Your native language is English.

You are able to understand and speak English at a level comparable to an educated native speaker in any and all contexts and situations although your accent or inflection indicates that you are not a native speaker of the language.

You are able to understand and speak English with sufficient accuracy and fluency to communicate and participate effectively in all social and professional contexts/situations. You can explain in detail, describe, and narrate in all time frames with relative ease. At times, idiomatic expressions, specialized vocabulary, or grammatical usage may pose challenges, but never enough to interfere with the normal ebb and flow of communication.

You are able to understand and speak English in everyday situations and converse on practical topics and most professional topics in your area, but you have vocabulary limitations and/or "grammatical roughness" in your language usage. At times, you require clarification and, when necessary, you are able to “circumlocute” (speak around a topic) to convey your meaning clearly.

You have a basic knowledge and understanding of the English language but lack the accuracy and fluency in English to consistently sustain communications clearly and effectively in professional situations without significant pauses, gaps, and interruptions. You have difficulty understanding in contexts that are not familiar to you or when you hear different accents and/or idiomatic expressions. You often require repetition and rephrasing and you are limited in expressing yourself clearly and precisely. Even though, you are able to eventually “negotiate meaning”, your accent, limited vocabulary and facility in manipulating the language are obvious and can present significant obstacles to effective communication.

EPI evaluates English proficiency through ZOOM conversations, personal interviews and video submissions which are all conducted in English. 

EPI candidates are not required to take an English exam (such as the TOFEL). However, you must meet the minimum requirements for English proficiency throughout the application, in order to be eligible to continue the process.