Contact Us
Email: top@teaching.ucla.edu
Phone: 310-825-3106
The TOP exam is designed to test oral English ability of international graduate students as they pertain to Teaching Assistant duties. These duties may include, but are not limited to, conducting discussion sections and/or labs, holding office hours, and interacting in English with undergraduate students in the course of normal TA duties. It is not designed to test teaching skills or knowledge of subject matter. International graduate students must pass the TOP exam before working as a TA in any department at UCLA.
UCLA Academic Senate Graduate Council policy stipulates that international graduate students (or Departmental Scholars), including permanent residents, whose first language is not English and who do not hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an institution in the U.S., must pass the Test of Oral Proficiency (TOP) in order to be eligible for a teaching assistantship at UCLA. The only exception to this requirement is if you hold a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree from a U.S institution. If you do, you are automatically except from taking the test and do not need to take any further action with the TOP program.
Please review the following information carefully when determining whether you need to take the TOP Exam:
The TOP program simply administers the TOP program as outlined by Graduate Division and is unable to grant exemptions of any kind. If you believe that you should receive an exemption from taking the TOP for any other reason (e.g., native speaker of English), please contact your home departmental Student Affairs Officer/Academic Advisor directly to request an exception from the Graduate Division.
Departments and University Personnel: Please refer to this PDF file for additional exam information.
The TOP is administered once per quarter. Students who plan to work as TAs must take the TOP before the quarter they plan to teach. For example, if you plan to work in the Fall, you must take and pass the exam during the summer exam dates or before. Only one exam may be taken per administration. Please consult your department for specific hiring deadlines.
Please note that the Summer, Fall, and Winter administrations for 2020-2021 will be held remotely via Zoom due to COVID-19 restrictions. Once you have registered for the exam, you will receive an email with detailed instructions about how to take the exam via Zoom.
The TOP is free to students the 1st and 2nd time they take it. For the 3rd and subsequent times, the cost is $50 per exam. If a student registers for the exam but does not come on time, or does not cancel 48 hours in advance, the student is required to pay a $50 penalty fee if and when he/she retakes the exam. Charges are administered via BruinBill and will be posted to the student’s account within one month of retaking the exam.
More detailed information, including exam schedules and links for online registration, can be found at the icon bar above. Should you have further questions, please contact the TOP coordinator at top@teaching.ucla.edu.
TOP Administration III for Winter quarter will be held on February 19th, February 26th, and March 5th, 2021. Registration for Administration III is currently open.
Please register here for the exam. If you receive a message saying “registration is closed,” this means all spots are currently full.
Please note that due to COVID-19 restrictions, this TOP administration will be held remotely via Zoom. Once you have registered for the exam, you will receive an email with detailed instructions for signing into Zoom for the exam. Please see the Exam Preparation section of this website for further advice on how to prepare for the TOP via Zoom.
Administration I
Administration II
Administration III
Administration IV
If you are already registered, you can verify, change, or cancel your exam here.
Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, TOP will take place remotely via UCLA Zoom. You will receive the login details for Zoom by email after you have registered for the exam. You must have a Zoom account and sign in to Zoom in order to login for the exam. After signing in for the meeting, the TOP Coordinator will invite you to join Zoom once it is time to check-in. The TOP coordinator will provide you with additional instructions during the check-in process. Please note that you are responsible for arranging the necessary Zoom equipment (e.g., camera, microphone, internet connection) for the exam.
The exam has 3 parts and is designed to be a simulation of common TA duties, specifically, explaining course materials and presenting an academic topic in an interactive manner. The 3 parts of the TOP exam include, 1 – Self Introduction, 2 – Syllabus Review, and 3 – Prepared Presentation. Please review the information below for more details about each task and advice about how to prepare.
Task 1 Self-introduction |
Task 2 Syllabus Review |
Task 3 Prepared Presentation |
|
Purpose | Familiarize self with test environment | Measure communicative ability with administrative TA tasks | Measure communicative ability with presentation TA tasks |
Duration | 1-2 minutes | ~5 minutes | ~10 minutes |
Scoring | Not scored | 50% of total score
· Pronunciation · Vocabulary and Grammar · Rhetorical Organization · Question Handling |
50% of total score
· Pronunciation · Vocabulary and Grammar · Rhetorical Organization · Question Handling |
Materials | None | Syllabus excerpt provided during check-in (you may refer to this excerpt during Task 2 of the exam) | Blank physical whiteboard, blank paper, or blank notebook & a writing utensil. Absolutely NO other materials are permitted. You will not be permitted to share your screen when taking the exam via Zoom. |
Tips for Preparing | No preparation needed; expect to interact in casual conversation | Practice explaining excerpts of syllabi (e.g., homework, grading policy, projects, finals, etc.) | – Prepare a presentation on a basic topic in your field, appropriate for non-expert undergraduate students
– Choose a topic with lots of English language usage – See here for Further information about choosing a topic for Task 3 – Practice ahead of time with friends, colleagues, or family |
Other Comments | – Questioners will ask clarifying questions that are common to a classroom environment at UCLA.
– You can feel free to elaborate or role play information that is not included in the syllabus excerpt. |
– Review the TOP Visual Reinforcement Tutorial for using a visual aid when taking the exam via Zoom. You will NOT be permitted to share your screen when taking the exam via Zoom or used any pre-prepared materials (slides, graphics, etc.). Please prepare accordingly.
– You will be asked questions during the presentation, as in a typical lecture; prepare and practice with this in mind. |
Repeat Test Takers: If you received a non-passing or provisional-passing score and are retaking the TOP exam, it is highly recommended that you seek counseling from the TOP counseling team to review your previous exam before registering again. Please contact the TOP coordinator at TOP@teaching.ucla.edu to schedule your appointment. Please note counseling requests are addressed in the order they are received and may take up to 2 weeks to schedule due to demand.
Materials
All examinees will be provided a copy of a syllabus excerpt during the check-in process to use during Task 2. No other materials are allowed during Task 2. The undergraduate students you will be presenting to will also have a copy of the syllabus excerpt. When taking the exam via Zoom, you will not be permitted to share your screen.
Examinees are not allowed to use any materials such as slides or pictures (when taking the exam virtually) and/or posters, flashcards, computers, maps, charts, or multimedia of any kind (when taking the exam in person). This strict policy is to ensure a high degree of consistency between test performance across departments and to reduce distractions.
You may choose to create a visual representation or aid during Task 3 using a whiteboard and dry erase marker when taking the exam in person. When taking the exam via Zoom, you may use a whiteboard, notebook, or other blank surface you have available to you to create your visual representation or aid. Please see the TOP Visual Representation Tutorial for a demonstration about how to use a visual representation or aid when taking the exam via Zoom. Please note that you will NOT be allowed to share your screen at any point during the virtual exam.
As the TOP primarily assesses your speaking and listening skills, visual representations are completely optional and should only be used as a supplement to your prepared presentation. The visual representation should be blank before starting and created during Task 3. If the visual has already been created, you will be asked to stop the exam and reschedule.
Test Duration
The exam takes about 40 minutes from the time you check in to the time you leave the exam room. This includes time for check-in, time to prepare for Task 2 – Syllabus Review, and time to take the actual exam. The actual exam is approximately 20 minutes long. Once you have entered the testing room, you may not leave for any reason.
People In The Room
In addition to the test taker, there are typically 4 people in each exam room.
Only the syllabus presentation (Task 2) and the prepared presentation (Task 3) are scored. Two raters score the exam based on a rubric that includes the following 4 categories:
Each category is rated on a scale from 1-4.
More information about the 1-4 scores for each scoring categories can be found in the TOP Scoring Rubric.
Based on the scores from the 4 scoring categories, test takers can earn a final score ranging from 2.5 – 10. Pronunciation is weighted 1.5 times as heavily as the other three categories. The highest possible score is a 10, with a score of 4 in each category. A score of 3 in each category yields 7.5. The final scores are broken down into 3 decision categories:
We suggest that you meet with a TOP Counselor to receive counseling regarding your exam performance before taking the exam again. Please reach out to the TOP Coordinator (top@teaching.ucla.edu) to be added to the counseling request list. Please note appointments are scheduled in the order they are received and it may take up to two weeks for a counselor to get in touch due to demand. You can register to take the exam again at a future exam administration as soon as the exam registration page is up. The TOP is free to students the 1st and 2nd time they take it. For the 3rd and subsequent times, the cost is $50 per exam.
Scoring results from this task:
This test taker received a passing score in all 4 categories
Additional scoring notes:
Scoring results from this task:
This test taker received a passing score in all 4 categories, with an exceptional score in the Organization category.
Additional scoring notes:
During the academic year, UCLA offers four oral skills courses that are specifically tailored to the needs of international graduate students who are planning to be TAs. More information about these classes can be found below.
ESL Oral Skills Courses at UCLA
This course focuses on the accurate articulation of sounds, word stress, linking and other features of fluent spoken English, especially with respect to classroom language and key terms from one’s own field. There is an additional emphasis on comprehending the fast, casual, idiomatic speech of undergraduate students.
This course focuses on stress, rhythm, and intonation in the context of classroom discourse. Course materials are based on video recordings of actual TAs, selected and edited into a series of short video clips of specific teaching events. The videos and transcripts are used as models of the discourse patterns commonly used to introduce a syllabus, explain a visual, field questions, and interact in office hours.
This course focuses on essentially the same skills as ESL 311—stress, rhythm, and intonation in the context of classroom discourse. Though the courses are titled I and II, ESL 311 is not a prerequisite for ESL 312. For students who need a longer time and multiple courses in order to acquire the linguistic competence to serve as a TA, ESL 312 (like ESL 311) provides models of actual TAs, linguistic support, and structured practice. The classroom contexts in ESL 312 include building rapport with students, giving instructions, encouraging participation, and organizing a lesson effectively.
This course focuses on communicating effectively as a TA with an emphasis on making technical subject matter accessible to undergraduates. The curriculum is almost entirely performance-based (and class sessions are video-recorded) after week 2. After viewing their video performances outside of class, students meet in small groups with the instructor to discuss each performance in depth.
If you have questions about any of these courses, please contact Janet Goodwin: Goodwin@ucla.edu
The purpose of Dashew Center programming is to provide programming for students, scholars, faculty, staff, and friends for the purposes of cross-cultural learning, cultural adjustment, language improvement and facilitating friendship building. The Center offers various programs such as American Culture & Conversation (AC&C), Language Circles, and Language Exchange.
The DASHEW Center is located at
106 Bradley Hall, 417 Charles E. Young Drive West
Tel. +1-310-825-1681
At the Dashew Center: there are many times throughout the year that the Dashew Center needs volunteers for programs but in particular, their iSTART@UCLA (formerly known as NISSO) is a great opportunity for you to get involved and help welcome incoming students and scholars to UCLA. If you are interested in joining the Dashew Center Volunteer Listserv to learn about upcoming volunteer activities please e-mail intlprograms@saonet.ucla.edu.
At the UCLA Volunteer Center: there are a good number of options of things all students can do around campus. Here you will find what suits your style best, and what days and time are more convenient for you. You can improve your oral skills helping other people like you! http://volunteer.ucla.edu
Sponsored by the UCLA Student Affairs, this is another great opportunity for students to get involved with activities on campus and practice their English oral skills!
For four decades, the UCLA Center for the Advancement of Teaching TA Training Program has put on a campus-wide Teaching Assistant Conference in the Fall as a means to help both new and experienced teaching assistants improve their teaching skills. Conference participants receive this assistance through all day, hands-on workshop tracks that provide practical tools for making the most out of your teaching experience, as well as more specialized instruction for both the North and South campus TA teaching at the undergraduate level. In addition, there will be an afternoon panel with distinguished faculty and TAs to offer advice and answer questions. For more information, go to the TA Training Services page.
The UCLA Graduate Student Resource Center is a Graduate Students Association initiative that is managed by Student Affairs. The GSRC is a resource, referral and information center for graduate students, offering programs and workshops on a variety of topics, drop-in advice and assistance, meeting and study space, and the opportunity for social interaction. The GSRC works with GSA to organize the Graduate Student Orientation each fall. The Graduate Student Resource Center is also the home of the new Graduate Writing Center. All graduate and professional students are welcome. We are located in B11 of the Student Activities Center.
Email: top@teaching.ucla.edu
Phone: 310-825-3106
190 Powell Library
By Appointment
70 Powell Library
Box 951515
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1515