Yes! The OEAI is currently only offered online over video-conferencing software. You can take the online OEAI from any location as long as you have a stable internet connection, computer or mobile phone, web-camera, and microphone.

No, your hiring department must fill out the registration form on your behalf.

The OEAI tests your language proficiency as needed for teaching, but it is not a practical teaching assessment. You should not prepare any specific scripts or lesson plans for the test, and there is not a teaching component to the test. We evaluate language ability, and do not evaluate the content or opinions of your responses.

Start EARLY, at least one semester (3-4 months) before you plan to take the OEAI, especially if this is your first semester in the US. If your most recent TOEFL iBT speaking score was 20 or below, consider taking an ESL oral skills course before you take the OEAI for the first time. Or you may hire a tutor to help you identify areas you may need to work on.

In general you should practice the types of speaking needed for face-to-face communication with students: giving definitions, elaborating on topics, answer questions in a way that is relevant to your listener.

You can find more ITA-focused language resources on this page.

The OEAI interviewers are ESL teachers and practitioners who are trained to conduct and evaluate interviews. They have extensive experience working with international teaching assistants, and many of our interviewers are ITAs themselves.

If you arenʼt sure what the interviewer is asking you, then it is appropriate to ask for clarification or to restate what you heard for verification. Just because you misheard something, it does not mean you have poor language skills, as long as you demonstrate strategies for repairing communication. Your final OEAI score is based on how you perform throughout the entire interview. If you frequently give answers that are not relevant to the question, or you frequently show lack of comprehension of the interviewer, then your final score may be affected.

There is no specific preparation time given for any responses. Since the interview is conducted like a conversation, impromptu responses are expected. You may take a few seconds before responding to a question, but in general you should answer questions as soon as you are asked, much like in normal conversation.

Rather than focusing on the length of your answers, focus on whether you are adequately answering the question. Also consider: Are you elaborating on and supporting your ideas? Are you providing an example, if appropriate, to help show what you mean? You are encouraged to say as much as you can about a topic. It is possible, though, that the interviewer may interrupt you in order to complete other required parts of the interview.

The OEAI is focused on evaluating effective speaking skills, so no visual aides are allowed. Use of visuals may be an effective component of teaching, but does not help in demonstrating language ability for the OEAI.

All scores are final. Please note that scores are only reported after multiple evaluators have confirmed them, and disputing or appealing scores is not accepted.

For anyone who wants to prepare for the OEAI, the department of linguistics holds workshops each semester to prepare for the interview. If you are interested, please contact oeai-illinois@illinois.edu to request information about these workshops or to enroll.

Please note that these workshops are for your preparation purposes only, and these do not count as English improvement activities required for retakers.

The University's Counseling Center provides useful strategies for reducing nervousness when taking exams such as the OEAI. See this link.

You can reach out to our office to describe your requested accommodations at oeai-illinois@illinois.edu. We try to make accommodations when requested, but the only way to guarantee accommodations for specific conditions is to seek a letter of accommodation from Disability Resources and Educational Services.