Dear Lauder Applicant:
You have been instructed by the Lauder Institute to contact Language Testing International (LTI) in order to have your foreign language speaking ability assessed for admissions purposes. LTI is the testing office of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)®.
The Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI)® is a telephonic conversation, that will last approximately 30 minutes, with a Certified ACTFL Tester in the language of the Lauder track to which you are applying (Arabic MSA, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish). The interview is digitally recorded for evaluation purposes and afterwards the result of the assessment is forwarded directly to you and the Lauder Institute.
The OPI is evaluated according to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines – Speaking (Revised 1999), which is available for reference at www.languagetesting.com/actfl_guidelines_select.html. An Advanced rating is the expected level for admission to Lauder, and all applicants to the Lauder program are required to have an OPI. Applicants who receive a Superior rating and are native or near native Spanish speakers are eligible for the Portuguese program. Native or near native Spanish speakers with no Portuguese should test in Spanish to show they meet the Superior level. Native or near native Spanish speakers who speak some Portuguese should test in Portuguese even though the rating will be low. Please consult Lauder’s website, http://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu for further information about Lauder’s language requirements. The Lauder Admissions Committee only receives the OPI rating; they do not receive information about the contents of your conversation.
To schedule an ACTFL OPI, you may apply online or via downloadable form. We encourage you to submit the form online.
*Before submitting your form, please be sure to:
- Provide an email address and telephone number where we will be able to reach you to confirm your appointment.
- Indicate a few dates and ranges of time on those days that you will be available for the interview, which are at least ten days after the date you will be submitting your forms.
- On the OPI form, please be certain to select the U.S. time zone or, if international, state hours to New York (Eastern) time from the location where you plan to take the OPI.
- Include payment or payment information with your application. No applications will be processed without payment.
Once we receive your application, we will match your availability with that of a tester in the language you indicated and set up an appointment with this tester. We will then contact you to advise you of the appointment date and time, and give you the name of the tester and a telephone number to call for the interview. If for any reason you need to reschedule an appointment, please contact the LTI Coordinator immediately at 1-800-486-8444. If you miss an appointment without contacting our office 24 hours in advance, you will be charged a $55.00 no-show/rescheduling fee.
If you have any questions about the OPI or about scheduling your OPI, please contact us between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time at 914-963-7110. Our email address is Testing@LanguageTesting.com. If you have questions about the role of the OPI in your application to the MBA/MA program at Lauder, or if you are uncertain about which language to select for the OPI (i.e. you are considering several different language tracks, or are applying to the Portuguese program), please contact Lauder’s Admissions Coordinator, Meghan Ellis, at 215-898-6560 or by email at ellismeg@wharton.upenn.edu.
Sincerely,
LTI
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