The Pre-IPT—Oral English and Spanish Tests are individually administered, structured oral interviews, where the examiner asks the student questions or gives prompts. The examiner follows a script on a computer or tablet, and scores the student’s answers as correct or incorrect as he or she administers each item. Only the examiner uses the computer or tablet, not the student. The student interacts with the examiner.

The Pre-IPT Oral tests are specially designed to be developmentally appropriate for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old students. Each test is conducted with the help of a large Story Board and a set of Story Pieces, which are like paper dolls that are placed on the Story Board in various places as the test proceeds. Each test begins with an introduction and a few sample items, which introduce the main Story Pieces to the student and help him or her get used to the test situation and answering the test questions. Most of the test questions have to do with the story and the Story Board characters directly. The student identifies objects, actions and characteristics, moves the Story Pieces, and talks about activities. Some questions extend beyond the Story Board and invite the student to talk about his or her own experiences, preferences, and so on. All students are tested individually. It is important to note that the Online Pre-IPT—Oral English and Spanish Tests are not translations of each other. They are two different tests.

The Pre-IPT—Oral Tests assess proficiency in four domains of oral language: vocabulary, grammar, comprehension, and verbal expression. The test questions are divided into levels of increasing difficulty, and the OnlineIPT will automatically calculate the student’s scores at the end of each level and will either stop testing or automatically transition to the next level. In this way, students advance through the test levels until the test is completed or until they stop at the highest level they can attain based on their language proficiency. The average test length is 15-20 minutes, though some tests may be much shorter if the student’s proficiency is very low, while others may be longer.