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Preparing for the test

Assessment accommodation

If you think you need assessment accommodation to fully demonstrate your abilities, please notify the responsible officer in the hiring organization as soon as possible.

Before the test
  • You will receive an email confirming the date and time of your test from the organization that requested your assessment.
  • The Public Service Commission of Canada will also send you an email containing an MS Teams meeting link before your scheduled test date. If you have trouble finding this email in your inbox, please check your junk mail or spam folder. If you don’t receive this email with the MS Teams link, be sure to contact the organization that requested your test.
  • If your test is rescheduled, the department that requested your test will inform you of the new date and time. Your original MS Teams meeting link will still be valid, so you will not receive another one.

Test day checklist
  • If you’re a federal government employee, be ready to provide your personal record identifier (PRI). If you don’t have a PRI, you’ll be asked to provide your date of birth for identification and record-keeping purposes.
  • At the scheduled start time of the test, make sure you have 2 pieces of valid original photo identification, at least one of which must be government-issued, so that the assessor can confirm your identity by web camera on MS Teams (a copy or a photo of the identification document will not be accepted).
  • Arrange to be alone in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed for the duration of the test and where your exchanges with the assessor cannot be overheard or recorded. You cannot take the test in a cubicle or open workspace.
  • To protect your privacy during the test, position the device you’ll be using so the environment visible behind you is neutral and free of personal items. You may want to move personal items out of sight or sit with your back to an empty wall. Before the test, make sure you aren’t using a blurred or virtual background; they are not permitted, as they can affect test security.
  • Handwritten, printed or electronic resources are not permitted during the test. This includes any notes prepared in advance, translation tools, artificial intelligence software or live captions.
  • The use of adaptative technology must be preapproved by the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) as part of an accommodation.
  • Maintaining the integrity of the testing process is important. Your result on the test will only be valid if the PSC is fully satisfied that you’ve complied with these conditions. The PSC may terminate your test early, invalidate your test result and impose enhanced security conditions on your next assessment if it is not satisfied that the test conditions and terms of use were respected.
  • Check the MS Teams link you received before the test date to make sure you can connect and familiarize yourself with the available audio and video options to ensure the test runs smoothly.
  • If you’re using a smartphone or a tablet to connect to the meeting, be sure to download the MS Teams mobile application before the day of your test and use it to join the meeting.
  • If you’re using your computer to connect to the meeting, you’ll need to use a compatible browser (Microsoft Edge, Firefox or Google Chrome) or download the MS Teams desktop application.
  • Connect to the MS Teams meeting link at least 10 minutes before the scheduled start time of the test to ensure you have access to the virtual waiting room. The assessor will be notified of your presence and will admit you to the test at the scheduled time.
  • If, at the scheduled test time, you can’t connect to the meeting for any reason, the assessor will try to call you at the phone number provided by the organization that scheduled the test. Please note, the assessor can only provide basic advice to help you connect to MS Teams and won’t be able to help you resolve complex technical issues. For this reason, please be sure to test the meeting link well in advance to ensure you can connect to the meeting using the same electronic device you intend to use during the test.
  • The assessor will verify your identity and go over the conditions of the test as well as the terms of use in your first official language. Once you’ve agreed to the test conditions, the assessor will provide general information about the test in the official language of your choice. As soon as you begin the test, the assessor will communicate with you only in the language that will be assessed.
  • If you feel unwell before or during the test, and this could interfere with your performance, inform the assessor and they will end the test. If you choose to continue, you’ll have to accept your test result.
  • If there are any distractions around you or if you experience technical difficulties during the test, let the assessor know. Otherwise, you’ll have to accept your test result.

Retest period

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

Privacy notice statement

Personal information is used to provide assessment services to clients of the Personnel Psychology Centre. It is collected for staffing-related purposes, in accordance with sections 11, 30 and 36 of the Public Service Employment Act. For departments and agencies not subject to this act, personal information is collected under the authority of that department or agency’s enabling statute and section 35 of the Public Service Employment Act. Second language evaluation results will be disclosed to authorized departmental officials. Results of all other tests will be disclosed only to the requesting department or agency. Test results may be disclosed to the Investigations Directorate of the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) if an investigation is conducted pursuant to section 66 or 69 of the Public Service Employment Act. Your information may also be used for statistical and analytical research purposes. In some cases, information may be disclosed without your consent, pursuant to subsection 8(2) of the Privacy Act. Providing your personal information is voluntary, but if you choose not to provide your information, you may not be able to receive Personnel Psychology Centre services.

The information is collected and used as described in the Personnel Psychology Centre’s (PSC PCU 025) Personal Information Bank.

You have the right to access and correct your personal information, and to request corrections where you believe there is an error or omission. You also have the right to file a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada about the handling of your personal information.

Recording the test

Your test will be recorded by the Public Service Commission for administrative purposes. The content of the recording is protected under the Privacy Act, and the recording will be kept for 2 years. No other recording of your test is permitted.

Terms of use

General information

This is an agreement between you and the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) for your participation in the Oral Language Assessment.

To proceed with scheduling, you must agree to these terms of use without limitation or qualification.

If the PSC has reason to doubt the validity of your test result or your compliance with these terms of use, you may need to be reassessed at a later date.

Definitions

Test content: the test questions, answers provided by candidates in response to test questions, and all related information including notes, descriptions or recordings.

Acceptable use

Access and use of the test is provided solely to:

  • allow you to demonstrate your ability with respect to the qualification being assessed, while complying with standardized testing conditions 
  • allow you to respond to the test questions in good faith and to the best of your ability, while complying with the instructions that you’ll receive before taking the test

Prohibited use

Apart from the acceptable use outlined above, all other uses are prohibited.

Some examples of prohibited use include:

  • recording the test using any means, including devices or software
  • reproducing or collecting, transmitting or broadcasting any content or information from the test
  • retaining test content, in any form, following completion of the test
  • completing the test with assistance from other people or other resources (notes prepared before the test, books, dictionaries, glossaries in print or electronic format, websites, translation tools, tools or software using artificial intelligence, social media, live captions)
  • sharing or discussing in any medium any content or information from the test with others, which includes any notes taken during the test
  • misusing information to selectively advantage or disadvantage you or any other candidate or potential candidate in a federal public service appointment process
  • using the test content for commercial gain in any form
  • using the test to further any activity that may be unlawful, misleading or malicious
  • facilitating or encouraging any violation of these terms of use

Security

All test content is copyrighted material of the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) and is designated “Protected B.”

The PSC has implemented security measures to ensure the protection and confidentiality of the information provided by you and to ensure that your online test session is secure. However, it is your obligation to respect the following:

  • access to the test content is provided for your sole personal use (see the Acceptable use section)
  • do not record the test, in whole or in part, in any form
  • at all times during the test, you must be alone in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed and where your exchanges with the assessor cannot be overheard or recorded
  • you cannot take the test in a cubicle or open workspace
  • you must take the test in a neutral environment free of personal items; background effects or virtual backgrounds in MS Teams are not permitted
  • immediately notify the assessor or the Personnel Psychology Centre (cfp.cpp-ppc.psc@cfp-psc.gc.ca) of any breach or possible breach of security

Intellectual property rights

The permission for non-commercial reproduction in the “Important Notices” found on the Public Service Commission of Canada’s (PSC) publicly accessible web pages does not apply to the test. It is replaced by the following:

  • all content in the test is copyrighted material of the PSC
  • you may access and use the test solely for the purposes set out in the Acceptable use section above
  • you may not copy, reproduce, translate, distribute or disseminate the content of the test, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means

Ensuring the integrity of the testing process

The Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) reserves the right, at its discretion, to take any actions it deems necessary to ensure that it renders test results that are reliable, valid and fair.

Such actions may be taken if there are irregularities observed with your test, or if the PSC has reason to doubt whether these terms of use were respected and whether standardized testing conditions were in place.

Possible actions include ending your test session early, suspending or invalidating your test result, and imposing conditions to increase the security of future tests, such as in-person supervision.

The PSC may also take actions in the context of an audit of its testing program. In this context, your test result may be invalidated or suspended pending a retest under controlled conditions with enhanced security (for example, in-person testing).

The department that ordered your test may be notified of any actions taken by the PSC related to your test, and will be responsible for sharing the notification with you.

If you have questions or concerns about actions related to your test, please contact the PSC’s Personnel Psychology Centre at cfp.cpp-ppc.psc@cfp-psc.gc.ca.

Consequences of a breach of terms of use

If you breach these terms of use, the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) reserves the right to pursue any legal remedy and to take action against you, which could include suspending your test results, terminating your employment application, or claiming for copyright infringement and breach of confidence.

Parties involved in improperly retaining, disclosing or using PSC test content, including the content of this test, may be the subject of an investigation under the Public Service Employment Act, where a finding of fraud may be referred to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

All test content is designated “Protected B.” Any unauthorized reproduction, recording or disclosure of test content is in contravention of the Government Security Policy and may be the subject of an investigation under that policy.

Suspected cheating will be referred to appropriate authorities, such as the PSC’s Investigations Directorate or officials with the department or agency that ordered your assessment. As a result, it may be the subject of an investigation under the Public Service Employment Act, where a finding of fraud may be referred to the RCMP.

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