California Registered Court Interpreter Information

Registered Status Languages

Currently, candidates in languages outside the 14 that are certified can seek a registered status. Interpreters of spoken languages for which there is no state-certifying exam are required to pass the Written Exam and Oral Proficiency Exams (OPEs) in both English and their non-English language(s) and fulfill the corresponding Judicial Council requirements in order to become a registered interpreter. There is no “Certified” status for these languages.

The OPE is given by a live, trained, and certified American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) interviewer over a secure telephone connection. Your exam is recorded by the ACTFL interviewer so that it can later be rated. These exams can be taken in any order; however, to make most efficient use of your time, you may want to schedule both the Written Exam and your OPE(s) at the same location on the same day. Only interpreters of registered languages who pass all required exams and submit an application to the Judicial Council are referred to as “registered court interpreters.”

*NOTE: Candidates pursuing registered status in one of the languages for which an Oral Proficiency Exam (OPE) is not available still must take and pass the Written Exam and the English OPE.

Exams are subject to availability. The current list of supported languages is as follows:

* The Farsi exam grace period begins on September 1, 2016, and ends 18 months later on February 28, 2018. During this time, Farsi Registered court interpreters will have three opportunities to take and pass the Certification exam within an 18-month period, while maintaining their status and continuing normal work as Farsi Registered court interpreters

Steps

1. Review the Candidate Information Bulletin

Before you sign up to take any California court examination, please review the Candidate Information Bulletin. This bulletin will provide you with important information about each examination including requirements, testing windows, what to expect on test day, rescheduling/cancellation policy and much more.

2. Testing Accommodations

If you require testing accommodations such as those necessary for disabilities, please complete an accommodation request form or contact Prometric at 866-241-3118 for assistance. You will need to provide professional medical documentation of your disability to help us determine the necessary testing arrangements. Advance notice is required for all special testing arrangements; please make your request at least 30 days in advance of your desired testing appointment.

3.  Register and Schedule Your Written Exam

Identification

You may contact Prometric at 866-241-3118 to register and schedule your Written Exam appointment. When you register for any exam, be sure to use your legal name as listed on your official ID. Your official ID should meet these three requirements:

• A valid, non-expired form of identification;
• Be government-issued (e.g., driver’s license, passport, state-issued identification card or military identification card); and
• Contain both a current photo and your signature (refer to the Candidate Information Bulletin if your official ID does not meet this requirement for further instructions).

Register with your full name exactly as it appears on your ID. Upon registration, Prometric’s data management system assigns a unique identification number, often called a Prometric ID number, to every candidate. You must use your Prometric ID number when registering and scheduling for any of the exams.

Location

Your Written Exam will be given by computer at a Prometric Test Center in California. A complete list of the test center locations in California may be found by clicking here.

If you need to change your appointment, please review the policies in the Candidate Information Bulletin.

To register/schedule click here.

4. Written Exam

The content of the Written Exam questions is the National Center for State Courts’ Court Interpreter Written Examination, and is used with permission. As of January 1, 2018, all previously taken written exams and exams taken moving forward are valid for 4 years. Please review the below resources in preparation for your exam.

• Candidate Information Bulletin
• Written Exam Overview 
• Professional Standards and Ethics for California Court Interpreters
• In planning for the test day, you can view our What to expect on Test Day, Video 2: The Written Exam.

5. Take Your Written Exam

Confirm the Test Center address and review directions provided.

You must present a valid, non-expired form of identification before you can test. That identification document must:

• Be government-issued (e.g., driver’s license, passport, state-issued identification card or military identification card);
• Contain both a current photo and your signature (if it does not, you must present two government-issued identification cards: one with your photo and one with your signature);
• Have a first and last name that exactly matches the first and last name used to register for the examination. Review Test Center Procedures in the Candidate Information Bulletin.

Arrive at the Test Center 30 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment.

If you need to change your appointment, please review the policies in the Candidate Information Bulletin.

You will receive your results on the Written Exam before you leave the Test Center. If you are unsuccessful in passing your Written Exam on your first attempt, you must wait a minimum of 90 days before taking the written exam again. Candidates are limited to two attempts to pass a written exam within a one year period (365 days).

6. Register and Schedule Your Oral Proficiency Exam(s)

Identification

You may contact Prometric at 866-241-3118 between 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. (Pacific time), Monday through Friday, to register and schedule your Oral Proficiency Exam appointment(s). Most individuals will need to take at least two OPEs; you may want to schedule back to back appointments.

When you register for any exam, be sure to use your legal name as listed on your official ID.  Your official ID should meet these three requirements:

• A valid, non-expired form of identification;
• Be government-issued (e.g., driver’s license, passport, state-issued identification card or military identification card); and
• Contain both a current photo and your signature (refer to the Candidate Information Bulletin if your official ID does not meet this requirement for further instructions).

Register with your full name exactly as it appears on your ID. Upon registration, Prometric’s data management system assigns a unique identification number, often called a Prometric ID number, to every candidate. You must use your Prometric ID number when registering and scheduling for any of the exams.

Location

Your Oral Proficiency Exam will be given only at select Prometric Test Centers in California. Select your preferred two exam testing locations before you call to register. A complete list of the test center locations in California equipped to administer the OPE is provided on the OPE webpage. Please note that some Test Centers that can administer the Written Exam cannot administer the Oral Proficiency Exam.

If you need to change your appointment, please review the policies in the Candidate Information Bulletin.

7. Prepare for Your Oral Proficiency Exam

The Oral Proficiency Exam measures the ability of an individual to communicate in the language being tested at the moment of taking the exam; therefore, no preparation is required. However, individuals may want to practice conversing 20 to 30 minutes to anticipate how a conversation that long feels. In planning for test day, you can view our What to expect on Test Day, Video 1: The Oral Proficiency Exam.

8. Take Your Oral Proficiency Exam

Confirm the Test Center address and review directions provided.

You must present a valid, non-expired form of identification before you can test. That identification document must:

• Be government-issued (e.g., driver’s license, passport, state-issued identification card or military identification card);
• Contain both a current photo and your signature (if it does not, you must present two government-issued identification cards: one with your photo and one with your signature);
• Have a first and last name that exactly matches the first and last name used to register for the examination. Review Test Center Procedures in the Candidate Information Bulletin.

Arrive at the Test Center 30 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment.

The Oral Proficiency Exam itself is a 20–30 minute conversation over the telephone between you on one end of the phone line and an American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) trained and certified interviewer on the other end of the phone line. The exam has four components:

• Warm-up
• Level checks
• Probes
• Wind down

During the test, the interviewer will engage you in discussion of topics of interest, and then probe your level of speaking ability.

You will receive your score report within 30 days of your exam via US Mail.

If you need to change your appointment, please review the policies in the Candidate Information Bulletin.

9. After Your Exam

If at any time your address changes, please ensure you reach out to Prometric to update your profile

If at any time your language of intent changes, please ensure you reach out to Prometric to update your profile.