The US has several tests that are similar to the CEF, including the TOEFL, the MTELP, the ESL Compass, the SPEAK test, and maybe a few others.
I find that the TOEFL is a pretty good predictor of proficiency. The ESL Compass isn’t as good, because it tends to place some people too high or too low, depending on how familiar they are with the culture, so a guy with terrible English who has lived in the US for five years can score too high, whereas someone from China who speaks impeccable English but has only been in the US for a week can score too low.
The TOEFL is a test that American universities have historically required nonnative speakers to take prior to being accepted for admission. Universities usually establish their own minimum score requirements. The TOEFL is produced by the ETS.
Here is something I found online showing “equivalent scores” of various tests. I’m not really sure how accurate it is, though:
Something else that you might hear about in the US is WIDA. I think this might be what Torsten was referring to a few days ago (in another thread), but I’m not sure. There are level descriptions, however this is something that is designed for kids in public schools: wida.us/standards/RG_Perform … itions.pdf
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I think placement tests and development test aim to help students or people become a better version of themselves.Usually by taking up International English Language Tests one gets to understand his comfort level with the English.