Communicating effectively in English or French is critical to providing safe nursing practice in Canada.  Language tests are one method to assess language proficiency. A key activity for a language proficiency test to be accepted is standard-setting.

Standard-setting procedures involve a scientific methodology and subject-matter experts’ consensus to establish and justify passing scores and to support the policy issue of how good a performance must be to be considered good enough. These cut- scores are used to determine if candidates have achieved the language proficiency standard required for practicing as Registered Nurses (RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) (referred to Registered Practical Nurses in Ontario only), and Registered Psychiatric Nurses (RPNs) in Canada.

The Canadian Nurse Regulators Collaborative (CNRC), consisting of regulatory authorities that are responsible for ensuring nurses provide safe and ethical care in Canada, retained IntelliEval led by Dr. Eunice Jang to complete the standard-setting scores for two additional tests based on CNRC’s updated 2022 cut scores/benchmark levels for listening, reading, writing and speaking.   The Occupational English Test (OET) is an English language test for specific occupational purposes designed to assess the English language proficiency of foreign-trained healthcare professionals seeking to register and practice in an English-speaking environment.

Additionally, the Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic which is an English language test for specific occupational purposes designed to assess the English language proficiency of foreign-trained healthcare professionals seeking to register and practice in an English-speaking environment.

Consensus on the cutscores was based on multiple rounds of standard-setting exercises involving multiple methods for triangulation. The panelists carefully deliberated possible errors associated with testing themselves and their judgments.  

CNRC’s cut scores for both tests are scientifically defensible and align with the language demands required for safe, ethical, and effective nursing practice at the entry level. 

The CLPNPEI has updated our Reasonable Proficiency in English policy to reflect the new cut scores.