Test of Oral English Proficiency (TOEP)

Please refer to the information on the UCI Graduate Division website. 

Do You Still Have Questions?

Please contact UCI Graduate Division:

• Elva Escobar (elvae1@uci.edu)
• Sonia Lepe (slepe@uci.edu)

All UCI graduate students are eligible to take the TOEP for the first time.

For information about a student’s eligibility to retake the TOEP exam, click the “Retaking TOEP” section below.

The test will involve four tasks:

Task 1: Introduction (untimed)
Student briefly introduces himself/herself.
 
Task 2: TA Situation (about 3 minutes)
Student explains how she/he will respond to two hypothetical TA situations.

Task 3: Mini-lecture (5 minutes)
Student gives a 5-minute lecture on a topic from his or her major. The topic must be chosen by the student at the time of registration, and it must be a topic that is taught in an introductory-level undergraduate course in the student's discipline. If the topic is not appropriate for the TOEP, the student may be asked to change the topic. Visual aid (PowerPoint, whiteboard) that can be shared online is allowed, but the visual aid should not contain more than 100 words and students cannot read directly from their notes.

Task 4: Question and answer session based on mini-lecture (3 minutes)
Student answers several questions related to the lecture.

The student opens the Zoom link they are sent by the TOEP Coordinators. He/she enters a Zoom waiting room and is then admitted into the Zoom meeting room. The test administrator asks the student to show a photo ID and say aloud his/her UCI ID number. The student is interviewed for approximately 15 minutes.

As the TOEP test is designed to assess students’ current oral English proficiency and communication skills, there is no official “practice test” for the exam. Students are encouraged to speak English regularly and as much as possible in their daily lives to hone their oral communication skills and prepare for Teaching Assistant appointments.

Enrolling in an oral communications course (Academic English 200, 201, or 202) is an excellent way for graduate students to review pronunciation rules, practice speaking skills, and receive individualized feedback through one-on-one tutoring. The "Graduate Student Information" page has more information about these courses.

The TOEP exam is rated on a scale from 1 to 6.  The final score for each student is submitted to the Graduate Division within one week of the TOEP test. The Graduate Division enters the scores on the students’ StudentAccess files and sends the scores to the students’ departments.

Meaning of Scores

6: Delivery enhances effective communication.

5: Delivery ensures effective communication.

4: Delivery could potentially interfere with communication, even with a reasonably tolerant listener.

3: Delivery will likely interfere with communication, even with a reasonably tolerant listener.

1 - 2: Delivery will definitely interfere with communication, even with a reasonably tolerant listener.

NOTE: All TOEP test scores are final and cannot be changed.

Students with scores of 5 and 6 on TOEP receive a PASS and are eligible to work as Teaching Assistants. 

Students with scores of 1, 2, 3, or 4 on TOEP receive a NO PASS and will not be able to work as Teaching Assistants until they receive a passing score on one of the oral English proficiency exams: TOEP, SPEAK, TOEFL iBT, or IELTS.

Students who receive a score of 4 on TOEP are eligible to retake it the next time the TOEP test is offered.

Students who receive a score of 1, 2, or 3 on the TOEP must first pass an ESL oral communications course (Academic English 200, 201, or 202) BEFORE they are eligible to retake the TOEP.

NOTE: We strongly recommend that all graduate students who wish to improve their oral English skills enroll in an oral communications class (Academic English 200, 201, or 202) before retaking any English language proficiency exam.

NOTE: Students can only take TOEP 5 times. After the 4th test, students must contact the TOEP Coordinator to discuss when the last and final test should be taken

Requesting Emergency TOEP Exams for Matriculated UCI Graduate Students

In the case that UCI students are not able to take the TOEP exam on the testing dates set for the academic year (please see the TOEP Test Dates for the current academic year on the left-hand sidebar of this webpage), students or their hiring departments may request an emergency exam by emailing TOEP@uci.edu with the following information:

1. Student name
2. Student's UCI ID number
3. Student's email address
4. Reason that the student is unable to take the exam on the testing dates set for the academic year
5. Date by which the TOEP exam results are needed

• Requests for an emergency exam are contingent on staff and grader availability, and the Program cannot guarantee that all requests will be accepted.
• Once a request has been accepted, students will be sent instructions for how to pay the testing fee ($70).
• Please also note that students can only take the emergency TOEP exam up to two times within each academic quarter.

1. Student name
2. Student's contact information (email)
3. Departmental contact (email) to whom the TOEP score should be sent
4. Date by which the TOEP score is needed.

• Requests for an emergency exam are contingent on staff and grader availability, and the Program cannot guarantee that all requests will be accepted. 
• Once a request has been accepted, the hiring department will be sent instructions for how to pay the testing fee ($70) through a KFS transfer of funds.
• The Program will only be communicating the prospective student's TOEP score with the departmental contact specified in the email request to TOEP@uci.edu. Therefore, the hiring department is responsible for keeping record of the TOEP score, communicating the score with the Graduate Division directly, and confirming beforehand with the Graduate Division that the prospective student's TOEP score would be accepted at the time of admission.

Confidentiality Agreement
All registered students must promise to keep the contents of the TOEP test confidential and to abide by the UCI policies on academic integrity and student conduct. Students who break this agreement by sharing the contents of the TOEP test with others or using another student's information from a previous TOEP test will be reported to the Office of Academic Integrity and Student Conduct.

Agreement to be Video-Recorded
All TOEP exams are video-recorded. Video-recordings of tests are the property of the Program in Global Languages & Cultures at UCI and may be used for the norming and training of TOEP graders and/or educational and research purposes. All registered students will be asked to indicate that they understand that their tests will be video-recorded and may be used by the Program in Global Languages & Cultures for academic purposes.

Questions about TOEP

For questions about the TOEP exam, please contact TOEP@uci.edu

For urgent questions about the TOEP exam in need of a reply within 24 hours, please contact:

Sarah Sok, Curriculum & Research Coordinator, sysok@uci.edu

Questions about Oral English Proficiency Requirements

For questions about whether you need to take an exam – such as whether you qualify for an exemption, or whether you are in the exception category -- please contact UCI Graduate Division. UCI Graduate Division oversees the policies and requirements for graduate student TAs' oral English proficiency exams. Graduate Division contacts are:

Elva Escobar (elvae1@uci.edu)

Sonia Lepe (slepe@uci.edu)

• The TOEP exam fee is covered by the University for all graduate students taking the TOEP for the first time.

• For students retaking the exam (students can take the TOEP exam up to a total of 5 times), a testing fee of $70 must be paid. Students will be sent instructions for how to pay the testing fee shortly after they successfully register for the exam and their eligibility and status have been confirmed.

• For students requesting an emergency exam (an exam outside the testing dates set for the academic year), regardless of whether or not they are taking the exam for the first time, a testing fee of $70 must be paid after the request has been accepted and before the exam can take place. Please note that requests for an emergency exam are contingent on staff and grader availability, and that the Program cannot guarantee that all requests will be accepted. Once a request has been accepted, students will be sent instructions for how to pay the testing fee.