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PREPARING FOR ENGLISH PROFICIENCY TESTS
Getting ready to take English proficiency tests
The Forum has put this section to help Forum members prepare for any of the English-language proficiency tests required by prospective employers or for college or graduate school admission. Every week, the Forum will present a new set of practice tests in four of the most commonly measured areas of English-proficiency: vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and reading comprehension. Most of the testing instruments for English proficiency today also measure picture identification skills, listening comprehension, writing ability, and speaking competence, but since these instruments require sophisticated technical equipment and scoring by actual human raters, the Forum won’t be able to provide practice tests for them here. Instead, it will concentrate on pencil-and-paper tests that can be self-administered and self-scored by the test taker: grammar error recognition, incomplete sentences, and reading comprehension. For parts of English proficiency tests that involve visuals and sound, those preparing to take the actual tests soon are encouraged to get the practice tests in the CD-ROM format that are offered by the testing or test-review companies.
After reading the overview to this section, “Is Your English Good Enough?”, simply click the link to the practice tests for the week and start testing yourself. Always remember when taking these tests: Practice makes perfect!
This Week’s Practice Tests:
1. G-TELP Level 2 Grammar Test No. 1 Click to take it now!
2. G-TELP Level 2 Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Test No. 1 Click to take it now!
Previous Practice Tests:
1. TOIEC Incomplete Sentences Test No. 1 Click to take it now!
2. TOEIC Error Recognition Test No. 1 Click to take it now!
3. TOEIC Reading Comprehension Test (Part VII) No. 1 Click to take it now!
4. TOEFL English Structure and Written Expression Test No. 1 Click to take it now!
5. TOEFL Reading Comprehension Test No. 1 Click to take it now!
Find your own English-proficiency level with the G-TELP test
This week, as part of the Forum’s series on “How Good is Your English?”, I am posting two sample Level 2 G-TELP tests: the first for English Grammar, and the second for Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary. As I explained in my introduction to this new section a month ago, G-TELP is the acronym for General Tests of English Language Proficiency. This test was developed by the International Testing Services Center (ITSC) in the United States and, unlike TOEIC or TOEFL, its has five different test levels ranging from beginner to advanced, with Level 5 (the entry level) the lowest and Level 1 (the professional level), the highest. G-TELP is primarily used for school or job placement tests, achievement tests, diagnostic tests, or enhancement of instruction for English language education at colleges or universities.
The sample Level 2 G-TELP tests being presented here this week are, as in the case of the TOEIC and TOEFL practice tests posted earlier in the Forum, only the reading and grammar portions of that level of the test. The listening test portions have been excluded because like those of the TOEIC and TOEFL, they require sound playback equipment that this Forum can’t provide. At any rate, G-TELP’s Level 2 and Level 3 reading and grammar portions are more or less comparable with the language levels of the same portions of the TOEIC and TOEFL tests. Level 1 of G-TELP is far advanced and is usually administered for those applying for such jobs as hosts or anchors of English-language TV or radio programs, while Level 4-5 are for very junior learners of the English language.
What makes G-TELP different from most commercial English-proficiency tests is that it assesses English-language competence in the context of specific tasks, with task difficulties matching the appropriate proficiency level. As the ITSC explains, the detailed diagnostic information provided by G-TELP is designed to enable instructors to gauge the present language skills of each examinee, and to make comparisons in language ability from one examinee to another. (Passing the G-TELP starting at a lower level and progressing to the higher levels is also a good way of measuring the success of one’s personal English self-improvement program.) In keeping with its objective of determining the actual English language skills of examinees, the ITSC—unlike most other test developers—doesn’t officially offer test preparation materials.
Currently, G-TELP is administered by some schools and companies in China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Argentina, Saudi Arabia and Mexico. Aside from testing in general English, some agencies of the ITSC also do language training in the field of aviation English.
Now, to give you a clearer idea of what to expect when required to take G-TELP, go right ahead and practice with a sample Level 2 Grammar Test and Level 2 Reading and Vocabulary Test!
This Week’s Practice Tests:
1. G-TELP Level 2 Grammar Test No. 1 Click to take it now!
2. G-TELP Level 2 Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Test No. 1 Click to take it now!
Previous Practice Tests:
1. TOIEC Incomplete Sentences Test No. 1 Click to take it now!
2. TOEIC Error Recognition Test No. 1 Click to take it now!
3. TOEIC Reading Comprehension Test (Part VII) No. 1 Click to take it now!
4. TOEFL English Structure and Written Expression Test No. 1 Click to take it now!
5. TOEFL Reading Comprehension Test No. 1 Click to take it now!
Click to view all the English-proficiency practice tests!
