Second Language Certification Test

All full-time or part-time regular students and non-degree students may register. However, it is most appropriate for those who:

• identify themselves as being at a high-intermediate to advanced level of proficiency in their second language,

• have completed several years in an immersion program or in secondary-level academic second language courses,

• have completed ESL 2122/ESL 2121 or FLS 2522/FLS 2521 or more advanced level ESL or FLS courses at the University. 

Please note:

• Students may register for ESL 3100 or FLS 3500 by using the application Enrol in uoZone. However, if it is added as a sixth course in a term, students might need to contact their faculty directly to request this addition.
• Honours BSocSc Political Science and Juris Doctor (JD) students enrolled in the French Immersion Stream (1^st, 2^nd, and 6^th year): if you would like to request a unit overload to add FLS3500 to your term, please contact [email protected]. Ensure your email subject reads “Attention: Anne Lauzon”.
• Students registered in the French Immersion Stream should be able to register for FLS 3500 as a sixth course in a term in uoCampus. In case of problem, contact [email protected].

Students who have previously received a CTN for ESL 3100 or FLS 3500 may re-register up to a maximum of four (4) times.

We strongly recommend that you do not wait until your last session before completing the test for the first time.

For most full-time regular undergraduate students, there are no extra fees for this test. However, there are some exceptions, and we recommend students to confirm with their faculty if additional fees apply.

Graduate, part-time and non-degree students will be required to pay the usual tuition and ancillary fees for a three-unit course.

NOTE: If, during the semester, a graduate, part-time, or non-degree student who has registered for this activity withdraws before the official deadline to drop a course or activity with financial credit, they may be eligible to request a refund, less applicable administrative fees. For further information regarding this process, please consult the following pages:

• Important academic dates and deadlines
• Withdrawing from a course

Students on a co-op work term are exempt from the tuition fees for this test but must pay the ancillary fees for a three-unit course. Tuition fees will be charged to your student account upon registration; however, they will be removed before every withdrawal deadline (Winter and Fall only). No further action is required

Individual practice

Students may access the following links for a variety of resources to practice their listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills in their second language. 

ESL 3100.

FLS 3500.

Practice test

Students can take an online practice test to familiarize themselves with the test format and the language assessment platform.

Information about how to access the French and English practice test can be found on Brightspace for both ESL3100 and FLS3500, respectively.

Additional oral communication practice

Students seeking to improve their French and English oral communication can benefit from OLBI’s workshops and conversation partners.

More information is available at Julien Couture Resource Centre.

Fall 2025

Access to the Practice Test: as of September 8, 2025

Last day to take practice test and receive feedback:  October 17, 2025

Taking the test

Part I – Speaking: This part of the test will be held in person in the Simard Hall computer labs between October 31 and November 2, and between November 14 and 16, 2025.

Part II – writing, listening and reading: This part of the test will be held in person in the Simard Hall computer labs from November 21 to 30, 2025.

In Brightspace, you will find a link to register for each part of the test, where you can select your availability from the proposed dates. Confirmation of your schedule will be sent to you by e-mail, considering the time slots you have chosen.

Winter 2026

Access to the practice test: January 5, 2026

Last day to take the practice test: February 20, 2026

Taking the test

Part I – Speaking: This part of the test will be held in person in the Simard Hall computer labs from March 6 to 15, 2026.

Part II – writing, listening and reading: This part of the test will be held in person in the Simard Hall computer labs from March 21 to 29, 2026.

In Brightspace, you will find a link to register for each part of the test, where you can select your availability from the proposed dates. Confirmation of your schedule will be sent to you by e-mail, considering the time slots you have chosen.

The test for the second language certification is a standardized proficiency test. For this reason, it is only offered twice a year. 
The test includes four components:

Speaking component

This part of the test consists of a series of recordings that must be made in response to pre-recorded questions. After reading a short document explaining two perspectives on a subject, students have to answer a series of questions relating to the subject in question.

This part of the test takes between 30 and 40 minutes.

Writing component

The Writing Component is a written composition. Students have 50 minutes to write approximately 300 to 400 words on a specified topic of general interest. The topic is presented in such a way so as to elicit a written response relating factual information and providing opinions and/or recommendations about this information. Students will type their answer directly on the online test platform.

Listening component

The listening component consists of four recorded listening passages which are heard twice. Students will mark their answers by clicking on their choice of answer on their screens. The test questions are all multiple-choice This component includes between 30 and 40 questions and lasts approximately 60-90 minutes.

Reading component

The reading component has two parts:

• The reading comprehension section consists of four to six reading passages, which may vary in length from approximately 400 to 800 words. This section includes approximately 30 to 40 multiple-choice questions. Students will mark their answers by clicking on their choice of answer on their screens.
• The cloze passage consists of a passage with blanks where words have been deleted from the text. Students must choose, from multiple-choice options, the word that best fits the blank. Students will choose their answer from the drop-down menus.

The entire Reading Component lasts approximately 60 to 90 minutes.

Note: If you need academic accommodations, please contact [email protected]

1. Re-test policy: Students may register for the ESL 3100/FLS 3500 a maximum of four times. It is recommended that students only repeat the components that they have not passed. A survey will be sent to students approximately one month prior to the test. This survey will be used to confirm the test date and the component(s) to be evaluated. Requests received outside of the survey will not be accepted.

2. Test Dates: The test is offered twice a year – once in the fall term and once in the winter term. No testing is available during the summer term.

3. Deferred Exams: Students who are not able to attend the exam must request a deferred examination from the Faculty of Arts. Students granted a deferral request must take the test at the next scheduled test session (e.g. a student who received a deferred exam in the fall session would take the test during the scheduled exam for the winter session). If you have a deferred examination, you do not have to register for the course again.

4. Academic Accommodations Service: If you require academic accommodations, please be sure to register with the Academic Accommodations Service. You will not be able to benefit from theses services if you are not registered ([email protected]). 

By completing this test, you are implicitly agreeing to the use of your responses, scores, and demographic data for test validation and research purposes, with the goal of improving the test for future test takers. The test research will be reported in internal documents as well as specialist publications and meetings related to language assessment. Your test information will remain completely confidential: it will never be reported in a way that could identify you.

Final grade

Students who receive at least a level 2 in each of the four test components will receive a final grade of P (pass).
Students who receive a level 1 in one or more component of the test or who do not write the test will receive a final grade of CTN (continuing).

Student score report

Each student will receive an email informing them of the levels they received in each section of the test. The results are sent by mid-January for the fall session and mid-May for the winter session. 

Certificate

An official University of Ottawa Second Language Certificate is mailed to students who received at least a level 2 on each component of the test.The certificate indicates the level achieved by the student in each component and includes the abbreviated level descriptions. The certificates are mailed by the Registrar’s Office 16 to 20 weeks following the test.

Level descriptions

Listening Comprehension (L) and Reading Comprehension (R) Skill Levels

Speaking (S) and Writing (W) Skill Levels

Alignment of Second Language Certification Test (SLCT, ESL 3100) Levels with the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)