Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN) is an assessment tool designed to assess the English language proficiency of internationally educated nurses who are applying for licensure in the nursing profession in Canada. CELBAN is recognized by nursing licensing bodies across Canada. The CELBAN Centre administers the CELBAN on behalf of the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB) and Touchstone Institute.

TEST INFORMATION

CELBAN is an English language proficiency exam designed for internationally educated nurses. It is recognized by Canadian nursing regulators as evidence of language proficiency. Assessment tasks in CELBAN replicate authentic communication tasks in which nurses routinely engage.

CELBAN consists of two parts:

• The CELBAN Speaking Test is a virtual interview conducted by an examiner over Zoom, a video conferencing platform. The interview takes up to 35 minutes to complete.
• The CELBAN Listening, Reading, and Writing Tests (Computer Based Test, CBT) is available to complete at a Prometric test site or through remote proctoring. The CBT takes up to 2.5 hours to complete.

Here is an overview of the two parts of the CELBAN:

Speaking Tasks

There are several different tasks within the Speaking Test. These tasks include the following types of spoken interactions:

• Introductions
• Small talk about familiar, everyday topics
• Role plays with nursing scenarios and nursing-related topics
• Discussions about health related concepts, ideas, and opinions
• Concluding remarks

Listening Tasks

The Listening Test is 45 minutes and is part of the CELBAN Computer Based Test (CBT). There are 13 to 14 tasks in the Listening Test. Each consists of a recorded video or audio scenario that will be presented on screen. The length of the video and audio scenarios vary from 30 seconds to 3.5 minutes, and the number of questions for each task also varies depending on the length. There may be one question for a short scenario, and up to twelve questions for longer scenarios. Examinees will answer multiple choice questions for some listening tasks and complete a chart for others.

Reading Tasks

The Reading Test is 40 minutes and is part of the CELBAN Computer Based Test (CBT). There are four tasks in the Reading Test. All tasks include a set of multiple choice questions to be answered. The number of questions varies per text, from six to ten. The final task is a passage with blanks to be filled in. Choose from multiple word options for each blank space. Marks will not be deducted for incorrect responses.

Writing Tasks

The Writing Test is 40 minutes and is part of the CELBAN Computer Based Test (CBT). There are two tasks in the Writing Test and examinees can divide their time between the tasks however they like. Instructions will be provided, along with space to type responses. Follow the instructions carefully since the tasks require different writing formats. The first task is a narrative description and the second is an opinion piece, however, both tasks require the use of complete sentences in paragraph form.