Understanding federal language requirements
Last reviewed: September 16, 2026
In federal postings you'll run into codes like “bilingual imperative BBB” or “CBC”. Those three letters describe three separate skills, each measured by an official test.
Three letters, three skills
The Public Service Commission's Second Language Evaluation has three tests, each covering one skill: reading comprehension, written expression and oral interaction.
Each test yields a level of A, B or C, with C the highest. A profile is always written in the same order: reading, writing, oral. So “BBB” means an intermediate level in all three. “CBC” asks for a higher level in reading and speaking, and intermediate in writing.
Imperative or non-imperative
A “bilingual imperative” position requires you to meet the profile at appointment: without the results, no job.
A “bilingual non-imperative” position lets you be appointed and then take language training to reach the profile within a set period. Those postings are a real way in if your second language works but isn't at level yet.
What test day looks like
The tests are administered by the Public Service Commission, not by the hiring department. Your results follow you from one process to the next and stay valid for a set period, so you don't start over with each application.
Oral interaction is the one that surprises people most: it's a structured conversation assessing how comfortably you handle work topics, not your accent.
Preparing without spending a fortune
The best training is real use: read work documents in your second language, take part in bilingual meetings, write your emails in the target language.
In this region, chances to practise are everywhere on both sides of the river. Community organizations and public libraries often run free conversation activities.
What about outside the public service?
Private, municipal and hospital employers in the region assess bilingualism their own way, often through an interview partly held in the second language. The federal profile vocabulary doesn't apply there, but the requirement is just as real.
On this site, the “Language” filter lets you target French, English or bilingual postings.