English Proficiency Exams

[brujon]

A question for everyone on the boards:

Is the Cambridge Proficiency Exam (CPE) worth taking for a non-native speaker of the english language? What are the other english proficiency/aptitude tests that a non-native speaker of the english language can take that offer a similar degree of acceptance by the international community, or that offer similar benefits?

Specifically:

- I'm interested in having a certificate attesting that i can write, read and speak english with a comprehension level that's on par with that of a native.
- The exam must be recognized by the highest number of institutions world-wide, including but not limited to, multinational companies, government branches, universities, and english teaching schools.
- Eventually, i might be interested in teaching english classes at different levels, as a way of complement my monthly income, so a certificate that can grant me the credentials i need to be a fully recognized english language teacher is, of course, a huge boon.
- I would take it as a HUGE boon if the exam doesn't need to be renewed periodically, like i heard the TOEFL exam needs to every two years, because that entails additional costs. Lifetime ones are best, but i would like to hear out on the benefits for the other ones.
- If there are benefits on taking MORE than just one exam, i'd be MORE than thrilled to hear out those benefits, even if they entail additional costs.

I thought i'd ask here on this board because i've gathered from some topics i skimmed that some of you are english majors, which means you probably are very keen about this subject, and the other reason is because everyone here has a higher than average intelligence, and even the non native speakers of english are hard to spot, because mostly everyone writes very well, so i'd wager at least a fair bit of you would've taken a exam like the one i mean to, or are intending to.

Another thing: Unless it's a HUGE initial investment, i'm not complaining about how much the test costs... Especially if he meets all of the criteria.

[Solo]

Well, what are your goals? To get into a specific university, work in a specific country, etc?

[brujon]

Well, what are your goals? To get into a specific university, work in a specific country, etc?

Not any specific goals like that, no. That's why i'd like a widely accepted exam. Mainly, it's for my resumé. Being accepted by multinationals would be a BIG plus, as i am leaning towards specializing in business law, and taking a master's degree in comparative business law, so that i can work as a lawyer for multinational firms that operate on Brazil, which would make me set for life. I plan on studying abroad, and having something recognized for Ph.D level education, is a huge plus. BUT, i haven't set it in STONE yet, and as such that may change. As i've said, taking multiple exams, if there are benefits to it, is a doable thing, of course.

There's also the matter of teaching english, which i explained on the OP. Basically, i have a child on the way, and that being THAT, i want to expand my resumé as quickly as possible, with the highest level classifications i can find. I'll also be doing a specific course in English that's tailored towards legal terms later on, and i can skip most of the basics if i have the CPE or an equivalent certificate.

[Shadowknight12]

I took the First Certificate and Advanced tests. I was going to take the Proficiency test too but it was too much of a pain in the ass to be worth the trouble. Basically, if you want to work somewhere where English is NOT a government requirement (which is the vast majority of jobs out there), sit for all three exams, ace them (they're not hard at all) and that's it.

If you have the misfortune of aiming for a position where English is a government necessity (like me), then don't bother, because they have their own standardised exams that they will make you take regardless of how many qualifications you can produce to attest your English proficiency.

[brujon]

I took the First Certificate and Advanced tests. I was going to take the Proficiency test too but it was too much of a pain in the ass to be worth the trouble. Basically, if you want to work somewhere where English is NOT a government requirement (which is the vast majority of jobs out there), sit for all three exams, ace them (they're not hard at all) and that's it.

If you have the misfortune of aiming for a position where English is a government necessity (like me), then don't bother, because they have their own standardised exams that they will make you take regardless of how many qualifications you can produce to attest your English proficiency.

Hmm... First Certificate and Advanced tests are which ones especifically? Can't say i remember seeing them.

Yeah, it sucks when you have all the degrees to attest your competence but people still make you sit down and do more tests...

[Shadowknight12]

I took the First Certificate and Advanced tests. I was going to take the Proficiency test too but it was too much of a pain in the ass to be worth the trouble. Basically, if you want to work somewhere where English is NOT a government requirement (which is the vast majority of jobs out there), sit for all three exams, ace them (they're not hard at all) and that's it.

If you have the misfortune of aiming for a position where English is a government necessity (like me), then don't bother, because they have their own standardised exams that they will make you take regardless of how many qualifications you can produce to attest your English proficiency.

Hmm... First Certificate and Advanced tests are which ones especifically? Can't say i remember seeing them.

Yeah, it sucks when you have all the degrees to attest your competence but people still make you sit down and do more tests...

http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/fce/index.html
http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/cae/index.html
http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/cpe/index.html

Those will basically get you anywhere. They're the most widely accepted, at least in South America.

I, on the other hand, have to take this one:

http://www.ets.org/toefl

Which also says "it's the most widely respected" so maybe it'd be best to take that one. Totally up to you.

And yeah, well, that's the price you have to pay for being a foreigner.

[brujon]

But if you take the CPE, it's redundant to take the others, right? (FCE and CAE)

And, yes, outside of the Academic world, TOEFL is more respected than CPE, at least from what i've been researching. I think i'd be pretty safe if i took those two.

[Shadowknight12]

I am not sure they let you take them out of order. For what I gathered, you have to take them in sequential order, but I could well be wrong.

If you can take just those two, that'd be the safest bet, you'd save money by not taking the other two.

[Eldritch_Lord]

And yeah, well, that's the price you have to pay for being a foreigner.

For being a foreigner?  Hell, I've known plenty of native English speakers who should be required to pass those tests to get a job.

[Shadowknight12]

And yeah, well, that's the price you have to pay for being a foreigner.

For being a foreigner?  Hell, I've known plenty of native English speakers who should be required to pass those tests to get a job.

Heh, that'd be too sensible.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

When you start talking or reading English but Academic,
the vocabulary starts to go Latin and Greek.  iirc the usage
reaches about 30% of total words.  More often than not
if the word is basically a Latin/Spanish/French/~Italian
root, it means the same thing.  (umm ... Portuguese too)

I could read maps in Romania(n), even though I was
completely unable to speak, comprehend or read it otherwise.

[betrayor]

From what I know you can take the proficiency exams of Cambridge or Michigan(I have taken the second) without the need to take the First or the Advanched Exam,
I think that it is a recent development though.....

[Shadowknight12]

In my field, I'm quite glad that Staphylococcus aureus is still Staphylococcus aureus and that Lupus is still Lupus.

[phaedrusxy]

The TOEFL is the test often required to get into (or out of...) graduate school in the US.

[littha]

In my field, I'm quite glad that Staphylococcus aureus is still Staphylococcus aureus and that Lupus is still Lupus.

But it's never lupus...

[Shadowknight12]

The TOEFL is the test often required to get into (or out of...) graduate school in the US.

Indeed, that's coincidentally why I need to take it.

In my field, I'm quite glad that Staphylococcus aureus is still Staphylococcus aureus and that Lupus is still Lupus.

But it's never lupus...

...goddammit.

 

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Y'all seem juss fine to me, but sometimes the school
you apply to will not think all that highly of your test score.

Some scores are a little shaky coming from some parts of China.
(not all , not most) And that's rubbed off on everyone else.
Nothing to worry about if you are (and you are) on the up and up.

[brujon]

When you start talking or reading English but Academic,
the vocabulary starts to go Latin and Greek.  iirc the usage
reaches about 30% of total words.  More often than not
if the word is basically a Latin/Spanish/French/~Italian
root, it means the same thing.  (umm ... Portuguese too)

I could read maps in Romania(n), even though I was
completely unable to speak, comprehend or read it otherwise.

I noticed that when i started reading some technical articles in english. Words get borrowed more and more from the roots of french, italian, and even pure latin. Which, of course, makes sense, since the rise of english as a Lingua Franca is somewhat recent. Before that, we had spanish, french and for a time, even portuguese as the language of commerce.  Since many words were formed around the time those languages were the universal ones, makes sense that there would be an appreciable amount of vocabulary coming from those sources. The split between french, italian, portuguese and spanish is also somewhat recent. After all, merely 400 years ago what people spoke could barely be classified as portuguese/french/etc... It was more like a very crude and regionalized mutilated latin/anglo hybrid.