Overview
For language pairs offered by the National Center for State Courts, candidates may register for the 75-minute NCSC oral exam, administered in Massachusetts by Office of Language Access. The exam is divided into three sections: sight translation, and consecutive, and simultaneous interpretation. All candidates must achieve a minimum score of 70% on each section. The sight translation portion is divided into two texts. Candidates must score a minimum of 65% on each and an average of 70% for the modality.
The National Center for State Courts offers full oral examinations in the following languages:
- Amharic
- Arabic
- Cantonese
- Filipino (Tagalog)
- French
- Haitian Creole
- Hmong
- Khmer
- Korean
- Mandarin
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Somali
- Spanish
- Vietnamese
For languages where no NCSC oral examination is offered, candidates will be alternatively credentialed as an OLA Certified Court Interpreter upon passing an alternative third-party interpretation exam in the three modalities. All candidates must score a minimum of 80% on each modality and sight translation subsections. Candidates must complete all other steps listed in the credentialing requirements. Should the National Center for State Courts offer a full oral exam in the alternative language pair in the future, candidates will be required to take and pass the NCSC oral examination.
Languages available:
- Albanian
- German
- Cape Verdean Creole
For languages with no NCSC oral examination nor alternative exam available, candidates must register for and pass an abbreviated oral general interpreting assessment through an OLA third party vendor at no cost. All candidates must score a minimum of 80% on the assessment and complete the remaining steps listed in the credentialing requirements.
Languages available:
- Burmese
- Dari
- Hausa
- Hindi
- Pashto
- Somali
- Tigrinya
- Ukrainian
- Urdu
- Yoruba
Upon oral exam registration, individual exam dates and times will be sent via email and USPS mail once registration has closed. All candidates must wait at least six months in between each oral exam attempt. There is no cost for staff interpreters, active per diem interpreters, or the first attempt for prospective candidates.
Additional information for candidates
- Pursuant to Section 5.07(F), In certain circumstances, at OLA’s discretion, any of the above requirements may be waived, or additional requirements may be added.
- Candidates must pass all sections in a single sitting. If a candidate does not pass, they must wait at least six months before attempting the exam again. There are no carry-over scores for individual sections.
- Candidates seeking certification in more than one language must take the oral exam portion in separate exam sittings.
- All scheduled dates are subject to change or cancellation. However, every effort will be made to adhere to the schedule as it appears.
- Interested participants are encouraged to enroll at the earliest possible opportunity since space is limited and exams often reach capacity prior to the scheduled registration deadline. Confirmation is issued on a first-received basis upon receipt of an applicant’s completed registration form and will be determined once registration closes.
- Upon completion of registration for the orientation & written and oral examinations, candidates will be sent a confirmation email and certified mail notification to the email and address provided on the registration form.
OLA oral exam dates
| Event dates | Registration deadlines | Location |
|---|---|---|
| November 18-19, 2026 | October 16, 2026 | Boston |
| March 24-25, 2027 | February 17, 2027 | Worcester Law Library |
| July 14-15, 2027 | June 9, 2027 | Worcester Law Library |
| November 17-18, 2027 | October 13, 2027 | Worcester Law Library |