When you are making decisions about tests, you have to take into consideration both the institutional constraints and the attributes of the test itself to ensure that you get the most appropriate information.

All English language screening decisions need to be examined from within the context of the institution's situation, no matter what test is or what cut scores are chosen. The questions listed below focus on institutional issues that need to be taken into consideration in choosing appropriate screening devices:

- Will there be on-campus retesting to verify scores? How will the institution handle students whose test scores are not accurate?
- If there is no on-campus retesting, how will students be handled whose inadequate academic performance reveals that the test scores are not accurate?
- What will be done with academically qualified students who cannot make arrangements to test in-country?
-Does the institution offer language instruction? Is there an arrangement for language instruction through another institution?
-What will be done with students who provide scores from a different English screening test?
- What further information is needed to be confident in a student's English proficiency?

In addition to taking into consideration your institutional constraints, you need to examine whether a particular screening device provides the kind of information you need. To do this, the following questions should prove useful. These questions are by no means an exhaustive list of the considerations that should drive decisions about the usefulness of potential screening devices, but they are important ones.

- Is it critical for your institution to screen for academic English proficiency or will a test measuring general English proficiency provide the information you need?

-Are the content and the tasks included on the test reasonable given what you need to know about students? Are you interested in whether they can pass freshman composition, understand undergraduate lectures, write essay exams, and keep up with the reading load?
- they will be able to take part in graduate seminars, make research presentations, and write a thesis or dissertation.

- Are you interested in how well students use the individual language skills (i.e., reading, writing, listening, speaking, overall English use) or in how well they can use these skills in combination as measured by an integrated skills test?

- Is the cost reasonable?
-Are low-cost alternatives needed to provide equal access to students from countries where economies are weak?

- Where is the test offered? Are there overseas testing centers in the locations you need? If not, is testing available upon request?

-How often is the test administered? Are the dates set or flexible?

- What is reported, a single score or part scores and a total score?
-Is diagnostic information included?

- Are scores related to descriptions of proficiency levels?
- Can scores be compared with other language test scores?

- Is there any indication of tasks a candidate should be able to perform based on the test performance?
- Are guidelines offered on the range and average scores?

We will provide brief descriptions of commercial tests used to screen English language proficiency for university study. The tests include three Cambridge certificates developed by the University of Cambridge; and two Canadian tests, the CanTEST (Canadian Test of English for Scholars and Trainees) and the CAEL (Carleton Assessment of English Language) initially developed as alternatives for screening for study or exchange at Canadian academic institutions; ELPT (English Language Proficiency Test); IELTS (Inter-national English Language Testing System) administered by the British Council and IDP Education Australia; the MELAB (Michigan English Language Assessment Battery) developed by the U. of Michigan; the TOEFL CBT (Computer-Based TOEFL); and the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication).

The CPE is a 6-hr exam administered by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate in collaboration with local secretaries in about 700 centers. The exam is administered in June and December except in Greece, Portugal, and Japan where other schedules apply. The exam fee varies by country. The test includes:

- reading test used to evaluate compre- hension of gist, detailed content, tone and register using multiple choice and completion items
- 2-hour writing exam: candidates complete two of five tasks; the essays may be descriptive, narrative, or discursive; one of the tasks can be based on a book from a reading list provided before the exam
- use of English test: includes sentence and text-level tasks including writing a summary
-listening comprehension: listen to announcements, dialogues, extracts from radio programs and complete multiple choice, matching, or fill-in-the-blank items
- interview: individually, in pairs, or in groups of three to describe linked photo graphs; comment on source and audience for a reading; and perform discussion, planning, and/or problem solving activities

The CPE is at Level 5 of the ALTE framework (a framework which established common levels of proficiency across European exams) meaning a candidate is approaching the linguistic competence of an educated native speaker in many areas. The candidate receives either a passing (A,B, or C) or a failing (D or E) grade based on their score on the exam. Typically a C corresponds to about 60% of the points possible. Statements of results for candidates who pass include an indication of the components on which the candidate's performance was excellent. For candidates who fail there is an indication of the components for which the candidate is particularly weak. A pass is accepted by the majority of British universities for English language entrance requirements.

This certificate is similar to the CPE, but the texts and tasks are adjusted to reflect that the certificate is at ALTE level 4 where users are expected to be able to use the structures of a language with ease and fluency. A pass is recognized by the majority of British universities for English language requirements.

The FCE takes less than five hours and the texts and tasks are chosen to reflect that the exam is at Level 3 in the ALTE framework (intermediate stage of proficiency). Many British universities recognize FCE at grades A and B for English language entrance requirements although the ALTE framework does not recommend using this level to screen for academic study. Note that universities require a higher pass score when accepting this certificate.

The CanTEST takes just over 3 hours including the optional 15-minute interview. The test is offered primarily at Canadian institutions with test sessions overseas available by special arrangement. Test fees vary. At the U. of Ottawa, candidates pay 55$ Cdn. for the basic test with an additional charge of 50$ Cdn. for the interview. The test includes:

- listening comprehension tasks based on dialogues, interviews, and mini-lectures; questions are primarily multiple choice
- test of skimming and scanning reading skills based on schedules, bibliographies, university calendars, and information sheets as well as more traditional reading comprehension passages with multiple choice, short answer, and labeling items
- a 45-minute essay in response to a prompt which lends itself to compare- contrast-take a position development
- optional interview about personal, academic, and professional life for candidates required to have this assessment

Band scores of 1 to 5 are reported for individual sections. Descriptions of band levels are provided. A score of 4.5 is accepted by most institutions. Test administrations are frequently done as on-campus screening for a particular institution.

The CAEL Assessment is an integrated skills test consisting of 3 stages taking a total of approximately 3 hours. The assessment is designed to evaluate language in use for academic purposes, simulating the rhetorical situation, written and oral input, and tasks in first-year university courses. It is offered regularly in Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, and Hong Kong.

Administrations are done at other testing sites by special arrangement. Overseas the fee is typically $75.00 US or 100.00$ Cdn. The test consists of 3 stages; stage 2 is not offered at overseas locations at this time.

- Stage 1-interview: includes test preparation information, a self-assessment, a per- sonal essay, and collection of test taker information used to select an appropriate written test
- Stage 2-oral language test (i.e., the responses are oral): 20-minute test includes a prepared presentation, relaying information from oral and written sources, a read aloud section, and communicating an understanding of and reaction to a text
-Stage 3-written test (i.e., the responses are in writing): test takers listen to a lecture and answer questions in a variety of formats; read on the same topic and answer short answer, and fill-in-the-blank questions; and write a 45-minute argumentative essay using information from the lectures and readings. Information from stage 1 is used to select the test topic.

The test results are reported as band scores for each component (reading, listening, writing, and oral). The test report provides information on interpreting the band scores. The developers recommend that administrators review each test taker's profile to make screening decisions. Test administrations are frequently done as on-campus screening for a particular institution.

The ELPT is offered by the College Board as an SAT II subject test. It is a 1-hr multiple choice test designed to assess the test takers ability to use English in everyday interactions and emphasizes functional, practical language. It is intended primarily for admission and placement in 2-year and 4-year colleges and the target population is ESL high school student who have lived in the U.S. for at least 2 years.

-a 42-item listening section with 1/3 of the items being rejoinders and the other 2/3's narratives and dialogues
-a 42-item reading section with questions over realia and prose

Proficiency level descriptors ranging from below intermediate to advanced high are provided for reading and listening. In addition, there are separate scaled scores for reading and listening (1 to 50) and a total scale score from 901 to 999.

The IELTS is a task-based exam of academic English which takes about 2 3/4 hours including a 10-15 minute interview; candidates applying for admission to academic institutions select academic reading and writing (rather than general training) modules. It is offered at over 200 British Council and IDP Education Australia testing centers in 105 countries. Sites offer the test 1-3 times per month and test dates are flexible. The fee varies by country; the UK fee is £65 and the Canadian fee is $165. It includes:

-listening comprehension tasks based on social and course-related situations and questions include short answer, comple- tion, multiple choice, and note-taking
- academic reading comprehension: 3 sections of increasing difficulty; texts and variety of tasks appropriate for under- graduate and graduate students
-two academic writing tasks: explaining a diagram or table and presenting an argument, a position or an opinion
-a structured interview done in five phases to ensure consistency of delivery

Band scores of 1-9 are reported for each part and for the overall test. The bands are interpreted as they relate to the ability to use English in academic and training courses. The most widely accepted band score for academic study is 6.5.

The MELAB is a 2-hour general proficiency exam with an academic/professional focus. It is administered by the English Language Institute of the University of Michigan using authorized examiners overseas. There are 110 testing centers, primarily in the US and Canada but also including sites in Bhutan, Iran, and Libya. Individual tests are offered on demand and group tests occur every two weeks, monthly, or quarterly depending on the location. The fee is generally $60 for the standard individual MELAB, $40 for a group or Ann Arbor test, and $50 for group tests in Iran. The battery includes:

-two types of listening comprehension tasks: 25-35 short questions, statements, or dialogues and two longer discourse segments followed by multiple choice questions
-a grammar, cloze, vocabulary, and reading (GCVR) section: focuses on grammar in conversation, cloze items in a reading passage, vocabulary in sentence- level contexts, and four reading passages; all items are multiple choice
-a 30-minute argumentative, narrative, or expository essay
- an optional 10-15 minute face-to-face interview to evaluate communicative use of spoken English

Compositions are rated on a 10-point scale, listening scores range from 30-100, GCVR scores from 15-100, and speaking from 1- to 4+ with 12 levels possible. Final scores range from 33 to 99. Admission to full-time academic work is often granted with a final score of 85 and part scores 85 and above. With supplemental language classes, a final score of 80 with part scores of 75-80 is often used. The test site list indicates that many U.S. and Canadian institutions have access to administrations close to their campuses.

The TOEFL CBT is a 31/2 hour computerized general English proficiency test that is available at permanent sites (Sylvan Learn-ing Centers, ETS field sites and selected universities) virtually "on demand" and at mobile units on specified dates. It includes:

- training to familiarize test takers with the computer and the test format.
-computer-adaptive questions, i.e., the computer selects the next question based on how the first is answered: correct answer = harder question, wrong answer = easier question. No skipping questions or going back to change answers.
-Listening Comprehension: short conversations and mini-lectures with visual support, topic orientation, individual headphones and multiple-choice questions.
-Structure & Written Expression: incomplete and error identification sentences with computer-adaptive multiple-choice questions. 30 minute typed or handwritten essay computed as part of the Structure score, also reported separately.
-Reading Comprehension: short academic passages with multiple choice questions.

The TOEFL CBT has score reports with three part scores-Listening Comprehension, Reading Comprehension, and Structure and Written Expression; an essay score; and a Total score. The TOEFL CBT is on a 0-300 total scale, with 0-30 part scores and 0-6 essay score.

The TOEIC is a 2-hr exam offered by ETS on-site, in open tests, and to businesses through International Corporate Service. The test includes:

-listening comprehension section: candidates hear statements, questions, short conversations, and short talks and answer 100 multiple choice questions
-reading comprehension section: candidates read a variety of materials and answer 100 multiple choice questions which are of three types: incomplete sentences, error recognition, and reading comprehension.

All of the test stimuli are set in business contexts. The scores are reported on a scale of 10-990. Both totals and part scores (listening and reading) are reported.

Christa Hansen, Testing Coordinator, and Christine Jensen Language Specialist; Applied English Center, University of Kansas.