Notice
June 6, 2025

Current Interpreter Testing Opportunities

2025 SUMMER/FALL BILINGUAL INTERPRETING EXAMINATION (BIE) - Registration to Open on June 9, 2025

2025 SUMMER/FALL BILINGUAL INTERPRETING EXAMINATION (BIE)
 

  • Registration for the Bilingual Interpreting Exam (BIE) is now open to all interested candidates from June 9 through June 20, 2025, for certified languages.  
  • For California-only exams*—Spanish, Farsi (Persian), and Punjabi (India)—registration will remain open through June 27, 2025. (* The Judicial Council's Language Access Services plans to offer Eastern Armenian as one of the testing languages in the Spring 2026 Bilingual Interpreting Examination (BIE), along with Spanish, Farsi, and Punjabi.)

ADMINISTRATION DETAILS
 

  • The Bilingual Interpreting Exam (BIE) will be administered from August 26 through October 10, 2025, on select dates at multiple testing locations throughout Northern and Southern California. For the latest exam administration details, please visit Prometric.

     

  • Exam Administration Dates: August 26 – October 10, 2025
  • Exam Locations: Camarillo, Culver City, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose. 
    (The administration will adhere to federal, state, and local health and safety guidelines).
  • The following exam languages are expected to be offered:

  • Arabic (Egyptian/Levantine), Cantonese, Farsi (Persian), Tagalog (Filipino), Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Punjabi (India), Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

REGISTRATION DETAILS:
 

  • 📞 How to Register: To register, call Prometric at (866) 241-3118 (option 2), Monday–Friday, between 5:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Registration is available by phone only and only once the registration period opens.

  • 🎟️ Please note: Registration is limited to 300 seats and is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

📋 Be Prepared to Provide the Following When Registering:

  • Prometric ID number
  • Testing language
  • Payment of $376.90 (BIE application fee)
  • Contact information and any other details required to verify your identity

🕐 Register Early!

Important: Seats are limited and filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested candidates are encouraged to register as early as possible while space remains available.

For more details about registration and testing, please visit the Prometric website.

  • 📍 Scheduling Notes: If your preferred test location or date is full, please ask about availability at other sites or on alternative dates.
  • Once scheduled, and after receiving your confirmation email, you are strongly encouraged to reconfirm your appointment with Prometric’s Candidate Care team to ensure all details are accurate.

🛠️ Need Assistance? If you experience any issues during registration or wish to share feedback, please contact the Court Interpreters Program at:  📧 courtinterpreters@jud.ca.gov

American Sign Language (ASL): 

Currently, there is no state ASL exam to become a court interpreter, but interested candidates have two reciprocity pathways to enroll on the Judicial Council Master List as a credentialed ASL Court Interpreter:

  • The Texas Board for the Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI) Court Interpreter Certification (currently testing)
  • The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) Specialist Certification: Legal (current holders of this formerly offered certification)

To learn more about reciprocity visit our ASL webpage.
If you have one of the valid credentials listed above, please email us to request a reciprocity application: courtinterpreters@jud.ca.gov

 Written and Oral Proficiency Examinations (OPEs):

All candidates must first pass the Written Exam with a score of 80% or higher.
Registration for the Written and Oral Proficiency Examinations (OPEs) is open. To schedule your next exam, contact Prometric candidate care, Monday through Friday, between 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. (PST).

  • For the Written Examination, please dial 1-(866) 241-3118, and select option 2.
  • For the OPE registration, please dial 1-(800) 967-1139, and select option 2, followed by option 2, and option 3.

 Japanese, Khmer, and Western Armenian:

Effective January 1, 2025, candidates pursuing court interpreter credentialing in Japanese, Khmer, and Western Armenian must pass both the Written Exam and the Oral Proficiency Exam (OPE) in English and the target language. For more details, visit the Language Access Services’ Registered Spoken Language Interpreter web page.

 For information on becoming a credentialed interpreter, including the BIE, Written Exam, and OPE, consult the Prometric Candidate Information Bulletin (CIB).

Return to the Become a Court Interpreter webpage.