Language exam FAQ's
Language Testing International (LTI) administers the scheduling, testing, and rating of all OPIs.
Provided you have arranged availability of an Institute proctor, you can take your OPI test on a date and at a time to suit you. You will choose two possible dates and a minimum three hours’ slot, which will be confirmed by LTI by email within one month of your requested date. You can take it from your own home or any other location as long as you have access to a PC, laptop or iPad with webcam and microphone for the remote proctoring (invigilation). The test is then taken over the phone. You should be in a quiet area on your own.
Language Testing International charges $145. This can be paid by Visa, Mastercard or Amex. Additionally you pay £30 to the Institute for proctoring. You also pay for the phone call to the USA.
LTI recommends using a landline if possible, but a mobile phone is acceptable to use, in which case Wifi calling should be enabled or there should be a strong signal. You should not move around the room while taking the OPI to avoid poor quality of the connection or dropped calls. A free internet service (Skype, WhatsApp) is unfortunately not an option because of the need to integrate the recording of the test.
If your mobile phone contract does not cover calls to the USA, providers can often offer a temporary extension. International phone cards are also good value, or there are myriad possibilities online for cheap ways of calling the USA.
Yes. If you do not have a current passport or driving licence, EU ID cards will also be accepted.
Generally the test takes about 30 minutes; occasionally it may be a little less.
You need to be online in good time for the remote proctoring session. LTI will charge you $55 in the event of a no-show.
It takes up to 20 days for ratings to be available, but it is usually much quicker. Results are sent by LTI to you and a copy to the Institute examinations coordinator. Certificates of the proficiency level achieved can be downloaded from the LTI site.
Afrikaans, Akan-Twi, Albanian, Arabic (MSA), Armenian, Assyrian, Azerbaijani, Baluchi, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cambodian, Cebuano, Chavacano, Chechen, Cantonese Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dari, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, Ga, Georgian, German, Greek (Modern), Guajarati, Haitian Creole, Hausa, Hebrew, Hindi, Hmong, Hungarian, Ilocano, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Javanese, Kazakh, Kikongo, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Korean, Krio, Kurdish-Kurmanji, Kurdish-Sorani, Lao, Lingala, Malay, Malayalam, Mandingo-Bambara, Mongolian, Nepali, Norwegian, Pashto, Persian Farsi, Polish, (European) Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian/Croatian, Sindhi, Sinhalese, Slovak, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog, Tajik, Tamil, Tausug, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Turkmen, Uighur, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Wolof, Yoruba, Zulu, Levantine, Algerian, Egyptian, Iraqi, Jordanian, Lebanese, Libyan, Moroccan, Palestinian, Sudanese, Syrian, Tunisian, Yemeni
Let LTI know if the language you need is not listed by filling out a Contact Us form. They are constantly adding new capabilities.
Yes, you should do so at least 3 days prior to the test. Ensure you are able to use Zoom with your webcam and microphone enabled.
If your level is below the required standard (C2 for English, C1 for other languages) and you would like to take the test again, you can do so after a period of 90 days. LTI recommends waiting until significant study, exposure or practice has had a chance to develop your skills. Measurable increases in proficiency can take a long time to achieve and testing twice in rapid succession is not likely to show a different result.
If you have questions, you can request a diagnostic feedback report, which will explain the rating assigned and your performance. To request this, contact Language Testing International at customercare@languagetesting.com.
This is the US equivalent to the European CEFR system; C1 is Advanced High and C2 is Superior. Your assessment will be on the CEFR. More detail can be found at https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/reports/Assigning_CEFR_Ratings_To_ACTFL_Assessments.pdf
For preparation and test-taking tips see the OPI examinee handbook.