Free English level test online

Take the test now, or read on to see what it measures and how to read the result.

What a level test can tell you, and what it cannot

The CEFR levels, A1 to C2, describe what you can do with the language: hold a simple conversation, follow a lecture, argue a point. No short test measures that directly. What a test measures is a proxy, and the best single proxy for overall ability is the size of your vocabulary. People who recognise more words read, listen and speak at a higher level, with few exceptions. So this test measures vocabulary, and reports the level that vocabulary is consistent with.

That word, consistent, is deliberate. A vocabulary of B2 size with little speaking practice is a B2 reader and a B1 speaker. The test gives you the starting point; what you do next decides the rest. What the six levels mean is on its own page.

How the test works

• You see one word at a time and say whether you know what it means. There are no definitions to choose between and nothing to type.
• It is adaptive. Each word is chosen near your current estimate, where your answer tells the test the most, so you are not shown twenty words you obviously know.
• A few of the words are invented. Saying yes to one of those costs you, which is how the test keeps the result honest without a proctor.
• It stops after 12 to 30 real words, when the estimate is tight enough to report, and shows your vocabulary range and the CEFR level it points to. Three minutes is typical.

How to read your result

You get a range of words, such as 4,000 to 6,000, and a level, such as “consistent with B1”. The range is the honest part: a three-minute test has an uncertainty, and hiding it behind a single number would be a guess dressed up as a measurement. If the range spans two levels, you are between them, and that is a real place to be.

If the result is lower than you expected, the usual reason is a vocabulary built from one source, such as work emails or films, which runs deep in one area and thin elsewhere. If it is higher than you expected, the usual reason is that you read a great deal more than you speak. The next section is for both.

What refines it: speaking

After the test you can start a spoken conversation with the same tutor, in your browser, without creating an account. The tutor keeps measuring while you talk, from the words you use and the ones you stumble on, and your level becomes a reading that moves with the evidence rather than a label from one afternoon. Signed in, your progress page shows the current reading and lets you retake the test when you want a second opinion.

Other kinds of English test

If you need a certificate for a visa, a university or an employer, you need an examination such as IELTS, TOEFL or a Cambridge qualification, and nothing on this page replaces that. If you need to know where you stand today, in order to choose what to practise, a placement test is the right tool, and this one is free and takes three minutes.

Questions people ask

Is the result an official certificate?

No. It is a placement estimate, the kind a language school gives you before putting you in a class. Official CEFR certificates come from examinations such as Cambridge, IELTS or TOEFL, which cost money and test all four skills over hours. This test tells you where to start, in three minutes, for free.

Why do I get a range instead of one level?

Because a short test cannot honestly give you one. Every estimate has an uncertainty, and the test reports it rather than hiding it. The range narrows as the tutor gathers more evidence in conversation, and you can retake the test later and watch it move.

Some of the words looked made up. Were they?

Yes. A few of the words are invented. They are there to measure how often you say you know a word you have never met, and the test corrects your result for it. The honest strategy is simple: say yes only when you know what the word means.

Can I take it again?

Yes. Signed in, you can retake it from your progress page, and the new reading updates your level with a note of what it was before. Leave a few weeks of practice between attempts; retaking it the same day only measures your memory of the words.

Which level do I need for work or study?

It depends on the employer or university, so check their requirement. As a rough guide, international workplaces commonly ask for B2, and English-medium universities for B2 to C1. If your result is a level below the one you need, that gap is what to spend your practice on.