English is an international language with around 1.35 billion English speakers worldwide. Due to this, companies and higher educational institutes have to vet and test their employees’ and students’ proficiency, especially when hiring or testing someone whose L1 or Native tongue is not English.
Generally, there are a few key things to be aware of when choosing a test for your needs. There are so many options to choose from, and so it’s essential to select a reliable testing system. So, what are the elements of a great assessment test, and how can we sift through the inferior ones?
1. Easy to understand
An English assessment test must be clearly understood, where the pace and instructions make sense to the candidates without leaning on their native tongue. It should feel intuitive in its structure so that the questions can easily be understood and have a clear and concise purpose for the learner.
The Bright Standard English Test assessment offers a clear, standardized format and thoroughly tested process that is accessible for A1 – C2 learners’.
2. Clear and Simple
Some examiners will try to over-complicate questions to trick candidates’. A competent test should be straightforward in its structure. So, the learners know what they are being asked to do.
3. Reliable
When looking for an assessment module, you need to be sure that it’s reliable and produces competent results each time.
A reliable test should:
- Produce the same results when given to the same group of people after a reasonable length of time.
- Be marked using the same rubric every time the test is taken. There shouldn’t be any changes in the marking scheme and how the learners are being assessed.
4. The validity of a test
When choosing a test, you must be sure that it will appropriately assess the candidates. An English proficiency exam, for example, should only evaluate the language skills of a learner and will be invalid if it targets other areas of assessment such as general knowledge.
It’s important to choose the right type of test and assess which one will adequately prepare the candidate.
Our tests are purposely designed to be relevant for daily, academic, and professional life. We focus on the use of English in social and professional settings.
5. Easily accessible
An English proficiency test must cater to all types of people. Candidates’ should be able to use the chosen platform and achieve results in a timely manner.
The organization or school must make sure that the learners’ can take the English proficiency tests with ease and confidence. This is why it’s so important to choose a great program!
6. Be objective
Every institute must ensure that testing is objective and doesn’t contain favoritism. Unfortunately, however, this isn’t always the case, and often you will find that some learners will lose interest in the subject because of this.
At BSET, we are dedicated to providing professional and fair testing for all. We score based on performance and ability rather than on relationships. Our thoroughly researched program ensures our testing is effective and objective for businesses, schools, and individuals.
7. Be well-rounded
An excellent assessment should test four language acquisition skills to correctly determine a learners’ level correctly. Quite a few online testing websites have entered the market over the last few years that simply don’t achieve this and often only assess writing and reading skills.
Our Bright Standard Of English Test, focuses on all four language acquisition skills– writing, listening, speaking, and reading, while still being interactive for the learner.
In order to assess speaking skills, the candidates produce an audio recording containing the answers to 2 questions. The writing test comprises 2 pieces of written text, and a listening component and reading skills are assessed through multiple-choice questions (MCQs).
If you want to see how professional test organizers work, Begin using BSET today!
8. Time is of the essence
The length of a test is critical, too long, and it can be tiring for learners, too short, and it doesn’t properly assess the candidate.
Exhaustion is one of the principal reasons that most people don’t perform well in exams, and it can cause deflation in confidence and ability to achieve.
Likewise, shorter tests can be untrustworthy and fail to assess a learners’ language acquisition skills properly.
As an institutional member of ILTA (The International Language Testing Association) and an affiliate of AERA (American International Research Association), we have developed an optimal testing time of 107 minutes, which comprises of a 30-minute writing and listening section, 40 minutes for reading, and 7 minutes to effectively evaluate speaking skills.
With our optimized testing system, students are less likely to become bored and unengaged. We have developed this 107-minute test to properly assess the four language skills a learner needs in order to show their commandment of the language!
9. Effective for all levels
To achieve a comprehensive test system, it needs to be effective for learners with different language levels and include questions of various difficulties from easy to hard. A comprehensive testing system should cater to all levels despite the individuals’ grasp of the language.
10. Fair and secure
Lastly and most importantly, there should be no room for unfairness and insecurity during the conduction of a test. Since most language proficiency tests use AI systems to monitor them, this can sometimes result in learners hiring others to take the test for them.
At BSET, we have come up with a solution to combat this. We have designed strict policies against imposters. Our intelligent system enables a candidate to identify themselves before commencing, therefore preventing a test from being taken by someone else.
In addition, BSET’s questions have been specially crafted and are unique to us. Therefore reducing the chances of answers being able to be researched during the test. Our smart system never repeats our questions and contains new random optimized ones chosen for every candidate.
We also offer a complimentary practice exam to candidates to help them succeed, with the results being announced within 72 hours of finishing. So, what are you waiting for? Begin using BSET today!
Our team of experts, after thorough research, has composed a language proficiency testing system that achieves a fair, secure, and effective experience to help learners and organizers around the globe with an intelligent, unique, and reliable examination.
We also take huge pride in declaring that our proficiency exam is accredited by IAQLS (International Accreditation for Quality Language Services), EHEA (European Agency for Higher Education and Accreditation), and ECICEL (European Centre of Independent Certification in E-Learning).
We look forward to working with you to achieve your language learning goals today!
To help assess candidates’ or your proficiency in the language, BSET has come to offer its services.
A good test has to go through several checks before assessing candidates. Here are the qualities of a good English proficiency exam.
Recent Comments