A manual for use in training French and Spanish language examiners at the Foreign Service Institute is presented here. After a discussion of the history of the language proficiency test and of the testing procedure and evaluation techniques, the following topics are covered: (1) language proficiency ratings based on the absolute criterion of the command of an educated native speaker of the language; (2) self appraisal of speaking proficiency; (3) the nature of the test; (4) the assignment of "plus" ratings; (5) the language proficiency check list and instructions for its use; (6) instructions for using the numerical rating procedure; (7) a weighting table for use with the proficiency check list to determine ratings; (8) suggested topics for an oral test; (9) questions for examiners; (10) suggestions and questions for testing candidates who appear to be above the elementary level; (11) an explanatory section in French for French examiners and one in Spanish for Spanish examiners; (12) grammatical criteria in French and in Spanish that indicate to some degree the control of the language; (13) a general description of the accompanying tapes; (14) examples of examiners' comments and ratings for all levels of both French and Spanish tests; and (15) suggestions for selection of reading materials. (AMH)