NAATI CPI: the entry-level interpreter certification
CPI means Certified Provisional Interpreter. It is NAATI’s entry-level generalist certification for people who want to work as interpreters in Australia.
CCL is a language test commonly taken for 5 migration points; CPI is an entry-level professional interpreter certification. Looking for CCL practice? Go to the CCL homepage. Read CPI vs CCL before choosing.
For spoken-language CPI: two face-to-face tasks, plus one audio-only telephone task. All use consecutive interpreting.
The whole appointment. Each task ends with the dialogue or after 12 minutes of the assessed part. The introduction is not assessed.
Calendar days, including weekends and public holidays. No extra preparation time on test day.
Practise a CPI role-play
Start with an original English–Mandarin health role-play. Read your brief, record each turn and sign in for a free marked task report with band estimates. Full mock 1 adds a housing task and an audio-only employment task.
Try task 1 free · Explore the CPI mock test · CPI practice plans
What CPI assesses
Each spoken-language role-play has an English speaker and a speaker of another language. The three tasks use different situations and domains, such as health, legal or community services. Face-to-face tasks take place at a venue or by video in MS Teams; the telephone task is audio only.
Each task has at least two examiners assessing independently. All three tasks must meet the pass requirements. Read the band-by-band CPI pass rules.
For notes, prepare one A4 sheet per task, three in total. The venue provides writing materials and collects notes afterwards. Online candidates use a printed A4 preparation sheet per task, a pen and blank paper. Check format, notes and timing.
Auslan and Deaf Interpreter certifications have their own candidate instructions. Use the relevant links on NAATI’s CPI certification page for those pathways.
NAATI CPI test dates by language
This summary shows eight languages with published bookable sessions in the checked snapshot. The seat column covers all upcoming sessions for each language. See every CPI language and the latest date check.
Seats checked: 10 November 2026, 18:46 AEDT. Checked every 2 hours. NAATI updates its list about once a day. Confirm availability and the session time zone in myNAATI before booking.
| Language | Next available date | Seats across upcoming sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Mandarin | Thu 4 Feb 2027 | 198 |
| Auslan | Thu 4 Feb 2027 | 193 |
| Vietnamese | Wed 16 Dec 2026 | 81 |
| Spanish | Wed 27 Jan 2027 | 69 |
| Persian | Mon 17 May 2027 | 55 |
| Cantonese | Wed 21 Apr 2027 | 52 |
| Punjabi | Thu 11 Mar 2027 | 46 |
| Korean | Thu 17 Dec 2026 | 45 |
CPI guides
- NAATI CPI: Test format
- NAATI CPI: Fees and cancellation
- NAATI CPI: Pass mark and assessment
- NAATI CPI: CPI vs CCL
- NAATI CPI: Ethical and intercultural tests
- NAATI CPI 中文指南：二级口译、考试形式与难度
Free official practice
Open NAATI Learn’s CPI Preparation Module. Access is free and does not require an account. It includes practice dialogues, a recorder and self-assessment tools. NAATI does not give feedback on these practice performances; use the self-review materials to assess your recording.
Applying for CPI
Check your training and eligibility pathway on NAATI’s CPI page before applying through myNAATI. Ethical Competency and Intercultural Competency are prerequisite screening tests for relevant pathways, separate from the three CPI tasks. See who needs the prerequisite tests.
Facts checked 2026-11-10 · NAATI CPI certification · CPI candidate instructions · NAATI test date search.