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 15-30 minute conversation with a Certified ACTFL Tester in the language of the Lauder track to which you are applying (Arabic, French, German, 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. With the exception of Arabic, Lauder requires an Advanced Mid level for admission to each of its language tracks.  Those applicants pursuing the Arabic program may enter at an Intermediate Mid level.  Applicants who receive a Superior rating and are native or near native Spanish speakers are eligible for the Portuguese program.  Similarly, applicants interested in the Portuguese program who are Superior and are native or near native Spanish speakers are eligible for the Spanish program. Those who are not native speakers should test in Spanish or Portuguese accordingly to show whether they meet the Superior level.  Please consult Lauder’s website, http://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu/joint_application.asp 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, please complete and submit the following forms, which can be completed via the internet. We encourage you to submit the form online.  If this is not possible, you may download it from http://www.languagetesting.com/acad_doc_lauder.htm and submit it via fax to 914-963-7113. 

*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. In the event that an appointment needs to be rescheduled, contact the LTI Test Coordinator immediately processing@languagetesting.com.  There is no charge for appointments that are rescheduled prior to one day before the scheduled appointment. For missed appointments or for appointments that a notice for rescheduling is not delivered to LTI with at least 24 hours advance notice, there is a $55 rescheduling fee.  In the event you miss your scheduled test appointment, please contact processing@languagetesting.com to reschedule your appointment.  For a test that is cancelled and not rescheduled, there is a $55 cancellation fee that will be deducted from your refund.  To cancel an application and receive your refund or to check the status of your refund, please e-mail your request to processing@languagetesting.com

If you have any questions about the OPI or about scheduling your OPI, please contact us between 9:00 am and 4:30 pm Eastern Standard Time at 914-963-7110, extension 310. 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 Academic Program Coordinator, Selma Pastor, at 215-898-3113 or by email at pastors@wharton.upenn.edu.

Sincerely,


LTI

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