Exam Information

ALERT:  

Bilingual Interpreting Examination (BIE)—Registration Now Closed

Registration is now closed for the 2023 administration of the BIE. Registration for the BIE will not reopen until 2024. Interested candidates are encouraged to routinely visit this web page and Prometric’s California Certified Court Interpreter Information page for updates.

Written Examination and the Oral Proficiency Examination (OPE)—Registration Is Now Open Year-Round

Registration for these two examinations will continue year-round. Candidates who are interested in taking the Written Exam and the OPE are encouraged to register as soon as possible.

To register for the Written Examination, visit Prometric’s Written Examination page.

To register for the OPE, visit Prometric’s OPE page.

Validation Period for Written Examination Scores Extended

Due to the suspension of the administration of the Written Examination as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Court Interpreters Program extended the validation period for the Written Examination test scores from four (4) years to six (6) years. Candidates who have passing Written Examination scores within six years are now eligible to take the BIE in their target language when it is available.

Candidates who took the BIE four (4) times and did not pass are still required to retake the Written Examination.

Candidate Information Bulletin

For additional information concerning the Written Examination, OPE, and BIE, including administration, examination fees, and scheduling, candidates are highly encouraged to review the Candidate Information Bulletin.

Identify what exams you must take based on language

 

Required Exams

Certified
(Certified languages list)

Registered
(all other languages)

When can I take the exam?

Written Examination

Yes 

Yes

Year-round

Oral Proficiency Examination(OPE) (English)

Optional

Yes

Year-round

Oral Proficiency Examination (OPE) (Non-English Language)

Optional

Yes

Year-round

Bilingual Interpreting Examination (BIE)
(Formerly “Oral Exam” or “Oral Interpreting Exam.” This is a change in name only.)

Yes

No

During the announced administration period

Click here for Current Scheduling and check periodically for updates

 

For more information, see the following:


In 2009, the Judicial Council conducted a study of peer court interpreter exams developed by the Consortium for Language Access in the Courts (Consortium). The results of the study indicated that the court interpreter certification exams used by the Consortium and those formerly used by California "are comparable in structure, content, and level of difficulty, and that both programs certify interpreters at the same high standards."

Based on the recommendations of this study, the Judicial Council adopted the court interpreter certification exams developed and utilized by the Consortium effective July 1, 2010.

* The adoption of Consortium exams does not change the certification process for interpreters of American Sign Language.

See the resources listed below for detailed interpreting testing information, including test administration, preparation, and other helpful resources.

General Testing Information:

Written and Oral Exam Information:

Oral Resources for Prospective Court Interpreters

Disclaimer