Department Exams

Learn about ACTFL and Practice Teacher Certification exams available through the Testing Center.

ACTFL Exam Details

For SHSU Students Only. ACTFL proficiency tests are used worldwide by academic institutions, government agencies, and private corporations for purposes such as academic placement, student assessment, program evaluation, professional certification, hiring, and promotional qualification. The ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) is a valid and reliable means of assessing how well a person speaks a language. ACTFL OPIcs are currently available in the following languages: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Pashto, Persian Farsi, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

Huntsville Campus

Testing dates and times are arranged by the World Languages Department in collaboration with the Testing Center.

Students should consult with their WOLC academic advisor to inquire about a test date.

Report time: Report to the testing site at least 15-30 minutes before your scheduled testing time.

Exam length: 20-40 minutes

$30.00 (payable to the Testing Center)

$73.00 (payable to Language Testing International - LTI)

The Department of World Language and Culture currently covers the Testing Center and LTI fees for WOLC students (subject to change).

All fees are non-refundable and non-transferable

Valid SHSU student ID with photo

Valid secondary ID (driver’s license, passport, state-issued ID, military ID, employee ID, debit/credit card, etc.)

Score reports are available within 2-3 business days after the test date and sent directly to the Department of World Languages and Cultures.

ACTFL OPIc assessment are rated at one of the first four major levels of the ACTFL Guidelines:
- Novice: The individual can express basic personal information and satisfy a limited number of personal needs using formulaic and rote utterances, lists, and phrases.
- Intermediate: The individual can participate in short conversations on predictable topics, ask and answer simple questions, and handle simple transactions using sentence level communication.
- Advanced: The individual can participate in interactions on topics of personal and public interest, narrate and describe in present, past, and future time frames, and handle a situation with a complication using paragraph-length communication.
- Superior: The individual can support an opinion, hypothesize, discuss topics in abstract terms, and handle a linguistically unfamiliar situation using multi-paragraph discourse

ACTFL OPIc exams = 90 days

The Testing Center must receive documentation of your accommodation at least two weeks in advance of your scheduled test date. Accommodation requests are processed through the Services for Students with Disabilities Office.
- Email: disability@shsu.edu
- Phone: (936) 294-3512
- Campus Location: Lee Drain Annex

ACTFL OPIc Examinee Handbook

Website: www.languagetesting.com

Email customercare@languagetesting.com

Phone: 1-800-486-8444, Ext. 751

Practice Teacher Certification

Explore SHSU’s Representative TExES Online exam, a preparation tool for students pursuing teacher certification.

All teacher candidates must be approved by the College of Education before scheduling an appointment.

The Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test - BLTLPT (190) and Educational Diagnostician (253) exams require additional testing (constructed response) with the College of Education.

Test candidates should contact the College of Education before their scheduled test date at the Testing Center to make an appointment for the constructed-response sections with the College of Education.

Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test (BTLPT) - Spanish (190)

Educational Diagnostician (253)

Huntsville Campus

In-Person Option:  FOR AVAILABLE TEST DATES AND TIMES

Report time: Report to the testing site at least 15-30 minutes before your scheduled testing time.

Exam length: 3 ½ hours

$56.00

All fees are non-refundable and non-transferable

Valid photo ID (driver’s license, passport, state-issued ID, military ID, student ID, etc.)

Valid secondary ID (employee ID, credit/debit card, secondary photo ID, etc.)

Student ID number

Answer documents are retrieved by the College of Education within two weeks after the test date for grading.

The College of Education will communicate directly with teacher candidates about the final results.

Teacher candidates can retest if approved by the College of Education.

The Testing Center must receive documentation of your accommodation at least two weeks in advance of your scheduled test date. Accommodation requests are processed through the Services for Students with Disabilities Office.
- Email: disability@shsu.edu
- Phone: (936) 294-3512
- Campus Location: Lee Drain Annex