OLA Request

The OLA is a computerized test designed to assess the oral and academic proficiency of ESL students. Student responses are recorded electronically and are scored by experienced instructors. Test prompts include reading (pronunciation), summarizing a story, listening and responding to a video clip, and analyzing a graph/chart.

PLEASE NOTE:

• Students who place into* ENGL 083/084 or ENGL 109 are required to take ENGL 085.

• New students to HCC who have not taken the college’s Placement Test yet must take the Placement Test before taking the OLA (contact the Test Center – RCF 359).

*place into refers to test results from the HCC Placement Test

• ENGL 085 is an advanced level course. It must be taken

• after successfully completing ENGL 083 and/or 084
• with ENGL 109

• ENGL 085 must be taken before ENGL 121.

If students are required to take ENGL 085 and their speaking skills are strong, they may be exempted from the ENGL 085 requirement by passing the Oral Language Assessment (OLA).      

OLA Exam

If you are interested in taking an OLA exam before the Winter/Spring 2026 semester, please send your name and ID number to OLA@howardcc.edu (please use your HCC email only).

If you are eligible for the test, you will receive a message (in your HCC email account) with your test appointment date and time. The tests will be conducted online via Zoom. Test dates and times are listed below. Additional testing times may be available as needed.

Fall 2025

Winter 2026