The non-Spanish written test has 75 multiple-choice questions in English and a 90-minute limit. It covers reading, grammar, vocabulary, idioms and legal terminology. Prepare each of the seven named areas, then confirm which oral assessment or professional-reference route applies to your language.
What the written test covers and how it is formatted
If you apply for per diem (freelance) interpreting in a language other than Spanish, the Unified Court System requires a written test of English proficiency and legal terminology: 75 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes, all in English.
The exam has no written translation component. The Spanish version includes one, which is a common point of confusion; the non-Spanish test assesses only your English language proficiency and legal terminology.
The official guide names seven assessed areas. Prepare each as its own question style rather than as one undifferentiated reading block.
- Reading: sentence completion (choose the word or phrase that best fits a blank)
- Reading: paragraph comprehension (answer based solely on a short passage)
- Grammar and language usage (standard English rules and sentence structure)
- Vocabulary: synonyms (closest same meaning)
- Vocabulary: antonyms (closest opposite meaning)
- Idiomatic expressions (meaning of common everyday idioms)
- Legal terminology (basic court-related terms interpreters encounter)
Sources: New York OLA examination information (nycourts.gov, Language Access Court Interpreters) — Exam Information page, retrieved September 2026; Written Test of English Language Proficiency and Legal Terminology — General Information (nycourts.gov PDF) — Proficiency.pdf, retrieved September 2026
Scoring, results, and retakes
The written guide linked by UCS, marked 2008, describes pass/fail scoring with a minimum of 52 correct answers and no subarea scores. Confirm current result arrangements when scheduling.
Use the seven-area content map to review your practice performance. The linked guide does not provide a score report for each area, so keep your own study notes rather than expecting a detailed diagnostic breakdown.
Current UCS pages give different written retake waits: the language-access page states at least one year, while the process-and-content page states six months. Confirm the date that applies to you with the programme before rebooking. Both pages state a one-year wait for an unsuccessful oral assessment.
Sources: New York OLA examination information (nycourts.gov, Language Access Court Interpreters) — Exam Information page, retrieved September 2026; Written Test of English Language Proficiency and Legal Terminology — General Information (nycourts.gov PDF) — Proficiency.pdf, retrieved September 2026; New York court interpreter exams process and content — https://www.nycourts.gov/careers/exams/exams-process-and-content
Reading and grammar questions reward restraint
Sentence completion items ask you to fit the best word into a blank; paragraph comprehension items ask you to answer based solely on the passage; grammar items ask for the most correct standard English sentence.
The paragraph comprehension skill is discipline, not background knowledge. The official guide states you need no specialized knowledge of the passage content, so the correct answer is always the one the text itself supports. Speculating about reasons, locations, or outcomes beyond the words on the page is how strong readers lose points.
Practice the following original item, which mirrors the style rather than copying any official question.
Practice item
Read the sentence and answer based only on what it says: "The hearing was moved from Tuesday to Thursday; its starting time remains 9 a.m." According to the sentence, what changed?
Show answer
The stated change is the day: Tuesday became Thursday. The stated starting time, 9 a.m., remains the same. The sentence gives no location or reason for the change.
The sentence states a day change and explicitly preserves the time. It gives no reason for the move and no new location, so any answer citing a cause or a new venue goes beyond the text. This is the exact discipline the comprehension items test: answer from the material presented, not from what seems likely.
Vocabulary and idioms: read the instruction, not just the word
Synonym and antonym items use general English vocabulary, with specialized legal terminology excluded, and idiom items test what an expression means in everyday conversation.
The synonym and antonym sections can present the same target word with opposite answer keys, because one asks for the closest meaning and the other for the closest opposite. Read the instruction line before the options every time.
For idioms, learn the expression's meaning as a unit. This also matters beyond the written test: official oral exam guidance tells interpreters to convey an idiom's meaning rather than translate it literally, so idiom study pays off twice.
Practice item
Two practice questions use the same target word, PROHIBIT. Question 1 asks for the closest synonym; Question 2 asks for the closest antonym. Your option set for both is: forbid, allow, punish, announce. Which option answers each question?
Show answer
Question 1 (synonym): forbid. Question 2 (antonym): allow.
To prohibit something is to forbid it, so "forbid" matches the meaning. "Allow" expresses the opposite, so it answers the antonym item. "Punish" describes a consequence and "announce" describes communication; neither is close to the core meaning of preventing something. Same word, two instructions, two different correct answers.
Sources: New York OLA examination information (nycourts.gov, Language Access Court Interpreters) — Exam Information page, retrieved September 2026; Written Test of English Language Proficiency and Legal Terminology — General Information (nycourts.gov PDF) — Proficiency.pdf, retrieved September 2026
Building legal terminology without inventing legal rules
The legal terminology area covers basic court-related terms that interpreters frequently encounter in daily work, so build your vocabulary from court glossaries and the UCS Court Interpreter Manual rather than from guesses.
The official guide points to glossaries available through court-interpreter organizations and to the UCS Court Interpreter Manual and Code of Ethics, which contains a legal glossary. Work through a glossary by term families: for each term, note the court or stage where it appears and one sentence using it in context.
The vocabulary sections assess general English, while the legal-terminology section separately checks court-related terms. Give both attention, and use the reading passages themselves to support answers to comprehension questions.
After you pass: the oral assessment or the references route
A written pass is a gate, not the finish. Candidates who succeed are invited to an oral assessment where one exists for their language; for languages without an oral exam, the route runs through professional references instead.
The full oral assessment has six sections across sight translation, consecutive and simultaneous interpreting. Some languages use abbreviated versions, as listed on the current UCS practice page. Check your language’s assessment instead of assuming every candidate takes the same six tasks.
The official guidance for the oral is worth internalizing now: aim for thoroughness rather than summary, convey idioms by meaning, leave proper names in the original language, and preserve the speaker's register, whether formal, conversational, or slang.
If your language has no oral assessment yet, you must submit at least three professional references for each language you want to work in. References must specifically attest to your interpreting skills or language proficiency and include reachable daytime contact details; references from UCS personnel are not accepted. Your references are verified, and you may also be asked to pass an oral exam later if one is introduced.
Both routes matter because the written test alone does not qualify you for assignments. It is one requirement in a sequence that ends with your name on the per diem registry.
Sources: New York OLA examination information (nycourts.gov, Language Access Court Interpreters) — Exam Information page, retrieved September 2026; New York oral examination practice and abbreviated languages — https://www.nycourts.gov/careers/exams/diem-court-interpreter-practice-oral-exam
Final checklist before you apply
Apply online through the Unified Court System, plan for the written test, and know the remaining requirements: fingerprinting with a fee, an ethics training seminar when offered, a high school diploma or equivalent, and legal right to work in the United States.
Voucher-paid interpreters must complete a criminal history investigation before accepting assignments. There is a fee for that investigation; confirm the current process and amount with UCS.
Once you complete the process, your name is added to the NYS Registry of Per Diem Court Interpreters and forwarded to the courts. Verify all logistics, including scheduling and any current fees, directly with the court system's language access pages before you rely on any secondary summary, including this one.
- Complete the online application for testing, reciprocity, or a written exam waiver
- Prepare for the 75-question written test using the seven named areas
- Identify whether your language has an oral assessment or requires references
- If references apply, line up three professional referees with contact details who are not UCS personnel
- Budget time and money for fingerprinting and the criminal history investigation
- Confirm the high school diploma or equivalent and work-authorization requirements
Sources
Facts checked:
- New York OLA examination information (nycourts.gov, Language Access Court Interpreters)
- Written Test of English Language Proficiency and Legal Terminology — General Information (nycourts.gov PDF)
- New York oral examination practice and abbreviated languages
- New York court interpreter exams process and content