Are Language Proficiency Tests Worth It?

I'm just going to come out and say it. Most language proficiency tests that I've ever come across in any language are complete and utter… well, they're rubbish.

They're really bad and do a very poor job of accurately assessing language to any useful degree.

That might sound harsh, but hear me out.

I've had people ask me whether English language proficiency tests like IELTS can always accurately assess language skills.

Others want to know if doing official language proficiency exams for personal reasons, work or study is actually useful—and if not, what's a good measurement for demonstrating skills in a target language?

These are great questions, and I've got some thoughts.

If you prefer watching videos to reading, hit play on the video version of this post at the top of this page. Otherwise, here's what you'll discover in this article:

Why Most Language Proficiency Tests Fall Short

Here's what typically happens with most language proficiency tests: people end up studying for the test itself, which is a complete waste of time.

You go and take lessons, and your teacher says, “Look, here are the things you need to learn in order to pass this test. If you learn this stuff here, then you'll pass.” So you spend half your life doing this stuff to pass the test, but you've learned very, very little in the process.

All you've done is managed to pass the test. That may be useful for your life, but is it a good use of language study time? I don't know.

The One Test That Actually Works

Now, there is one test that I've found to be very good. It's probably not the only one, but there's obviously a limit to how many tests I've seen out there.

I've had most of my exposure to language tests in the ESL industry because I used to be a teacher. I used to be an English examiner as well. And I always say that the IELTS test is very good.

IELTS – the International English Language Testing System – is effective because it gives the examiner a lot of discretion, and they train you well on how to assess language.

In fact, when I was studying to be an IELTS examiner, I think that was one of the times when I really learned to observe and understand different language proficiency levels, because the training was fantastic.

It assesses you across holistic skills in four different areas: speaking, reading, listening and writing. And what was fascinating about doing IELTS was that depending on the culture you were examining, you would have completely different skill sets.

For example, in the Arab world, people were often great at speaking but terrible at writing. Whereas in Asia, students were often amazing at writing but couldn't speak. It was a very interesting reflection of how English was actually used in those different countries.

So Are Language Proficiency Tests Worth It?

Although it's true that most language proficiency tests are rubbish, I still think that for the most part they can be quite a useful tool for you. Here's why.

Progress in a language is very difficult to measure. If you can't see yourself progressing, you can get demotivated quite easily.

And one of the biggest reasons people quit languages is that they cannot stay motivated. They quit because it seems like they're studying endlessly but not making any progress.

The thing about studying for an exam is it gives you that tangible benchmark. Whether or not it's actually helping you improve in a language, it gives you a benchmark of sorts.

How The JLPT Made Japanese Quantifiable For Me

I remember when I was living in Japan and studying for the JLPT – the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. (These exams really do have the dullest names in existence.)

The JLPT is not a good test objectively, but it was quite useful in actually making Japanese quantifiable. One of the things you need to do for Japanese in particular is learn kanji – Chinese characters. There are a lot of them to learn.

When you're staring up at that list of 2,000-odd kanji that you have to learn, it can seem like an insurmountable task.

But the JLPT was broken down into levels (when I first did it, there were four; now I think it's five), and they say, “Right, for this level you have to learn these specific kanji.” I know the HSK in Chinese does the same thing, and it can give you a benchmark.

For someone who's having trouble staying motivated and disciplined, knowing that to pass your exam you just need to learn these 100 kanji – and it's achievable, and you've got three months to do it – that's very useful.

The Psychology Of Exam Students

What I've noticed about exam students in general is that they tend to work a lot harder.

As anyone who's taught languages before will know, there's a world of difference between a class of students who are just learning general Spanish or French versus those who are learning exam French or exam Spanish.

The reason is simply the psychology of studying for the test.

So I do think language proficiency tests are a pretty useful tool. I just wouldn't put much stock in them to actually directly improve your proficiency level.

In terms of learning things that require rote memorisation – like Chinese characters, for example – yes, exams can be useful.

Similarly, if you're going to spend dozens and dozens of hours practising reading and listening, well, that's only going to be a good thing. It's not going to be a bad thing.

Keep Your Expectations Realistic

I've known people who've said, “I passed the C2 exam in this language.” And then we speak in the language and they're absolutely nowhere.

When I see that happening, I just ask myself: what objectively is the point of this?

If you need the exam because you want to go to university in Spain or your employer requires you to do it, then fine. Just go ahead and do it. It's going to be a useful thing.

On the other hand, sometimes these tests are genuinely indicative. If you show me someone who's got the JLPT level one, I'll show you someone who's very good at Japanese.

It doesn't necessarily mean they're great at speaking or listening, but you've got someone who is significantly advanced in the language.

Language Proficiency Tests FAQ

It Comes Down To Your Motivation

As usual with most things, it comes down to your motivation.

If you find that you enjoy it and it's helping you stick to your studying and make some progress, I would absolutely go for it.

Because the alternative is doing nothing or doing something that doesn't motivate you.

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.