Language Proficiency Testing

The Alta Logo which is a black square with a red triangle and the white text Alta

ALTA is a third-party organization trusted by hundreds of employers to provide independent language testing services. 

Available for more than 100+ languages, ALTA language tests are used by U.S. government agencies, global corporations, national healthcare providers, financial institutions, and global non-profit organizations. 

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 For a list of available languages, click here.

For information on how language performance is measured by each assessment test, click here. 

For more information about all ALTA language assessments and to access practice tests, click here. 

 

TLC currently administers three ALTA language tests:

1. The Speaking and Listening Assessment test

  • Measures an individual’s ability to both speak and understand the target language when spoken.
  • Consists of a series of questions that gradually increase in complexity, requiring the individual to perform various spoken tasks.
  • Two formats are available: Live and IVR. IVR stands for interactive voice recognition, which means that questions are prompted over the phone instead of being delivered by a live speaker.
  • Duration: No more than 30 minutes with a live speaker; the IVR test lasts 40 minutes as some sample and practice questions are included to familiarize test takers with the system).
  • Available in 80+ target languages.
  • Results are available in 2 business days.
  • Test fee: $105

2. The Written Assessment test

  • Measures an individual’s ability to write in the target language.
  • Consists of a series of prompts one would encounter in a variety of business settings.
  • Duration: 1 hour
  • Administered in-person at TLC’s Nashville location or online with a TLC proctor.
  • Available in 80+ languages.
  • Results are available in two business days.
  • Test fee: $105

3. The Reading Assessment test

  • Measures an individual’s ability to read the target language at the required skill level.
  • Two tests are available: General and Legal. The general test has several passages with general topics: news reports, editorial articles, consumer issues, and articles or narratives about health, the law, and the government and military. Each passage is followed by a series of multiple-choice questions. The legal test utilizes the same structure as the general test but two of the passages are replaced with passages related to legal topics.
  • Duration: 1 hour
  • Administered in-person at TLC’s Nashville location or online with a TLC proctor.
  • Available in 90+ languages.
  • The test is automatically scored and results are sent by email to the individual’s designated recipient.
  • Test fee: $65

IMPORTANT NOTICES FOR LANGUAGE TESTING:

  • Verify the test(s) (e.g., Speaking and Listening, Written, and/or Reading) and, when applicable, format (e.g., Live vs. IVR for Speaking and Listening / General or Legal for Reading) required by the business or organization that will receive your test scores. TLC only administers the tests. TLC cannot guarantee which test(s) or format(s) or score(s) will be required by a business or organization. Please confirm these details before scheduling a test.
  • When scheduling the test(s) via TLC’s online booking system, request a date/time that is at least 4-5 business days out from the time of the booking. TLC will submit your requested day/time to ALTA and contact you via email to confirm the booking and provide you with testing instructions. 
  • Test fees must be paid in full when making the scheduling request via TLC’s online booking system. Fees are payable by Visa, Mastercard, or Discover. Test takers must arrive at least 15 minutes in advance of the confirmed test time (e.g., if a test is scheduled for 1 p.m., arrive by 12:45 p.m.) and present a photo ID. No refunds will be issued for late arrivals (of even 5 minutes). 
  • Change/Cancellation Policy: A date/time change (due to unforeseen circumstances) or cancellations may be requested by contacting TLC by 4:30 p.m. CT at least two business days before the confirmed test date/time. No refunds will be issued for any cancelled test that does not abide by this policy.   
Click here to schedule an online test

Please contact us at  worldlanguage@tennessee.edu if you have additional questions about language proficiency testing.