How the SLE works

How the Second Language Evaluation works

The SLE measures reading, writing and oral proficiency in your second official language. Each skill has its own test and its own result.

Reading comprehension

Unsupervised: 25 questions in 45 minutes, result X, A, B or C.
Supervised: 60 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes; 50 count and 10 are unscored pilot questions. Result X, A, B, C or E.
Score ranges, unsupervised (out of 25): A 9 to 13, B 14 to 18, C 19 to 25.
Score ranges, supervised (out of 50): A 18 to 27, B 28 to 37, C 38 to 44, E 45 to 50.

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Written expression

Unsupervised: 30 questions in 45 minutes, result X, A, B or C.
Supervised: 65 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes; 55 count. Question types: fill in the blank and error identification. Result X, A, B, C or E.
Score ranges, unsupervised (out of 30): A 11 to 16, B 17 to 23, C 24 to 30.
Score ranges, supervised (out of 55): A 20 to 30, B 31 to 42, C 43 to 51, E 52 to 55.

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Oral proficiency

Held by Microsoft Teams with an evaluator, 20 to 40 minutes.
Levels X, A, B, C and E. Many bilingual positions require C or E.

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Results and retakes

Results are valid for 5 years.
Your department sets a 30-day wait between attempts.
An unsupervised test cannot give an E (exemption).

Source: Public Service Commission of Canada, test pages read on 30 October 2026. Our practice items are original and written for this course. They follow the published format and never reproduce test material.

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