this level:

A person speaking at this level:

All test content is copyrighted material of the Public Service Commission of Canada and is designated Protected. It may not be copied, recorded, reproduced, translated, distributed or disseminated, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Any unauthorized reproduction, recording and/or disclosure of test content is in contravention of the Government Security Policy and the use of such improperly obtained or transmitted information could be found to contravene the provisions of the Public Service Employment Act.

Parties involved in the disclosure or improper use of protected test content may be investigated under the Public Service Employment Act, where a finding of fraud may be punishable on summary conviction, or may be referred to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Contact the Personnel Psychology Centre at [email protected] if you think that you have seen Public Service Commission test questions posted or shared on-line (for example, on a Web site or a private chat room) or shared in another manner (for example, via practice test).

Candidate responsibilities are outlined in the candidate information section of our website. It is essential that the intended candidate take the test themselves, in good faith, and without the help of other people and resources. Candidates may not use any printed or electronic resources (books, dictionaries, glossaries), and may not consult any websites, translation tools, artificial intelligence tools or software, social media accounts or any other resources not mentioned in this list during the test.

Candidates will be asked to present government-issued photo identification that will be verified by the assessor prior to the test. Any case of identity fraud for the purpose of this test may result in the invalidation of the result of this language test, an investigation under the Public Service Employment Act and possible measures that may affect their employment in the federal public service.

If cheating, fraud or identity theft is suspected during the test, the assessor will intervene to remind the candidate of the test instructions. Examples of cheating or fraud may include cases where the candidate uses pre-written notes, or any other resources including documents, books, dictionaries, the Internet, translation tools, artificial intelligence, or social media. If necessary, the assessor is mandated to report the incident to the Public Service Commission (Personnel Psychology Centre) in order to maintain the integrity of the test.

If you have reason to doubt the validity of a candidate’s assessment, please contact the Personnel Psychology Centre at [email protected].

Requests for this test must be submitted by human resources officers through the Second Language Evaluation–Scheduling System. When scheduling the test, the fields are mandatory for the Personnel Psychology Centre to properly schedule and administer the test:

The resources available on the Second Language Evaluation–Scheduling System main page outline the steps to sign up and create an account in the scheduling system. Once activated, it allows human resources officers to schedule candidates to be tested. Only people who have the delegated responsibility within their organization to make second language evaluation requests are permitted to create an account in the scheduling system. Typically, these delegated individuals are hiring managers, human resources advisors and assistants, and official language coordinators.

Contact information regarding the Second Language Evaluation–Scheduling System:

Candidates who have a disability or any other condition that could affect their performance on the test have the right to request that adapted measures be put in place. Only the Public Service Commission (Personnel Psychology Centre) can establish assessment accommodation measures when a Public Service Commission test is administered.

Requests for rescheduling or cancelling tests can only be submitted through the Second Language Evaluation–Scheduling System by the human resources officer who initiated the request. Advise candidates that if they are unable to attend a testing session, they must notify your organization in order for you to determine if other arrangements can be made. Requests received directly from candidates will not be actioned or responded to.

If a test is rescheduled, a new MS Teams meeting link is not required since the original link remains valid.

IMPORTANT: As organizations are asked to provide us with their 3 preferred testing dates in the system, it is understood that these dates have been confirmed with the candidate prior to sending the request, which should limit the need to reschedule tests.

There is no fee for core jurisdiction clients (organizations that are governed under the Public Service Employment Act for their appointments).

A test administration service fee per candidate applies for organizations not subject to the Act that have their own appointment authority. This includes separate employers such as the Canada Revenue Agency, Parks Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, among others.

If the Public Service Commission is not notified through the Second Language Evaluation – Scheduling System of a request to reschedule or cancel a test at least 2 working days (48 hours) before the test, or if a test does not take place due to a candidate’s absence, your organization will be charged with a test administration fee. This no-show fee applies to both core and extended jurisdiction clients.

For more information on the costs of products and services, consult the price list.

Here's how you can help candidates prepare for the day of their test :

The level received is based on the candidate’s sustained performance throughout the test. Based on that performance, candidates can obtain one of the following results:

Results are sent out to the requesting department or agency within 5 business days after the test administration. Information requests regarding recent test results can be emailed to [email protected].

The Public Service Commission offers 2 feedback products:

Feedback report

After the result is sent to the requesting organization, a feedback report will be sent directly to the candidate. The report is general in nature and indicates a candidate’s overall linguistic performance; it is not a diagnostic tool. Note that there may be a delay between when the requesting organization receives the result and when the candidate receives the feedback report.

Feedback session 

Feedback sessions offer candidates more information about their most recent Oral Language Assessment performance. The sessions last approximately 1 hour on the MS Teams platform and are delivered by a Quality Assurance Consultant after review of the linguistic performance. This service is available for test-takers who:

It is strongly recommended that test-takers be accompanied by a pedagogical advisor or teacher who can interpret the feedback delivered by the Quality Assurance Consultant. 

This service is available on a cost recovery basis and, consequently, those requesting this service must have their manager’s approval. Consult the price list for more information. Requests for services will be accepted only from Canadian federal government departments or organizations. Due to limited capacity, we may prioritize or restrict the number of requests that we accept. For more information, or to request a feedback session, send an email to [email protected].

There is a 30-day waiting period before a candidate can retake this test. If a candidate retakes the test before the retest period is over, their result will not be valid, and they will have to wait another 30 calendar days to retake the test and receive a new valid result.

Rescore

Candidates may ask for a rescore if they have concerns that the result they received does not reflect their performance during the test. A rescore is the process whereby an assessor other than the one who administered the test listens to the audio recording of the test and rates the candidate’s performance without knowing the result originally granted. If the second rater disagrees with the original result, the quality assurance unit for the Oral Language Assessment makes the final decision on the result of the performance.

Candidates must initiate the rescore request, in writing, within 10 business days after the results were sent to the organization that requested the test, via the departmental human resource officer that submitted the request for testing. Departmental officers can, in turn, submit the request to rescore, in writing, to [email protected]. The following information will need to be provided by the departmental officer:

Please note that after a rescore, the candidate’s new result (whether it is higher, lower, or identical) becomes the valid and official result entered in the test results system.

If a candidate is being offered a retest, they must confirm their intention to be retested, in writing, by replying to the received notification so that their previous result can be invalidated. The result obtained in the retest will become their official result.

To schedule the retest, a new test request has to be entered in the Second Language Evaluation–Scheduling System. In the "Comments" section, please indicate “Retest offered by the Public Service Commission for (name of candidate)’s test on (date of test).”

Complaint

A candidate may file a complaint if they believe that the test was not administered under favourable conditions. To request a retest due to unfavourable testing conditions, the candidate must send an email to [email protected]. Their email will be forwarded to the manager of the Oral Language Assessment quality assurance unit for action.