UVELPE Oral Test

UVELPE Oral Logo
Description:

Before receiving a teaching assignment at UVA, prospective international teaching assistants (ITAs) are required to take the oral portion of the UVELPE Test, which rates general oral language ability. This locally created test is administered in two or three times each year by CAELC and takes less than one hour. The test uses standard spoken English and does not require any specialized vocabulary or advance preparation. The UVELPE Oral Test consists of activities such as giving information, expressing opinions, summarizing dialogues, and explaining graphs or charts.

The test results are used to determine whether a prospective TA could benefit from additional language training to develop the communication skills required in US classrooms (in addition to whatever training is provided by the TA's department.) The UVELPE Oral Test is scored on a scale of 20 - 60. Based on these scores, students may be referred to the Center for American English Language and Culture (CAELC) to continue to improve their spoken English before they are released to teach.

Do I need this test?

All prospective graduate teaching assistants whose first language is one other than English are required to take the oral section of the UVELPE Test. There are no exemptions from the UVELPE Oral Test. 

Blue Chevron Point LeftYou can complete the Graduate Record requirement in one of two ways:

  1. Take the full UVELPE Test, which includes the oral section; OR
  2. Take the UVELPE Oral Test (administered as the same time as the full UVELPE and is offered only for students who are exempt from taking the full UVELPE Test).

A student's department will determine their eligibility for the UVELPE Oral Test and communicate directly with student about registration. We recommend that prospective international teaching assistants take the UVELPE Oral Test if they meet the following criteria:

  1. They were waived from submitting TOEFL or IELTS scores for their admission into UVA;
  2. They have not taken the UVELPE Test in the last several years (students who are currently taking ESL classes are not allowed to take the UVELPE again).

A score of at least 55 on the UVELPE Oral Test is required for permission to begin teaching without completion of appropriate oral language training. To read more about UVA's language requirement, please refer to the graduate handbook here.

When is the next test offered?

The next UVELPE Oral Test will be held on:

December 12, 2024 from 7:00AM - 10:00AM and 12:00PM - 3:00PM. 

Please note that all times are in Eastern Time. 

The test will be held online, asynchronously. More information about the testing timeline will be sent to students after they are registered. It is recommended that all students prioritize these dates to ensure timely recommendations and ESL class placements (if any) in anticipation of their fall semester. Students with unavoidable scheduling conflicts with the above dates are encouraged to use the registration form below so that we can address the conflict.

How do I prepare for this test?

Please refer to our test prep guide found at this link.

How do I register?

Please complete the brief registration form for the December exam here. This form will close on December 9, 2024 at 11:59PM ET.   

If you are an incoming (new) international graduate student, you should receive information from your UVA school or department about the test, including a link to register. If you have questions, please contact us at caelc@virginia.edu. 

Prospective ITAs are encouraged to communicate with their graduate department about the UVELPE Oral Test requirement for their TA-ship.