Acronym EFSET Year started 2014 | Developer / administrator EF Education First. | |
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Type Standardized test. Available in 3 versions: "EFSET English Certificate", "EFSET English Certificate Plus", & "EFSET Quick English Check". Knowledge / skills tested Listening & reading of the English language. Purpose To enable non-native English speakers to accurately assess their own English language proficiency. | ||
The EF Standard English Test (EFSET) is a free online standardized test of the English language designed for non-native English speakers. It is the product of EF Education First, a global language training company, and a team of language assessment experts including Lyle Bachman, Mari Pearlman, and Ric Luecht. EF compares the EFSET's accuracy to the most widely used high stakes standardized English tests: TOEFL, IELTS, and Cambridge International Examinations.
Contents
There are three versions of the EFSET: a 15-minute test ("EFSET Quick English Check"), a 50-minute test which assigns a score on the 6-level Common European Framework of Reference for Languages ("EFSET English Certificate"), and a 2-hour test which assigns a score from 0 to 100 with a TOEFL and IELTS equivalency score in addition to the 6-level CEFR score ("EFSET English Certificate Plus"). All test versions assess receptive skills only (reading and listening comprehension) and do not assess writing or speaking Unlike other standardized English tests, the EFSET uses computerized adaptive testing methods to adjust the difficulty of the test according to the examinee's ability level. The EFSET is not a proctored exam.
Test launch
EF Education First initially intended to build the EFSET for internal use as a low-cost alternative to third party standardized English tests, with the aim of attaining the same level of accuracy as those tests. Soon, the company realized it could gain branding benefits from releasing a robust, free testing tool for any English learner to use. The initial public launch of the EFSET in 2014 was the result of a 3-year process, which included 15 months of formal trials involving 14,500 students.
Scoring
The EFSET English Certificate Plus is scored on a scale of 0 to 100 with a separate score attributed for reading and listening as well as an overall score. EFSET English Certificate Plus scores are mapped to the 6-level CEFR bands from A1 to C2 as well as to IELTS and TOEFL scores as shown in the table below.