The English Placement Test at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Abstract

At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), the English Placement Test (EPT) is the institutional placement test that is used to place students into appropriate English as a second language (ESL) writing and/or pronunciation service courses. The EPT is used to assess the English ability of newly admitted international undergraduate and graduate students as validated against the English language demands of our campus (UIUC English Placement Test 2013). According to Davidson & Cho (2001), the current format of the EPT has maintained its quality and displayed evidence of validity through the use of detailed test specifications that align with the goals of the UIUC ESL writing and pronunciation service courses. UIUC offers these courses to international students who are accepted on a limited status based on their scores on standardized English proficiency tests (TOEFL or IELTS) and/or other relevant information in each student's admission dossier. Students accepted on limited admission status are required to take the EPT before start of instruction.