Is a Language Proficiency Test What You Need?
Here’s what I learned after taking 6 language exams
If you’re serious about learning a language, then you’ve certainly thought of taking a language proficiency test. These exams test your ability to handle the language and evaluate how well you “know” the language.
They exist in every language and often have different levels. For example, the DEFL, or “Diplôme d’Etudes en Langue Française”, is the test for French and has a text for each level from A1 to C2 (levels set by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). The JLPT, or “Japanese Language Proficiency Test” has 5 levels (N5 to N1, N1 being the highest).
Such tests allow you to increase your skills by working through them one by one. There are many preparation books that exist for that exact purpose.
But do they really prove your level? Not always.
Results Aren’t Always Accurate
I took the JLPT N1 in December 2016 with one of my friends. The path that brought us to this level was extremely different.
He holds a Master’s Degree in the Japanese Language from a Belgian University. He also did a 1-year exchange program in Japan and, at the time, had been working in a completely Japanese company…
