Newsweek Magazine

“Those with a less identifiable regional accent, such as that found in the Midwest, tended to get recommended for higher profile and often higher paying jobs in public relations and marketing.”
 

Who needs to take the accent assessment?

The accent assessment is required for all ARTA candidates who are taking live training sessions and will be recommended for a Lite, Pro or Master Level. All candidates must complete an Assessment bi-annually for continuing training in Lite, Pro and Master level memberships. 

How often is the accent assessment offered?

The assessment is given a few times a year: monthly, quarterly, and annually. Contact the program manager for scheduling your exact dates.

How do I register for the accent assessment?

Approximately two weeks before each assessment period the Program Manager (PM) schedules candidates and registers each prospective student. In most cases, the (PM) emails this information to each student. If you do not receive an assessment time two weeks prior to the assessment period or if you have other questions about registration, contact us.

Where is the accent assessment given?

Each assessment is given online in the virtual classroom or at a location, depending on your area.

How much does the accent assessment cost?

Please click the Assessment tab above to find the current cost.

If I take the accent assessment and do not achieve the score I need, how soon can I take the assessment again?

We recommend that you improve your accent for at least one month and that you enroll in courses offered by ARTA to continue language training before the next assessment. If you have not taken an ARTA live training sessions with One-on-One Instruction in the month of the assessment, you may not be permitted to take the assessment.

Is there a limit to how many times I can take the accent assessment?

There is currently no limit, but students who retake the assessment only when they feel they are well prepared and can perform will do best. Taking the assessment repeatedly without individual One-on-One feedback can result in poorer performances as student anxiety levels increase with each failing performance. If you have failed previously and have not taken an Accent Reduction Programs course or Individualized Instruction in the month of the assessment, you may not be permitted to take the assessment. Students who postpone their enrollment beyond the period of late registration will need to reapply and retake the assessment. Assessments must be taken within 14 days of the date of registration. We require 24 hours notice for rescheduling all sessions.

Are there assessment procedures or fees that I need to observe?

Request your assessment schedule after membership sign up. You do not need to use a webcam for the assessment. Your results will be charted for later referencing and scoring in a diagnostic report for the equivalent membership level.

What is the Accent Assessment?

The accent assessment is an oral proficiency test that measures how well you understand and express yourself in spoken English. The key to remember is that assessment-takers are scored on how comprehensible they are, which usually revolves around how natural they sound. Natural does not mean perfect, but it does mean that the assessment-taker should be easy to understand even for a listener with little or no experience with non-native speakers. In the assessment, your responses to questions that you hear are carefully reviewed. The responses are then rated by trainers.The timed assessment consists of short phrases, reciting sentences, speaking exercises and impromptu speech. It is designed to evaluate your accent proficiency. You will be asked to describe many tasks, including those unrelated to your profession or field of study. You will listen to the prompter through a speaker, or headset which evaluates your responses digitally in a speech-analysis program. Once the assessment begins, you must keep pace with the timed questions. The time allotted for each section is provided by the trainer before the section begins.

The ARTA assessment is administered in real-time virtual classroom, on the phone or in person environment, and you will be speaking into a microphone. You will be taking the assessment one-to-one with your trainer. When you attend, keep all outside interruptions to a minimum, which may be distracting while speaking or responding in the classroom environment.

What kinds of questions appear on the ARTA accent assessment?

There are several different forms of the accent assessments, but all have similar types of questions: A warm-up with general questions. This section will not be scored. It is important, however, that the assessment-taker reply to the questions to make sure that the microphone and speakers are working properly.
A descriptive task section, where the assessment-taker describes a place to other event. A story-telling section where the assessment-taker describes a series of events and tells the story based on the topics. Follow-up questions based on the story. Comment and opinion statements, often related to the assessment-taker’s field of study. An instruction or graph-reading section, where the assessment-taker explains instructions or gives a chart or graph. Follow-up questions based on the chart or graph. A schedule with modifications where the assessment-taker asks for a schedule and the details.

If I do not finish an answer or have extra time left and have nothing more to say, will I receive a bad score on the accent assessment?

You can not receive a bad score necessarily. If you address the questions well and run out of time, this will not affect your score. If you have extra time but have answered completely, again, this will not affect your score.

Suggestions for ARTA accent assessment-takers during the test

Don’t rush or slow down during the assessment. Relaxed students tend to perform better on the assessment. Focus on being as natural-sounding as possible. It is better to sound fluent, even if you make a some pronunciation mistakes than to speak very slowly and haltingly with fewer pronunciation errors. Speaking clearly is better than speaking quickly; those who speak too rapidly are more difficult to comprehend than those who speak smoothly and a bit more slowly.

Before the ARTA assessment

Talk in your learned language as much as possible. Getting plenty of informal speaking practice will help you feel more relaxed and sound more natural. Practice giving directions, telling stories from current events, and describing a chart or graph (see materials section below). Practice with a timer so that you gain a feeling for how long are 30 seconds, 60 seconds, and 90 seconds. Pay attention to the time allotted for each question. Listen to native speakers and notice how they communicate. How do they organize their ideas? What types of discourse techniques do they use? How do they adjust the formality of their language for different situations?

After the ARTA assessment

Your score will be provided to you after the test. If you do not receive your score from your trainer within 10 days of your test date, first contact your trainer, then check your LMS portal or contact a Program Manager. Scores will often be given during a follow-up.

What will my assessment results mean?

If you receive a score of 80% or above you may be recommended for an ARTA Program. For scores below, you should continue language pronunciation training. ARTA’s live training and sessions, may be Added-on for regular monthly session, which are listed in your login dashboard along with a recommended session schedule to follow.

Can I practice for the assessment?

Yes, practicing for the test may be beneficial. Even if you feel your oral skills are good, you can practice. This type of test has a particular format which may be unfamiliar. Practicing will help you feel more comfortable on the day of the assessment. You can practice by reading the information for the Tips for Accent Reduction on our website. Note that the while the Accent Tips have listening skills, versions of assessments do not. Subscribe to the ARTA Membership Levels accessible under our Membership login, which include: Assessment Report (MP4 of Phonemes and accompanying phonemes pdf’s).

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE LOCATIONS ARE NOT OPEN TO PROVIDE THESE MATERIALS.

Consulting the ARTA Training Manual in the Members area. This comprehensive guide is available for members to purchase on our website. Be sure to use the latest version of this guide, not the old version. The old version has listening comprehension sections that students do not need to practice for the assessment.

Who rates assessments and how are they rated?

The ARTA assessment is rated by trained and certified ARTA trainers. Each assessment is rated by at least two different raters, who do not know the score that each other has give to your assessment. The assessment is rated not only for pronunciation but for how well you use grammar, vocabulary, stressing and intonation.

If I pass the assessment, should I continue to take the Basic  or Intermediate level courses?

The assessment is a minimum standard for learning at ARTA, so students are  encouraged to continue taking courses for personal and career development. Cost varies by program. Review the Accent Reduction Programs on our website and the Corporate Training page for additional learning and job related training and workshops.

Are courses offered for prospective students who do speak English as a native language?

Yes, there is a progression of courses that prospective students can take to improve their communication skills. Corporate Training courses, are described on our website along with a recommended sequence of courses to follow.

Besides the assessment, is there a way to satisfy the ARTA accent reduction proficiency requirement?

No, not at this time. However, previously, under some rare circumstances, a student can take the Oral Pronunciation Assessment (OPA). In this assessment, the candidate speaks briefly on a topic in his/her field, and participates in an interview. It is rated by at least two trainers. (in person only) For information about this interview and which students may qualify to take it, please contact the Program Manager (PM).