Delivery mode
Online
Test fee
$242
Prerequisites
Yes
Languages
n/a
Overview
Intercultural Competency is the knowledge and skill required by interpreters and translators that allows them to identify culturally specific information in the source language, appropriately reflect these in the target language and deal with clients in a culturally appropriate manner.
Intercultural competency is a prerequisite to gaining a NAATI credential. NAATI delivers Intercultural Competency (and Ethical Competency) tests to allow candidates to demonstrate this knowledge and skills, or you may have already met this prerequisite through the training you have completed.
You should apply for certification, and NAATI will advise you whether you need
to sit this test once we have processed your application.
Do I need to sit an Intercultural Competency test?
If you have completed an Endorsed Qualification or relevant Skill Set Course within the last three years, you have already satisfied this prerequisite.
If you have completed other relevant training at a Higher Education (HE) or Vocational Education and Training (VET) institution within the last three years, NAATI may exempt you from having to sit this test. You will need to attach evidence of completing this training with your application form for NAATI to make an assessment.
If you need to sit an Intercultural Competency test, you will need to sit and pass this before being made eligible to sit the certification test or gaining a Recognised Practising credential.
Information for applicants
Before sitting the Intercultural Competency test with NAATI, you need to meet the equipment & system requirements.
Equipment & system requirements
Please read the specifications carefully below.
Equipment & system requirements
Laptop or computer with the following:
- A power cord/connector.
- Windows 10 or higher, Mac OS 11 (Big Sur) or higher, ChromeOS and most Linux distributions (64-bit Ubuntu 14.04+, Debian 8+, openSUSE 13.3+, or Fedora Linux 24+).
Internet connection:
- At least 25mbps download speed, 10mbps upload speed, and internet speed (ping) of below 25 milliseconds
- You can check your internet speed on www.speedtest.net
- Note: using a public WiFi network or computer with firewalls that block access to the test platform may result in access to the test being restricted.
About the test
The Intercultural Competency test is conducted online.
As part of the online test, you will be required to complete a self-directed online course. This course takes approximately 20 hours to complete. It contains 3 Modules each of which is followed by learning activities such as a quiz, short questions and answers, reflection questions and reading material. On completion of the course you will be eligible to take the online test.
The test will consist of 6 questions you must answer within 1.5 hours:
- Three knowledge-based short answer questions; and
- Three scenario-based short answer questions
The Intercultural Competency preparation course and test will be conducted in sessions over a period of a month. You can enrol yourself into a test session through your myNAATI account up until one week prior to the start of the session. You can complete the course content at your own pace, but all test responses must be submitted by 11:59pm AET on the last day of the month.
Test assessment & results
Assessment
NAATI examiners will assess your response to each question separately, using an assessment rubric with 4 bands (with Band 1 representing the highest level of performance and Band 4 the lowest). You can view the assessment rubric here.
Each question is assessed against specific criteria:
Knowledge questions
- Criterion A: demonstrating knowledge about topic.
Scenario questions
- Criterion A: identifying the intercultural issue/s present in the scenario, and
- Criterion B: demonstrating an understanding of these issues and their implications for interpreters and/or translators.
To pass each question you must:
- Achieve at least Band 2 for criterion A in the knowledge questions, and
- Achieve at least Band 2 for criterion A and Band 3 for criterion B in the scenario questions.
To pass the test you must:
- Pass at least two of the three knowledge questions AND in the remaining question achieve at least Band 3; and
- Pass at least two of three scenario questions AND in the remaining question achieve at least Band 3 in both criteria.
Note: Band 4 in any criterion will result in a fail for the test.
Results
At the end of each course round, all tests submitted will be sent to examiners for marking.
You should receive your results within 8 weeks of the end of your course.
Re-sitting the test
- Paid reviews of test results and supplementary tests are not available for Intercultural Competency tests.
- You will be offered a re-sit of the whole test if you fail the test. You will need to pay the test fee again for each additional test.
- You may have a maximum of two test re-sits. After the third failed attempt, your credential application will be deemed unsuccessful.
How to apply
You do not need to apply separately to sit an Intercultural Competency test. You should apply for certification, and NAATI will advise you whether you need to sit this test once we have processed your application.
Test fee summary
-
Intercultural Competency test fee $242 AUD
-
Cancellation See below
-
Test re-sit fee $88 AUD
Rescheduling or cancelling your test
Rescheduling your test date
Tests can be rescheduled up to (and including) 3 days prior to the start of your course.
- There is no cost to reschedule.
- Contact us via info@naati.com.au if you need to reschedule your test date.
It is not possible to reschedule a test within 2 days of the test session unless the candidate provides evidence of hospital admission, serious injury or an accident. This is because we “lock in” the test sessions to enable planning and preparation.
If you have been admitted to hospital, or suffered a serious injury or accident, you must provide evidence to info@naati.com.au by 8am (AET) on the test day at the very latest. The medical certificate or hospital admission must state the nature of the illness.
Cancelling your test
If you cancel your Ethical or Intercultural Competency test, your entire certification application will be closed.
If your Ethical or Intercultural Competency test is more than 2 days away
- You will be eligible for a refund of 75% of your test fee if you cancel a test more than 2 days before the test date.
- Follow the instructions on applying for a refund through your myNAATI account.
If your Ethical or Intercultural Competency test is within the next 2 days
- To cancel a test scheduled within the next 2 days, you must email us at info@naati.com.au with your customer number so that we can cancel your test for you. You cannot reject your own test session in myNAATI if your test is scheduled within the next 2 days.
- You will not receive a refund if you cancel a test within 2 days.
If you do not attend your test on your scheduled test date, this is considered a cancellation and no fees will be refunded.
Candidate instructions
All applicants are required to read the candidate instructions in full before the test. Note that you will need to make sure your equipment and systems are suitable for the test (found under the ‘Prerequisites‘ tab).
The candidate information details the steps you need to take before your test day, what happens on test day, and how to get support.
Preparation course
As part of the online test, you will be required to complete a self-directed online course on NAATI Learn. This course takes approximately 20 hours to complete. It contains three major parts which include content, associated learning activities, reflection questions and reading material.
You will be enrolled in this course if needed by NAATI. You are not able to self-enrol.
A few days prior to the course starting, you will receive an email from NAATI (lms-noreply@naati.com.au) with instructions on how to access the course. If you already have a NAATI Learn account, you should be able to log in with your existing details. If you don’t have an account, you will also receive an email with login details.
When the course begins, you will see the course under ‘My Courses’ in your NAATI Learn account. You may receive the instructions email several days before the course starts, so the course may not be visible yet.
Support
If you need help before you have booked into a test, email us at any time at info@naati.com.au.
