Virginia Quality Assurance Screening (VQAS)

Assessment registration must be completed online with a credit card payment. We do not accept mail-in registrations or payment by check, cash, or money order.

Be aware that you must have a passing score recorded in our database on the Written Assessment before you are eligible to register for the Performance Assessment.

Be aware that you cannot take the Written and Performance Assessments on the same day, and we do not offer the Written and Performance Assessments on consecutive days.

Assessment slots are posted about 8 weeks in advance, on or around the 10th of each month. Slots are limited and tend to fill up quickly.

The online registration system will only display the assessment slots that you are eligible for according to our records. Use the email address that VDDHH has on record for you in order to register. If you do not see any assessment slots displayed, it means either that all of the posted slots are full, or that you are not eligible. Please contact qas@vddhh.virginia.gov if you feel there has been an eligibility error.

If you have never taken and passed the Written Assessment, then you are not eligible for the Performance Assessment.

If you passed the Written Assessment more than 3 years ago, and did not take the Performance Assessment and earn a Screening Level during those 3 years, then you are no longer eligible to take the Performance and you must take the Written Assessment again.

If you were awarded a Screening Level more than 3 years ago and that Level has expired, then you are no longer eligible to take the Performance and you must take the Written Assessment again.

The registration system will not allow you to register for a Performance Assessment slot that occurs after your most recent Level expires, so be sure to register well in advance of your Level expiration date (we suggest 120 days in advance).

Candidates must wait a minimum of 6 months between Performance Assessment sessions.

The online registration system will only display the assessment slots that you are eligible for according to our records. Use the email address that VDDHH has on record for you in order to register. If you do not see any assessment slots displayed, it means either that all of the posted slots are full, or that you are not eligible. Please contact qas@vddhh.virginia.gov if you feel there has been an eligibility error.

Generally, the Written Assessment is offered once per month. Generally, the Performance Assessment is offered on Mondays and Thursdays. VQAS assessments are not available on weekends. Generally, VQAS assessments are held at our Henrico office.

Once you have registered using our online system, expect to receive an email confirming your payment transaction, and an additional email which confirms the time and date of your assessment session. Do contact us if you do not receive these emails within 2 business days of your registration attempt.

VDDHH is not responsible for reminding candidates of their Screening Level expiration date, nor their assessment session appointment. Please be sure to note these dates for yourself.

What to expect on Testing Day: VQAS Written Assessment

The following information is provided in order to ensure a successful Virginia Quality Assurance Screening (VQAS) Written Assessment experience:

• Arrive 10-15 minutes prior to the time of the assessment session you have signed up for. Refer to the Registration Confirmation email that you received from VDDHH in order to be sure of the date and time of your assessment session. Admittance to the testing space may be denied if you arrive 20 or more minutes late for the assessment session.
• Bring a government-issued photo identification such as a driver’s license or state ID to verify your identity.
• If possible, leave personal items in your vehicle. If you bring a cell phone or other digital device with you, please set it to silent or turn it off and put it away during the assessment session. You may bring a drink with you if desired.
• VDDHH will provide writing utensils, scratch paper, and the assessment materials, along with necessary forms. The scratch paper for taking notes is not required, and any used scratch paper will be returned to the proctor for destruction at the end of the assessment session. Please do not write in the testing booklet; you will be provided with a form to record your answers.
• Candidates may take up to 2 hours to complete the Written Assessment.
• Candidates can expect to receive the result of their assessment within 10 business days, usually via email. A hard copy of results can be provided by request.
  
  

What to expect on Testing Day: VQAS Performance Assessment

The following information is provided in order to ensure a successful Virginia Quality Assurance Screening (VQAS) Performance Assessment experience:

• Arrive 10-15 minutes prior to the time of the assessment session you have signed up for. Refer to the Registration Confirmation email that you received from VDDHH in order to be sure of the date and time of your assessment session. Admittance to the testing space may be denied if you arrive 20 or more minutes late for the assessment session.
• Bring a government-issued photo identification such as a driver’s license or state ID to verify your identity.
• If possible, leave personal items in your vehicle. Any personal items that you do bring with your will be secured by the proctor outside of the testing space. Cell phones and digital devices are not allowed in the testing space. You may bring a drink with you if desired. VDDHH will provide scratch paper and pencil, use of which for making notes is optional; scratch paper must be surrendered at the end of the session.
• VDDHH suggests the following regarding appearance/apparel during testing:
  • Wear a solid top with no patterns or logos, in a color which contrasts with your skin tone, in order to provide optimal visibility of your hands and fingers on camera while interpreting or transliterating.
  • Tops should have at least short sleeve length (tank tops are strongly discouraged) with full coverage of cleavage area.
  • It is recommended that jewelry on the hands, neck, face, and ears be kept to a minimum in order to reduce visual distraction.
  • Hair should be styled such that the candidate’s facial expressions are visible.
• The Sign Performance Assessment may take up to around 2.5 hours depending whether the candidate takes advantage of all available warm-up time. The Cued Performance Assessment may take up to around 1.25 hours depending whether the candidate takes advantage of all available warm-up time.
• Candidates can expect to receive the result of their assessment within 90 business days (up to 4.5 calendar months), usually via email. A hard copy of results can be provided by request.
  

You must provide VDDHH with a minimum of five (5) working days’ notice if you need to cancel a scheduled assessment. That means if you are scheduled for a Monday Assessment, you need to cancel by 12pm on the Monday PRIOR to your appointment.

If you do not give at least five (5) working days’ notice if you need to cancel, you forfeit your registration fee and will be required to register again. Exceptions are only made in case of emergency, are reviewed on a case by case basis, and may require submission of documentation.

Do commit to an appointment date and time and honor that commitment. There is a high demand for VQAS Assessment slots and, if you schedule a slot and then cancel it, you may be keeping someone else from testing in a timely manner.

Candidates who are “no call/no show” forfeit their testing fee, and must register again for a future assessment slot.

VDDHH does not provide refunds of assessment fees. In some cases, assessment fees may be held for use at a later date.

Your VQAS Written Assessment is valid for 3 years or as long as you maintain a Screening Level on the Performance Assessment.

All VQAS levels are valid for three years from the date of award.

Do not expect VDDHH to alert you when your Screening Level is going to expire. Expiration dates for Screening Levels are clearly noted on the results letter you will received from VDDHH.

If your Screening Level expires, you must retake the Written Assessment before you can take the Performance Assessment again. For this reason, VDDHH recommends that all candidates schedule their Performance Assessment retake at least 120 days PRIOR to their Level expiration date to allow for processing of results.

Written Assessment results are generally emailed to candidates within 5 business days of the testing session.

Screening Level Results from a Performance Assessment may take up to 90 working days (around 4.5 calendar months) to be processed.

Do check the paper you were given on your assessment day to see what your “90 Working Day date” is before you call VDDHH to check on the status of your results. If that date is still more than a week away, please do not call. We know you are eager to receive your results and we are working hard to ensure that you get them well before the 90 Working Day date.

Screening Level Results are typically emailed to candidates. Hard copies of assessment results, including a laminated card, are available by request.

Diagnostic Reports may be delivered at the same time as Screening Level results, but more often than not they are delivered later by separate email.

Do read all of the VQAS Policy Statements posted on this website and provided with your results letter. These are the policies that guide the program. These policies have been developed to ensure that VQAS is a valid and reliable program.

Do ask questions about the policies if you do not understand them.

Do know that the policies are strictly enforced. Exceptions are possible but not common.

Do check the VQAS Policy Statements for changes and updates periodically.