STEP Eiken

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The Eiken Test in Practical English Proficiency (実用英語技能検定, Jitsuyō Eigo Ginō Kentei^?) — informally, Eiken (英検, Eiken^?); often called STEP Eiken or the STEP Test — is an English language test conducted by a Japanese non-profit organization, the Society for Testing English Proficiency (STEP), and backed by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

Eiken is a criterion-referenced test. There are seven levels that examinees either pass or fail. Eiken levels are called "grades":

• Grade 1 : (University level)
• Grade Pre-1 : (Junior college level)
• Grade 2 : (High school graduate)
• Grade Pre-2 : (High school intermediate)
• Grade 3 : (Junior high graduate)
• Grade 4 : (Junior high intermediate)
• Grade 5 : (Junior high beginner)

Eiken is a four-skills test, assessing a combination of receptive and productive skills. In addition to reading and listening, Eiken Grades 1, Pre-1, 2, Pre-2, and 3 include a speaking test. Grades 1 and Pre-1 include a handwritten composition task.

Eiken is conducted three times a year: January/February, June/July, and October/November. There are two stages in the test, the first stage (vocabulary, reading, listening, and writing) and the second stage (speaking). Only those who pass the first stage can progress to the second stage. The second stage is conducted about one month after the first stage. Applicants who pass both stages receive certification.

English teachers in junior high schools and high schools in Japan often encourage their students to take the Eiken. Approximately 15,000 schools serve as test sites. Approximately 1,000 Japanese high schools and universities recognize Eiken results for school admissions or class credit.

In its 2003 strategic initiative "Japanese with English Abilities," MEXT designated Eiken Grade 3 as a benchmark proficiency level for junior high graduates, and Grades 2 and Pre-2 as benchmarks for high school graduates.

A number of schools outside Japan use Eiken as an admission qualification for international students. In Canada and the United States, 290 colleges and universities recognize Eiken Grade 2, Grade Pre-1, and/or Grade 1 for incoming students, as of December 2007. In Australia, the state of New South Wales recognizes Eiken at all Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes and all state high schools. The test is also used at institutions in Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia.

In fiscal 2006, examinees for all Eiken grades totaled approximately 2.5 million. According to the STEP website, the test has been taken by more than 75 million applicants since its inception in 1963.