Students who wish to satisfy the Oral English Competency Requirement by successfully completing the competency test must take the examination before they have completed 54 hours of academic credit at CMU.  Transfer students who enter CMU with more than 54 credit hours may take the examination only during their first semester here.  The examination may be taken no more than two times.

The Oral English Competency examination includes the development and delivery of a ten to fifteen minute public speech accompanied by a properly typewritten, detailed outline.  The student will deliver the speech to a hypothetical audience and will be evaluated by judges.

Exam results are reported in writing through email to the student.  Students who receive notice of unsatisfactory examination results will be allowed to retest.  A student may retest only once.  Students who fail twice must enroll in one of the Oral English Competency courses.

The Oral English Competency Examination is administered twice a year, prior to the beginning of the fall and spring semesters.  Registration materials and fee information may be obtained by contacting the Office of Academic Affairs, 312 Warriner Hall, 774-3631.

Additional information on the evaluation criteria, outline examples, resources and citing sources is available in the right hand column on this page.