The Use of English Placement Test (EPT) in Assessing the EFL Students’ Language Proficiency Level at a Saudi University

Abstract

Purpose: In order to ascertain EFL students’ characteristics (English proficiency, fluency, critical thinking, and communication), educational context, level of competence, professional goals, and pursuits for future endeavors, English Placement Tests (EPTs) are conducted in several academic contexts (Lamb, 2017; Ta?pinar & Külekçi, 2018; Stehle & Peters-Burton, 2019; Alrabai, 2021; Yuan, 2022). An EPT is a standard test used to determine students’ levels and abilities in English. It assesses how different their skills are in English before registering for English language courses in schools, universities, and companies. This research lends credence to the EPT’s reliability and validity in determining students’ course enrollment in university education. Design/methodology/approach: This study implemented a hybrid research design. At the start of the second semester in December 2021, 136 students took the placement test. A t-test was used to compare the students’ pre- and post-test results in order to assess the efficacy and effectiveness of the EPT. Five instructors also took part in a semi-structured interview to discuss their thoughts, beliefs, and experiences related to their teaching-learning enhancement of English programmes at the time the EPT was completed. Findings: The EPT results show students’ proficiency levels in three main areas: grammar, reading, and listening. After knowing the results of the EPT and the student’s performance, the weak areas were worked on. After one semester’s intervention, the test scores finally resulted positively, showing the students’ improvement. Since the results were statistically positive and significant, the study strongly suggested that EPT must be conducted at the beginning of the semester at the university level. Furthermore, based on the qualitative analysis and the comments and suggestions of the instructors, the idea of having an EPT for English foreign language (EFL) first-year students who want to take English language courses at universities was also strongly favored. The study supports the EPT’s validity for EFL students at college enrollment requirements according to English skills competency levels for English language courses.