Update: the testing is Nov 25-28. The client will probably be available at the start of next week.
This is to help you understand what's happening.
There is a TL;DR version at the bottom.
The email:
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=600715Greetings <snip>,
Your account has been selected to participate in an upcoming Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Beta Weekend Test. If you have previously tested or are currently participating in an ongoing test, you will be invited again. Additional details for this upcoming test will be announced soon.
As part of this test, we will be partnering with games industry sites to distribute additional beta codes as necessary. This will help ensure we meet our population goals, so we can effectively stress test our servers in preparation for launch. Please do not acquire and redeem one of these codes as it could jeopardize your ability to participate in this test.
As a reminder, should you choose to participate, everything associated with this test (game information, process, forums communication, etc.) is confidential and may not be discussed outside of the Game Testing forum. Additionally, your participation in the Game Testing Program is subject to the Game Testing Agreement.
May the Force be with you,
The Star Wars: The Old Republic Team
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=600760
Updated the original post with a couple of more FAQ answers from this thread.
To answer other queries: for those of you who have been emailed this afternoon, as the email says, you have been selected to test in an upcoming Beta Test Weekend (which this FAQ refers to). You will be invited - and be able to download the client - closer to the upcoming weekend.
In other words, there are two Testing Weekends currently on the calendar. This weekend (11th-13th of November) for which invites have already been sent. You can tell if you have an invite to this weekend by the fact that the email has those dates in it.
Everyone who is signed up to test is eligible for the upcoming Beta Testing Weekend, and notification on when you can download the game client will be sent closer to the weekend's start.You'll be able to play in the next Beta Test Weekend - but we haven't announced that date, yet. Whenever it is, you'll play in it. As it says in the FAQ, we're expecting this future weekend to be the last Beta Testing Weekend.TL;DR:When we started our Beta Testing Weekends, we told you that each weekend would include more testers than the last. We’re excited to announce that later this month we will be conducting our largest Beta Testing Weekend yet, specifically designed to help us stress test our servers in preparation for the launch of Star Wars™: The Old Republic™.
How can you take part in this coming Beta Test Weekend? Well, for starters we are happy to announce that anyone who has signed up for our Game Testing Program prior to today, November 11th, will get invited! Invites will be sent in the coming weeks.
Everyone that signed up for game testing before Nov 11th is invited to the next beta weekend to stress test.
More info, such as when, will be given later.
When this info is available, you will also learn when you can begin downloading the client.
Origin is not used at all for this.
We don't know anymore info at this time.