About the test

The Unsupervised test of reading comprehension for level B or C assesses the ability to understand texts in the second official language.

• Format

  The Unsupervised test of reading comprehension is an unsupervised internet test. Candidates do not need to be tested in a federal government office, but they must have access to a computer and an Internet connection.

  The 45-minute test has 25 questions.

• Levels assessed and pass marks

  • Only the B or C level will be assessed.
  • The required level is determined by the organization that requests the test.
  • Hiring managers choose the pass mark that corresponds to the linguistic proficiency level required for the position:
  • Level B: 14/25 (56%)
  • Level C: 19/25 (76%)

  The requirements for the assessed level (B or C) are defined in accordance with the Treasury Board Secretariat's Qualification Standards in Relation to Official Languages.

  Level B	Level C
  Comprehension of most descriptive or factual material on work-related topics	Comprehension of texts dealing with a wide variety of work-related topics
  A person reading at this level can: grasp the main idea of most work-related texts identify specific details distinguish between main and subsidiary ideas	A person reading at this level can: understand most complex details, inferences and fine points of meaning demonstrate good comprehension of specialized or less familiar material
  Pass mark: 14/25: Meets the requirements of the assessed level	Pass mark: 19/25: Meets the requirements of the assessed level
  Note: A person who achieves a score between 0 and 13 does not meet the requirements for level B.	Note: A person who achieves a score between 0 and 18 does not meet the requirements for level C.

• Result and validity period

  • The person who ordered the test is responsible for providing you with your result.
  • Your test result will indicate whether you meet or do not meet the requirements of the assessed level.
  • Your test result is valid for 5 years and will be used to staff the position for which the assessment was conducted.
  • The result may be reused for other appointments within the same organization. However, your result is not transferable to appointments in other organizations.
  • When the validity period expires, the result is valid for an indefinite period, but solely for the position held by the person, as long as the linguistic profile of the position is not raised to a higher level than what the employee was granted.
  • You are responsible for retaining your test result. The Public Service Commission is not managing these results centrally and cannot provide previous test results. Candidates who request their test result from the Public Service Commission will be referred to the organization that requested the test, which is responsible for documenting and tracking these results.
  • Please note that hiring managers may reassess you at any time prior to or after making an appointment should there be concerns about your proficiency level and/or to respect departmental policies on updating expired test results.

• Protecting test integrity

  All test content is copyrighted material of the Public Service Commission and is designated Protected. It may not be copied, 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 Policy on Government Security 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.

  The Public Service Commission monitors the Web for inappropriate or fraudulent duplication, in whole or in part, of its assessment tools.