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Court interpreter written exam in Pennsylvania
When the Written Examination runs, what it covers, and how to prepare for it.
At a glance
| Exam | Written Examination |
|---|---|
| Administered by | Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, Interpreter Certification Program |
| Format | 135 multiple-choice questions, 2 h 15 min. The NCSC Consortium written exam used by most states. |
| Pass mark | 80% (108 of 135) |
| When | Several sittings a year; the orientation is online, self-paced and must be finished within two weeks, and only candidates who completed it may register for the written exam. |
| If you don't pass | See the program's written exam page for the current retake rule. |
| Interpreter Bench preset | General (NCSC Consortium) |
Steps to certification in Pennsylvania
- Complete the online orientation.
- Pass the written exam (108 of 135 in 2 h 15 min).
- Pass the oral proficiency exam for your language.
- Complete the certification requirements and join the Pennsylvania roster.
Pennsylvania publishes a free 40-question sample mock in the real format; it is one of the three official sample sets included free on Interpreter Bench.
What is on the written exam
Pennsylvania uses the written exam developed by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) Consortium for Language Access in the Courts. It is in English only, closed book, four options per question, and has three parts:
- General English proficiency (75 questions): sentence completion, synonyms in context, synonyms, antonyms and idioms.
- Court-related terms and usage (50 questions): sentence completion with legal vocabulary, court questions and the sequence of a criminal case.
- Ethics and professional conduct (10 questions): rules of professional conduct and interpreter scenarios.
Interpreter Bench mirrors those sections, question counts and instruction wording, so a timed mock here feels like the real sitting.
How to prepare
Most candidates lose points on the court-terms and idioms sections rather than on general English. Take a full timed mock first to see your readiness score by section, then drill the weak sections with explanations.