Oral English Proficiency Test for Visiting Scholars (OEPT-VS)

The US Department of State requires that universities be able to verify the English proficiency of international visiting scholars. As the central office of language assessment and language instruction at the University of Cincinnati, the Center for English as a Second Language (CESL) is responsible for assessing the oral English proficiency of international visiting scholars and providing them with language instruction.

There are two components in the Oral English Proficiency Test for Visiting Scholars (OEPT-VS): conversational and professional sections.

• Conversational section consists of questions that can stimulate daily English language use (all applicants need to complete this section)
• Professional section has two options for applicants to choose from based on the focus/purpose of their visit: research focus and teaching focus (applicants can complete one of the options within this section based on their professional requirement)

For each component of the test, candidates will watch a video with the prompt and instructions to prepare for their responses. Candidates need to video record their responses. It is suggested that candidates should not read or recite from the script.

The evaluation of applicants video responses will follow a standardized rubric for assessing oral English proficiency and conducted by professionals with expertise in language assessment.

There will be three types of evaluation results:

• Passing - applicants achieving a score of 3 or above (out of 4) of the test are eligible to visit
• Conditional Passing - applicants achieving a score between 2.5-2.99 (out of 4) of the test are eligible to visit on condition that they must register for an assigned ESL course during their visit
• Denying - applicants achieving a score below 2.5 are not eligible to visit

Applicants' video responses will be evaluated by two trained evaluators based on the above rubric. The result will be sent to the applicants and their host department as the English proficiency documentation for applicants' J-1 application.

You are required to pay $50.00 to take the test.

1. Please click here (English Proficiency link) to the payment site.
2. Click the button Oral English Proficiency Test for Visiting Scholars.
3. Fill in required information to complete the payment process. You can pay with credit card (Visa, Master, Discover, etc.).
4. After you make the payment, a confirmation email will be sent to the email address you provide during registration.

The Oral English Proficiency Test for Visiting Scholars is available year round. Please contact CESL Testing Office via email to register for the OEPT Test. In your email, please include the following:

1. Your full name (Last, First)
2. UC M number
3. UC username (6+2)
4. Your payment confirmation email (as an attachment)
5. Host department contact information (name and email address)
6. The test you need (OEPT-VS)

You will receive an email within 2 business days with instructions to taking the test. If you have any questions, please contact the CESL Testing Office.

1. Go to http://canopy.uc.edu and click Student login.

2. Log in with your UC username and password, click Courses on the left side column and you will see Oral English Proficiency Test for Visiting Scholars (OEPT-VS)

3. Click the link and you will access OEPT-VS

4. Review the information on Home page.

5. Click the links to each section of the test to review the prompts and record your responses.