The SLE oral test, explained

What the oral test is

The Oral Language Assessment is part of the Second Language Evaluation (SLE) of the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC). It measures how well you communicate orally in your second language, French or English, for a bilingual position in the federal public service.

A PSC assessor gives it remotely on Microsoft Teams, with your camera on. It lasts 20 to 40 minutes, instructions included. You don't need to be in a government office.

How the test runs

The test gets harder as it goes. It starts with simple questions about your work or other familiar activities, which show whether you have level A. Then come questions that let you show B-level skills, then C-level skills.

The questions are about work situations. If you aren't working, they can be about your studies or volunteer activities. The assessor chooses the questions and decides when they have heard enough, so they may move you on before you feel you've said everything.

Per the PSC, these don't affect your result:

• losing your train of thought: say so, and the assessor will help you get back on track;
• not knowing an answer, or finding a topic sensitive for personal or confidential reasons: say so, and they'll move to another question;
• a brief pause to think before you answer;
• mistakes: don't worry too much about them. You can correct yourself, but frequent corrections break the flow.

Levels A, B and C, and the X and E results

The levels come from the Treasury Board Secretariat's qualification standards, and the PSC describes them for the test. In our words:

At level B, errors in grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary, and hesitations, can remain without seriously affecting communication, and hypothetical situations and sensitive issues aren't expected yet. At level C, gaps can remain, but they rarely get in the way, and the ease of a native speaker isn't expected.

Two other results exist, which aren't proficiency levels:

• X: the performance doesn't meet the requirements of level A;
• E: the performance meets level C and you're expected to keep it. The PSC then exempts you from retesting, indefinitely.

How your level is set

You don't get a score; you get a level. It's a global evaluation of your performance on work-related language tasks, against the criteria of the Treasury Board's qualification standards.

The level rests on your sustained performance throughout the test, not on a single answer.

Pronunciation counts: the level descriptions cover it. At level C, it's clear, even if an accent from another language shows.

Your language profile: CBC, BBB…

A bilingual position has a three-letter language profile. The first letter is the level required for reading comprehension, the second for written expression and the third for oral communication.

So a CBC position requires C in oral, and a BBB position requires B. A dash replaces the letter of a skill that isn't required, for example B-B instead of BBB. The highest profile is CCC.

In oral, aim for the third letter of the position's profile.

Results, retests and validity

The PSC sends your result within 5 business days, to you and to the department contact who asked for the test. A feedback report follows: it describes your performance in general terms and isn't a diagnosis.

To retake the test, you must wait 30 days. A test retaken sooner isn't valid, and you then wait another 30 calendar days. A new valid result replaces the earlier ones.

A result is valid for 5 years if the waiting period was respected, and indefinitely if you stay in the same position, as long as its profile isn't raised above your level. It's portable: you can use it for other bilingual positions. A manager can still ask for a reassessment at any time, if they have concerns about your level or to update an expired result.

After two tests without the result you need, the latest within 8 weeks, a feedback session of about an hour is possible. It's billed to the department on a cost-recovery basis and needs your manager's approval. The details are on the PSC's About the test page.

On test day

• The PSC emails you the Teams link before the test. If it doesn't arrive, check your junk mail, then contact the organization that asked for the test.
• Test the link beforehand on the device you'll use, and connect at least 10 minutes before the start time.
• Have 2 pieces of valid original photo ID, at least one issued by a government.
• Be alone in a quiet place. A cubicle or open workspace isn't allowed, nor is a blurred or virtual background.
• Have a pen and paper to jot down ideas or key words during the test, and destroy your notes afterwards. Notes prepared in advance, translation tools, artificial intelligence software, live captions and help from another person aren't allowed.
• Recording the test, or sharing or keeping its content, isn't allowed: it's copyrighted and designated “Protected B”. The PSC records the test itself for administrative purposes and keeps the recording for 2 years.
• Need an accommodation? Tell the responsible officer in the hiring organization as soon as possible. The PSC must approve any adaptive technology beforehand.

How to prepare

The PSC says no special preparation is required. Its advice: if you can't think of a word, use a simple substitute to explain the meaning, and don't worry too much about mistakes.

If you'd like to practise anyway, here's what we suggest:

1. Speak out loud. Answering in your head doesn't build ease. Give full answers, a few minutes long.
2. Follow the test's progression. Describe your work, then explain a procedure or tell a past situation, then defend an opinion and answer a hypothetical: “What would you do if…”.
3. Record yourself and listen back. Note the words you're missing, your verb tenses and your hesitations.
4. Aim for the next step. Level C adds hypotheses, opinions and complex topics: see what separates B from C in French and in English.
5. Practise with a person. They hear your pronunciation and can ask follow-up questions, as the assessor will; OralReady does neither.
6. Take a mock. On OralReady, you answer 5 original questions out loud, and an AI estimates your level from the transcript, with 3 things to work on. The first mock is free.