After attending an orientation workshop, candidates are eligible to take the written examination. This test is designed to measure the candidate’s general English language proficiency, knowledge of court related terms and usage, and familiarity with ethical and professional conduct. These three areas are central to the work of a court interpreter. The written examination is only one part of the process for becoming a qualified court interpreter. Passing this test does not mean an interpreter is certified. Rather, it means the examinee has met one of several requirements for certification. The written examination is offered in locations around the state on specific dates and times which are announced on this page.

2012 Written Examinations

Date	Location	Deadline	Requirement
April 20	Philadelphia	March 28, 2012	Attend orientation
July 20 (PM only)	Pittsburgh	June 27, 2012	Attend orientation
September 14	Harrisburg	August 22, 2012	Attend orientation
November 16	Philadelphia	October 31, 2012	Attend orientation

Each date may consist of a morning and an afternoon session depending on demand. A maximum of fifty examinees will be admitted to each session. Candidates may indicate their preference for morning or afternoon in the registration form.

In order to prepare for the examination, all candidates should thoroughly read and study the Overview of the Written Examination, which has a full description of the exam; how it is administered, and sample items to help examinees prepare for the test.

Who is eligible?

Only candidates that have attended an orientation workshop are eligible to take the written examination.

Registration form

To register candidates must print, complete and mail a Written Exam Registration Form to the address listed on the form. Registrations will be accepted in the order in which they are received and must be accompanied by full payment. Therefore, it is very important that candidates send their registration form as early as possible in order to have a better chance of obtaining their preferred date and time. Every effort will be made to grant the candidate’s first choice. However, it may be necessary to switch candidates between dates and/or morning and afternoon sessions in order to accommodate demand and testing room space requirements. Candidates will be notified in advance when changes are necessary.

Examination fee

The examination fee is $50 for state residents and $75 for non-residents. Payment must be included with the registration form and can be made by money order or personal check written to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. Registrations forms will not be processed without receipt of the examination fee. A $25 fee will be assessed for all returned checks. Candidates may reschedule (if other dates are available) or cancel before the confirmation letter is mailed out to them. There will be no rescheduling, cancellations or refunds after the confirmation letter is mailed, or if the examinee fails to take the test on the assigned date and time.

Closing date

The completed form and payment must be received by 5 p.m. on the registration deadline for each of the testing dates. No registrations will be accepted after the deadlines. Closing deadlines will be strictly enforced.

What happens after I register?

Upon receipt of the registration form candidates will receive an e-mail acknowledging receipt. After registration closes, candidates will receive a confirmation letter with directions to the examination site along with a copy of the Overview of the Written Examination.

Identification

When registering on the day of the test, candidates must bring with them their confirmation letter and a valid government issued picture identification form (driver’s license, official state picture ID, or passport). No one will be admitted without proper identification.

What is the test like?

The written examination is constructed to measure entry-level knowledge of English general vocabulary, common words and phrases likely to be heard in court, the typical progression of cases through the court system, and provisions of a code of professional conduct that a minimally competent person entering the court interpreting field would need to know.

The exam consists of 135 multiple-choice questions and a foreign language assessment exercise. In order to pass the multiple-choice part, 80 percent of the items must be answered correctly. This means the examinee must answer at least 108 of the 135 items correctly. Examinees are allowed two hours and fifteen minutes to complete the multiple-choice part of the test. All candidates, no matter which language they interpret, must take the multiple-choice exam.

The foreign language assessment exercise consists of translating ten items from English into the candidate’s target language. The foreign language assessment is administered the same day, immediately after the multiple choice part of the examination, and will be rated on a pass/borderline/not pass basis. Examinees will have one hour to translate the ten items. Candidates who interpret in languages for which there is a full or abbreviated oral exam must pass both, the multiple-choice exam and the foreign language assessment in order to complete the requirement.

Do I have to take the Foreign Language Assessment?

Candidates who interpret in languages for which there is a full or abbreviated oral examination (Arabic, Bosnian, Cantonese, Chuukese, Croatian, French, German, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Ilocano, Italian, Korean, Laotian, Mandarin, Marshallese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Somali, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese), must take the foreign language assessment of the written examination.

Those who interpret in more than one language for which a full or abbreviated oral exam exits must take the language assessment for each language. Candidates are advised to take the language assessment in the language in which they are most fluent first. Subsequently, when attempting to become certified in a second language they must take the language assessment for that language before taking the oral exam. If there is no full or abbreviated oral exam in any of a candidate’s working languages, they do not have to take the language assessment exercise. Sign language interpreters are exempt from taking the foreign language assessment exercise.

What if I do not pass the examination?

Candidates who do not pass the multiple choice part, must wait at least eight (8) months before registering to retake the test again and their language assessment exercise is not graded. Those who pass the multiple choice part but do not pass the translation exercise must wait six (6) months to retake the language assessment again. Experience shows that retaking an examination of this kind within a short time period will not substantially change the results. Instead, candidates are encouraged to engage in serious and substantial preparatory study before retaking the examination. The Consortium recommends that no candidate should take the same test more than once in a calendar year and in no event the same version of the test more than twice.

Exemption for CDI and deaf interpreters

Instead of the ICP written examination, deaf interpreters are required to pass the CDI knowledge test. After passing the CDI written exam in either its written or signed version, deaf interpreters must pass the CDI performance test within five (5) years in compliance with RID requirements. Deaf interpreters are responsible for notifying the ICP each time they register to take the knowledge or performance tests and the outcome of each attempt in order to demonstrate they are actively engaged in the process of attempting to obtain the CDI credential. Deaf interpreters who have already taken and passed the CDI knowledge test must provide evidence to that effect to the ICP. Candidates must then complete their CDI performance test requirements within RID guidelines. Interpreters who already hold a CDI from RID are exempt from the ICP written exam.

Accommodation

If you require special accommodation because of a disability recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in order to take the written examination, please print and complete the Request for Accommodation and Documentation of Accommodation forms and mail them along with your registration. Every effort will be made to accommodate reasonable requests.

Note: All events are subject to change, rescheduling and cancellation. Changes will be posted on this website when necessary. It is the interpreter’s responsibility to keep informed about program events.