Benefits of standardized exams

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David27
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Benefits of standardized exams

Postby David27 » Sun Nov 12, 2017 10:42 pm

It has become popular online between a lot of us avid language learners to designate ability by the CEFR system (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2), but how many people have actually taken the examinations, and if you have taken them, what benefits do you see from them? I was curious and though it would be fun to attempt to sit the Spanish and French C2 exams the next time they're offered in my region, but the $220 is steep with no monetary returns for passing. For all jobs I have had, I have needed to pass separate internal language proficiency exams. Moreover outside of linguists and language enthusiasts, people generally don't recognize or know the significance of the CEFR system.

The only exception I see are for people gung ho set on emigrating with a specific employer or sponsor who requires the exam (I've never heard of this situation for anyone but I imagine it possible), or more commonly, trying to gain admittance as a foreigner to a university of graduate school. Then I imagine DALF, DELE, Goethe Zertificat, JNLP etc. being possibly required or useful like the TOEFL/TOEIC.

What are your thoughts on these exams?
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Re: Benefits of standardized exams

Postby zenmonkey » Sun Nov 12, 2017 11:48 pm

I had to take TOEFL to go to school in the US although I was already fluent (got an almost perfect score but I understand it was easier back then).

I passed the B1 and B2 TELC for German - mostly as motivation, although the B1 is required for immigration. If I ever complete the process, it will be useful for that. I find that the test help me focus my study to get to the next level.

PS: The B1 is required for all non-EU immigrants (with a few exceptions) that want to get German citizenship.
PPS: My client company most certainly understands what CEFR ratings and tests mean. They have an in-house program for B1 acquisition. Expats, as group, tend to understand the classifications, although that might overlap a bit with language enthusiasts.
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Re: Benefits of standardized exams

Postby aravinda » Mon Nov 13, 2017 12:08 am

There are two types of tests: Tests with and without validity periods. For example, IELTS, TOEFL and PTE-A all have a validity period of 2 years. Other test results (like DELF/DALF) do not expire. At least with regard to English, only the first type of tests are accepted for university entrance, migration and work purposes in anglophone countries. Unless you are required to sit such a test for one of the above-mentioned purposes, it is always better to choose a test without a validity period. There is a third type of test (which are not normally recognized by any institution as far as I know) which can be done online for free (like Dialang). There are some online placement tests for specific purposes too.
Some people here have actually sat the tests such as DELF/DALF. I personally have not sat any tests (other than the expiring kind) but I think I can understand why people want to do them. First, preparing for an exam may make you more focused and organised in your learning process. Second, passing such a test give your morale a boost and something tangible to show for all the work you have done. Third, some of these tests are well structured, they can give you a fairly accurate assessment of your skills which is valuable to plan your further studies.
So when people here give a CEFR level it could be based on any type of tests mentioned above or just a self-assessment of their skills. Personally, whether it is based on tests or their own assessment, I find it helpful to know other members’ languages and level of skill when discussing things on the Forum.
I used to give my English level as C2 as I had corresponding bands in IELTS, then changed it to just "proficient" because it was more than two years back and also to make my profile more uniform. I changed my level of French from B2 to "intermediate level" which covers a broader range because I use French almost exclusively for reading (except for an occasional email, a movie or a song). Then, there are "dead" languages for which you can't have a global assessment. And when you have been dabbling in languages or studying them off and on (mostly off :D ) over long periods of time, it's really hard to give any accurate level. So, beginner-advanced beginner for the rest.
Edited few times to add details about my languages and to correct typos.
Last edited by aravinda on Tue Nov 14, 2017 4:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Benefits of standardized exams

Postby LinguaPony » Mon Nov 13, 2017 7:14 am

Whatever is available to play for free - count me in, but paying a hefty sum for a certificate I might never need - no, thanks!

I have an old ESOL certificate somewhere, but when I come to an interview, no one asks for it. Instead, the interviewer would always ask me to say something in English. And since I'm way too old to take a university course abroad and way too patriotic to consider moving anywhere for good, there is no reason at all for me to pay for an official IELTS or TOEFL.
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Re: Benefits of standardized exams

Postby aaleks » Mon Nov 13, 2017 7:58 am

Hypothetically it would be good to know what my level of English is. I suspect I tend to overestimate and underestimate it at the same time :mrgreen: But I see no reason for myself to take any of those exams just out of curiosity. Besides their price there's another thing that makes the exams not really appealing to me. I mean all those essay you're supposed to be able to write to pass an exam. I've seen enough examples of such essay on the Internet. To me most of them look weird because people who write those essay usually know little to nothing what they're talking (writing) about. I understand why they're supposed to be like that, but I don't want to waste my time on something that has no practical value and no interest for me.
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Re: Benefits of standardized exams

Postby Cavesa » Mon Nov 13, 2017 1:14 pm

1.Sure, you need to get through some internal tests, but having a real and confirmed level on the CV can help through the first round of sorting them by the HR. And I can already confirm from my rather small working experience that they definitely catch attention and set me apart from otherwise similar candidates.

2.It gets me rid of the imposter syndrome. :-D And at the same time protects me from overestimating myself. It is also the most reliable way to get external feedback, useful for further progress. Of course the exams don't test many important real life skills and some people see them as too academic, but there is nothing more precise available now. Even the standard language school testing is well beyond this, even if it includes an oral part. The exam centers are paid to test, not to motivate you to sign up for classes, not to flatter to you, not to build your confidence, not to kick you out of university. That is the silver lining around the prices.

3.Who cares what people in general recognise. What do they recognise under the terms "intermediate", "conversational", "fluent", "passive", "advanced beginner" anyways? People that matter usually know the CEFR scale (such as people hiring people with language skills). A person with average "knowledge" about language learning will sometimes doubt me despite clearly having the skills (they heard me) AND the highest level certificate (they understand the word "highest") and they'll instead try to "win" by repeating crap they've heard from teachers or read in newspapers. Does the opinion of such people matter? Not to me. People I am interested in talking to have usually no problem with a very short explanation of what does the level mean. :-)

4.A huge benefit is pushing myself harder, especially in my weaker areas. Everyone finds some parts of learning more fun and easier than others. And it is only natural to make learning imbalanced. Preparation for an exam requiring all the skills is a good reality check.

5.The preparatory books are very good and offer a lot of material missing from normal courses (both the modern style courses and the classical ones), such as more or less realistic practical applications of the gained knowledge. And when it comes to the higher levels, the preparatory books are sometimes the only courses available to a learner looking for such a tool.
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Re: Benefits of standardized exams

Postby IronMike » Mon Nov 13, 2017 3:45 pm

For my job I take the DLPT and its scores are based on ILR (ACTFL). So when I say C1 or B2, I'm basing it on those scores, translated from ILR to CEFR, with the sole exception of my Esperanto writing/reading exam, which was graded according to CEFR.
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Re: Benefits of standardized exams

Postby Ogrim » Tue Nov 14, 2017 9:40 am

I've never taken any official exam in any language, and it has not stopped me from getting international jobs. The closest I was to taking a standardised exam was the intermediate level in Valencian, because at the time I was living in Valencia and to get a job in the public sector there you have to prove a certain level in Valencian. The "easiest" way was to do the mitjà as the exam is called. However I moved to France before actually sitting the exam.

I work in HR for an organisation with two official languages (English and French). We do not ask for any particular language diploma from candidates, as we test their knowledge of languages through our own written exams and interviews.
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Re: Benefits of standardized exams

Postby garyb » Tue Nov 14, 2017 11:17 am

I can only give anecdotal evidence from friends who've worked or hired for jobs that require multiple languages, but it matches what others have said that employers generally don't really care about qualifications and they prefer to just test candidates. Short written and spoken tests usually make it pretty obvious whether their level is up to scratch. I believe the qualifications are much more important for universities.
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Re: Benefits of standardized exams

Postby reineke » Tue Nov 14, 2017 2:27 pm

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