Hello all,
As you well know, CASLI has been in the process of developing the new knowledge and performance exams that the Registry of interpreters for the Deaf uses for their CDI and NIC certification programs. The process first began in 2017 and gained tremendous momentum from June 2018 to March 2020. In that time, and since March 2020, CASLI has sent out regular updates and mass emails to keep both our exam candidates and the interpreting community abreast of news and developments, especially any impact to our anticipated timeline to exam administration and development. We are immensely pleased to announce the upcoming release of our new CASLI General Performance Exam for Hearing Interpreters. As per our previous announcements and the guidance from our exam psychometrician, we will be retiring the NIC Interview and Performance Exam on May 18, 2022 and it will no longer be available for administration.
If NIC candidates wish to take the NIC Interview & Performance exam prior to May 17th, we strongly advise candidates to contact the testing site of their choice on CASLI Exam System’s View Proctor Locations map and schedule their exam appointment as soon as possible.
The new CASLI Generalist Performance exam for Hearing Interpreter will be released shortly after the retirement of the NIC Interview & Performance exam. As we have explained in previous announcements, the post-transition test sequence will look different for those who took different knowledge exams (refer to the bottom of this page for the sequence order). The CASLI Generalist Performance exam is replacing the performance component of the NIC Interview & Performance exam. The interview component of the NIC Interview & Performance exam is being replaced with the Case Studies: Ethical Decision-Making and Cultural Responsiveness exam (also known as the gap test). Once this transition is complete, all candidates will be taking CASLI exams going forward in pursuit of their NIC certification.
For more details, please refer to the CASLI Exam Content Outline and Preparation Guide as well as take sample exams available on the CASLI Exam System. (Page 4 for details specific to the Case Studies exam and the Generalist Performance exams).
It is important to mention that the new CASLI Performance Exam for the Hearing Interpreter will undergo a beta period of six months or longer. The beta period is part of the testing development stages to ensure the exam and the scoring criteria is reliable, valid and fair for candidates and is a normal and necessary part of exam development. The timeframe for the beta period is contingent on factors such as the number of candidates taking the performance exam upon release, the pace of the Scoring Committee, training and benchmarking raters needed to complete to ensure consistency, etc. While we anticipate this process will take six months or longer from the release of the new Performance exam, possibly but hopefully not longer, there is no guarantee that candidates will get their exam results for the Performance exam by or before six months.
We recognize that the beta period for the new Performance Exam may pose some challenges for interpreters. If a letter of explanation is needed for employers or other purposes, please do not hesitate to contact us for a letter. A reliable, valid and fair test is important for you and for the Deaf, DeafBlind, Deaf Disabled, & Hard of Hearing communities. Thank you for your support in this process.
If you have any questions or need further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@casli.org or testing@casli.org
We wish you all the best with your pursuit of your certification.
Explanation for candidates in midst of their testing cycle:
For those who have passed the NIC-Knowledge exam and who plan to take the new CASLI Generalist Performance Exam for Hearing Interpreters (HIPE), please know that it will be accompanied with the GAP test (Case Studies). For more details, please refer to the CASLI Exam Content Outline and Preparation Guide and take sample exams available on the CASLI Exam System.
For those who have passed the CDI-Knowledge exam and who plan to take the new CASLI Generalist Performance Exam for Deaf Interpreters (DIPE), please know that it will be accompanied with the GAP test (Case Studies). For more details, please refer to the CASLI Exam Content Outline and Preparation Guide and take sample exams available on the CASLI Exam System.
For those who have taken the CASLI Generalist Knowledge Exam: Fundamentals of Interpreting accompanied with the Case Studies: Ethical Decision-Making and Cultural Responsiveness exam and passed the first portion (Fundamental of Interpreting) but still are waiting on Case Studies exam results, you will need to wait before taking the performance exam (DIPE or HIPE), as the results impact the exam(s) you’ll be taking and the exam(s) rate.
Explanation for candidates who has an NIC Interview & Performance Exam on their account:
Any NIC Interview & Performance exam that has been purchased (or is available on candidate’s CASLI account) and is not taken by May 18, 2022 will be switched out with the new CASLI Generalist Performance Exam for Hearing Interpreter. The new performance exam will be accompanied with the Case Studies: Ethical Decision Making Process & Cultural Responsiveness exam. There will be no additional cost to candidates if this is their first attempt in taking the Case Studies. If your exam appointment is scheduled after the May 18, 2022 date, you will be taking the new CASLI Generalist Performance Exam with the Case Studies exam.
If you have already purchased your NIC Interview & Performance exam, please be mindful of the one year from date of payment to take the exam policy CASLI holds. You may be eligible for a refund minus a $15 processing fee or reschedule your exam appointment to a later time as long as it is within your current testing cycle and/or within one year from the date of exam purchase. Please refer to CASLI Payment Policies for more details.
It is candidates’ responsibility to monitor their testing cycle expiration date when determining how to proceed with the new changes that are occurring in the near future. Candidates can check their testing cycle expiration date on their CASLI Exam System account under Profile in the notes section. If you do not see it, please contact CASLI at info@casli.org