Registration Information

You can register by ...

• mail or fax (using this form )

• by coming to the LPI office in person

• or by using the LPI Online Registration Application Form.

If registering my mail or fax, a registration fee ($99 + 4.95 GST in BC, $125 + 6.25 GST outside of BC, $150 outside of Canada) must accompany your registration application form. Payment can be made by:

• credit card (Visa or MasterCard) - if paying with a credit card, you must provide your card number, its expiration date, and the cardholder’s signature.

• money order

01/26/2010 - New LPI Cheque Policy: As of January 26, 2010, the LPI Office will no longer accept cheques of any kind for the payment of any services. This change in policy is due to a number of incidences with NSF (Non-sufficient funds) cheques received at the LPI Office. All payment for services must now be made using credit card (online, mail, or fax), money order (mail), debit card( in person), or cash (in person).

Fax, mail, or bring your completed application form to:

About Registration Tickets

There are two ways to get your Test Admission Ticket. If you register over the Internet and your payment is approved, you can immediately print out your own Test Admission Ticket. If you do this, you will not receive a Test Admission Ticket in the mail.

Registrants using other forms of registration (mail or fax), or who do not have access to a printer, will receive a Test Admission Ticket in the mail prior to the test date.

Your Test Admission Ticket will contain information related to the time and place of your exam sitting. To be admitted to the LPI test, you must present your ticket with a recent passport-type photo attached to the top portion, along with recent photo identification, such as a driver’s licence or a student card. If you do not have photo identification, please contact the LPI office for instructions before the test date.

Retain the bottom receipt portion of the Test Admission Ticket so that you can access your scores online when they become available.

If you still have not received your ticket 3 days before the test date, it is your responsibility to contact the LPI office during office hours to confirm that you are registered and to receive instructions as to what procedures to follow. Refunds or transfers will not be made on the basis of non-receipt of a ticket.

If you are unable to contact the LPI office, go to the sitting you requested. If you are registered, your name will be on the official site list.

Cancellations

Your request for cancellation must be received at least 9 (nine) calendar days prior to the test date to receive a partial refund of $49.50 + 2.48 GST. (Example: for a Saturday sitting, your request must be received by the LPI office no later than Thursday of the previous week.) Cancellation requests may be made by phone, fax, e-mail, or mail. You cannot cancel your registration over the Internet.

A refund will only be processed when both portions of the Test Admission Ticket have been received by the LPI Office.

All refunds are made through the University of British Columbia Finance Department, and will be sent to you through the mail. This process may take up to one month to complete.

Transfers

Your request for an alternate test date may be made
by e-mail, fax, phone, or mail. It must be received at least 9 (nine) calendar days prior to the test date (Example: for a Saturday sitting, your request must be received in the LPI office no later than Thursday of the previous week). The cost of a transfer is $25 + 1.25 GST. You cannot transfer your test date over the Internet.

The transfer will only be processed when the transfer fee and both portions of the Test Admission Ticket have been received by the LPI office.

Requests for transfer after the nine-day deadline will not be processed, and candidates will be required to pay the full registration fee once more in order to register for another sitting.

The only exception to the above is in the case of illness, in which case the examinee will be transferred to another sitting upon receipt of the Test Admission Ticket and a doctor's note.

Missing a Sitting

No refunds or transfers will be awarded to examinees who do not show up or who arrive more than 30 minutes late for a test for which they have paid and registered.

Getting Ready for the Test

To be admitted to the LPI examination room, you will need:

1. A Test Admission Ticket

2. A recent passport-type photo

3. Recent photo identification

You will also need:

• BOTH a pen AND a pencil (with eraser)

• a watch (once the test has started, you are responsible for keeping track of the time remaining)

1. Test Admission Ticket

If you register online, you can print your own Test Admission Ticket. If you register through other means (mail, fax, or in person), the LPI Office will mail you a Test Admission Ticket.

Ensure that you have signed your ticket and that you have attached a recent photo of yourself (see the information below) in the space indicated on the ticket.

Note: Whether you have the mailed or online version of the ticket, do not give us the portion that has the PIN on it - you need this information to be able to check your scores online.

2. Recent passport-type photo On the day of the test, you must bring one recent passport-type photo (e.g. passport photo or photo-booth photo taken within the past 6 months) of yourself. The photo must be attached to your Test Admission Ticket in the space indicated on the ticket, and should conform to the specifications shown on the right.  Your photo will be kept on file at the LPI office. (Note: Secondary school sittings do not require photos.)

For the photo to be valid ...

1. It must be a recent passport-type photo of yourself taken within the last six months showing only your face and shoulders (as shown above). The photo must be clear enough so that there is no doubt about your identity. Your face in the photo must be similar to how you look on the day of the test, for example, with the same hairstyle, and with or without a beard.
2. Photocopies will not be accepted. Prints on photo-quality paper may be accepted if all other quality requirements are met.
3. Photos cut out of an ID will NOT be accepted (as these are invariably more than 6 months old).
4. Any one-colour background is acceptable. (Do not cut your image out of a larger photo.)
5. Further:
   • Photos must be originals, not photocopies or photos of an existing photograph.
   • Both colour and black-and-white photos are acceptable.
   • The face must be square to the camera with a neutral expression.
   • Tinted prescription glasses may be worn as long as the eyes are clearly visible.
   • False hairpieces or other cosmetic devices are acceptable if they do not disguise the natural appearance of the bearer and are worn habitually.
   • A photo in which the applicant is wearing a hat or head covering or anything that interferes with the photo's value in providing a means of identifying the issuee is NOT acceptable. (Note that this includes graduation photos!) While allowances may be made for practitioners of religious faiths that prohibit the removal of the head covering, photos in which the full facial features of the subject are not visible are not acceptable.
6. The photo should be trimmed (if necessary) so that it is no larger than 5 x 5 cm and no smaller than 3 x 3 cm.
7. You must write your name and registration number on the back of the photo before attaching it to the Test Admission Ticket (in case it becomes detached).
8. Attach your photograph to your Test Admission Ticket with glue or tape. (Do not use staples.)

If you arrive at the LPI sitting without a suitable photo you will not be allowed to write the test.

Further, if it is later determined by the LPI Office that the quality or specifications of the photo do not meet the requirements above, your test will not be marked.

In some cases you may be contacted to provide a replacement photograph - in which case your test will be marked once an acceptable photo arrives along with a $15 + .75 GST administration fee.

3. Recent photo identification

A Passport, driver’s licence, provincial identification card, or other official government- or (post-secondary) school-issued identification is acceptable.

(Note: Transit "GO Cards" are not acceptable ID.)

ID verification during testing may include photographing, videotaping, or other confirming forms of electronic/ biometric ID. This verification is in addition to the requirement that you present acceptable and valid identification. If you refuse to participate in verification procedures, you will not be permitted to take the test and you will forfeit your test fee. Please note that the LPI Office may maintain a database of your information, including photos or other collected biometric information, that may be subsequently referenced to search for potential instances of personation
or fraud. In cases of suspected personation or fraud, information collected through the application and verification process may be supplied to third parties including law enforcement agencies.

Test Day Procedures and Regulations

The same procedures are followed at all test sessions to ensure that everyone has equal testing time and that each test session meets the criteria for standardized testing.

You should come to the test location at least 20 minutes before the test is set to begin. If you are late to arrive at the test, you will not be given extra time. If you arrive more than 30 minutes after the scheduled start time, you will not be permitted into the examination and no refund will be provided.

Before the test begins, you will have to "sign in". You will be asked to provide your Test Admission Ticket (with photo) and your photo ID. If all is in order, a test booklet will be given to you, and you will be immediately directed into the test room. You will then be assigned to a seat by supervisory staff. (You may not select your own seat.)

Do not begin the test until you are told to start! You may, however, begin to fill out the first three (3) pages of personal information.

Just before the test begins, the Supervisor will make several important announcements, and then instruct you to begin the test.

Attempts to give or receive assistance or otherwise communicate by any means about the test content with another person during the examination is strictly forbidden.

There is no scheduled rest break during the LPI test. If you become ill or need to go to the washroom, you must notify a test supervisor. You will not be permitted to make up lost time. You may be dismissed from the testing room or have your scores cancelled if you fail to follow any of the test regulations and instructions given by the test supervisor.

When you are finished, raise your hand (do not stand up with your test booklet), and an Invigilator will take your test, check your picture ID again, and you will be free to go.

Studying for the LPI

There are several ways to study for the LPI test:

1. Obtain and go through the Official LPI Workbooks and study materials.
2. Take English courses offered at post-secondary institutions.
3. Do general study and reading on your own.

   When studying on your own for the test:

• Concentrate on grammar, sentence structure, reading, writing, and oral English.

• Spend time every day preparing for the tests, instead of reviewing once a week. Studying daily for short periods of time, rather than studying once a week for a large block of time, is likely to be more useful in improving your use of English.

• Immerse yourself in English language activities such as reading English magazines and books, watching English television and movies, and listening to English radio stations. Memorizing examples from the LPI Study Guide is NOT an effective approach.

(Please note that the LPI Office does not supply information on tutors.)