CELPIP Re-evaluation: How It Works and When It's Worth It
How CELPIP re-evaluation works: the 6-month window, the fee and refund, how long it takes, why your score can't go down, and which skills are worth sending back.
The Celpip Plus team
Written and reviewed against the official CELPIP scoring criteria
Got a CELPIP score that's one level short of what you need? You can ask CELPIP to look at a skill again. This is called a re-evaluation.
Here's the short version:
- Apply within 6 months of your test date.
- Pick one skill or several. You pay for each skill you send back.
- Your score can't go down. It goes up or stays the same.
- Results take about 1 to 2 weeks.
- You get the fee back for any skill whose level changes.
How it works
- Choose the skills. You can send back Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking, or any mix of them.
- Pay the fee for each skill. At the time of writing it's about $55 plus tax per skill. Check celpip.ca for the current fee.
- Wait about 1 to 2 weeks. CELPIP lets you know the result.
- Check your new score. If a level changed, your score report is updated and that skill's fee is refunded.
Two rules to know before you apply:
- Each skill can be re-evaluated only once.
- A request is final. You can't cancel it after you submit it.
Can your score go down?
No. This is the biggest worry people have, and CELPIP has answered it directly: it does not lower scores on re-evaluation.
So the worst case is that your score stays the same and you don't get the fee back.
Which skills are worth sending back?
Not all four skills are scored the same way, and that changes your odds.
| Skill | How it's scored | Worth re-evaluating? |
|---|---|---|
| Writing | By trained raters | Yes, if you're close to the next level |
| Speaking | By trained raters | Yes, if you're close to the next level |
| Listening | By computer | Rarely. CELPIP says a change is unlikely |
| Reading | By computer | Rarely. CELPIP says a change is unlikely |
Writing and Speaking are judged against four criteria, so a second rater can see your answer differently. Listening and Reading count correct answers, and a computer doesn't miscount, so re-checking them almost never helps.
Should you re-evaluate or retake?
Ask yourself one question: how far am I from the level I need?
Re-evaluation makes sense when:
- one Writing or Speaking score is one level below what you need, and
- your other skills already meet the requirement.
A retake makes more sense when:
- you're two or more levels short, or
- several skills are below the requirement, or
- the skill that's short is Listening or Reading.
If you're unsure, the fee is small next to a full retake, and your score can't drop. You can also re-evaluate the one close skill and start preparing for a retake at the same time, so you lose no time if the score doesn't move.
Re-evaluation, retake or Express Rating?
These three get mixed up. They do different jobs.
| What it does | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Re-evaluation | Checks a score you already have | About 1 to 2 weeks |
| Retake | A whole new test and new scores | Book, sit, then 2–4 business days for results |
| Express Rating | Gets a new test's scores back faster | 1 to 2 calendar days |
Express Rating only speeds up results for a test you're about to take. It doesn't change a score you already have. See CELPIP results for how it works.
CELPIP has no single-skill retake, so a retake means sitting all four skills again.
Check what you need first
Before you apply, make sure the skill you're sending back really is the one holding you back. Enter your four scores in the CELPIP to CLB calculator to see which programs you meet and which skill is short.
The CELPIP score chart shows how each score converts to CLB, and CELPIP scores for Canadian immigration covers what each program asks for.
Frequently asked questions
No. CELPIP says it does not lower scores on re-evaluation. Your level either goes up or stays the same.
About 1 to 2 weeks after you apply and pay the fee. CELPIP lets you know the result when it's done.
You pay a fee for each skill you send back. At the time of writing it's about $55 plus tax per skill. Check celpip.ca for the current fee before you apply. If the skill's level changes, you get that fee back.
Usually not. Listening and Reading are marked by computer, so CELPIP says a re-evaluation is unlikely to change them. Writing and Speaking are scored by raters, so they're the skills where a second look can make a difference.
Six months from your test date. You can choose one skill or several, and each skill can be re-evaluated only once.
No. Once you submit the request it's final, and you can't cancel it.