Learn about Russian proficiency tests
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Intro |
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| Michael: What are some common russian proficiency tests? |
| Saodat: And how do I choose the right one for me? |
| Michael: At RussianPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Emma Eliasheva is talking to Jack Jones about her attempts to motivate herself to study Russian harder. She says, |
| "I have to take the TORFL." |
| Мне надо сдать ТРКИ. (Mne nado sdat' TRKI.) |
| Dialogue |
| Emma Eliasheva: Мне надо сдать ТРКИ. (Mne nado sdat' TRKI.) |
| Jack Jones: Тест по русскому языку как иностранному? (Test po russkomu yazyku kak inostrannomu?) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Emma Eliasheva: Мне надо сдать ТРКИ. (Mne nado sdat' TRKI.) |
| Michael: "I have to take the TORFL." |
| Jack Jones: Тест по русскому языку как иностранному? (Test po russkomu yazyku kak inostrannomu?) |
| Michael: "The Test of Russian as a Foreign Language?" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: There are many reasons why people learn the Russian language, and you definitely have your own. Perhaps you want to live and work in Russia or study for a few years. Or maybe you want to go to a different country where knowledge of Russian is a prerequisite. Regardless of what your reasons may be, obtaining a certificate is one of the best measurements of your attainment so far. And what better measurement of your fluency in the Russian language than the TORFL, or the Test of Russian as a Foreign Language |
| [Recall 1] |
| Michael: Let's take a closer look at the dialogue. |
| Do you remember how Emma says "I have to take the TORFL." |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Saodat: Мне надо сдать ТРКИ. (Mne nado sdat' TRKI.) |
| Michael: Now let's take a look at our second sentence. |
| Do you remember how Jack Jones says "The Test of Russian as a Foreign Language?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Saodat as Jack Jones: Тест по русскому языку как иностранному? (Test po russkomu yazyku kak inostrannomu?) |
| Michael: The Test of Russian as a Foreign Language, or |
| Saodat: Тест по русскому языку как иностранному (Test po russkomu yazyku kak inostrannomu) |
| Michael: is a standardized Russian language proficiency test. Abbreviated as TORFL, the test is designed to evaluate how well a foreign student candidate can use the Russian language in real life, both in personal and professional settings. Passing the test enables you to pursue an education in Russian universities. This includes studying as a foreign student. From a professional point of view, passing the test means having the opportunity to deal with clients who use Russian as their |
| Saodat: родной язык (rodnoy yazyk) |
| Michael: or "mother's tongue." |
| The TORFL was first established in 1992, and as part of the ALTE or the Association of Language Testers in Europe, it has been acknowledged worldwide as evidence of an individual's knowledge and linguistic skills in the Russian language. The test consists of six levels, and each level comprises five modules, held over a period of two days. On the first day, the examinees are asked to prove their skills in |
| Saodat: Лексика и грамматика (Leksiks i grammatika) |
| Michael: "Vocabulary and Grammar." This part covers vocabulary and grammar for everyday use, as well as for social and cultural spheres. |
| Saodat: Чтение (Chteniye) |
| Michael: "Reading." This part of the test aims to assess how much a student understands a text with complex grammatical structures—And the last part on the first day is |
| Saodat: Письмо (Pis'mo) |
| Michael: or "Writing." This test aims at evaluating a student's skills and abilities to effectively express themselves in the Russian language through writing. |
| On the second day, the examinee will have to deal with |
| Saodat: Аудирование (Audirovaniye) |
| Michael: or "Listening." This module aims at assessing a student's ability to comprehend information contained in a speech, be it a monologue or a dialogue. The listening module is taken on the second day of the exam along with |
| Saodat: Говорение (Govoreniye) |
| Michael: or the "Speaking" module. Here, the student is tested on their ability to express ideas in Russian. They are given a task for which they are required to compare facts and summarize them, providing logical reasoning. |
| The passing grade for the test is 66% for each of the five odules. If you fail either of the five modules, you can take that particular test again. If you pass the TORFL, your results will be valid for two years. You will also choose one of the six levels of difficulty you want to take. The first level is |
| Saodat: Простейший уровень (Prosteyshiy uroven') |
| Michael: or "Elementary Level," also known as A1. Passing this test gains you a certificate proving your competences for further language learning. It also means you have a competence in Russian that can satisfy basic communicative requirements. The next level is |
| Saodat: Базовый уровень (Bazovyy uroven') |
| Michael: or "Basic Level," also known as A2. This is the minimum level you need to achieve to be able to get work in Russia. The next level is |
| Saodat: Первый уровень (Pervyy uroven') |
| Michael: or "First Level," also known as B1. This is the intermediate level, and passing this level means you can satisfy your main communicative requirements in educational, professional, and cultural spheres according to the State Standard of Competence in Russian as a Foreign Language. This is the level you need to pass in order for you to enter a university in Russia. The fourth level is |
| Saodat: Второй уровень (Vtoroy uroven') |
| Michael: or "Second Level," also known as B2. Passing this level means you meet the communicative requirements in a wide range of spheres. This allows you to get a bachelor's, master's, or doctorate degree from Russian universities. The fifth level is |
| Saodat: Третий уровень (Tretiy uroven') |
| Michael: or "Third Level," also known as C1. Passing this level means you have an excellent command of the Russian language. It allows you to conduct professional activities in Russian in several areas, such as Translation, Linguistics, and Journalism. The sixth and highest level is |
| Saodat: Четвёртый уровень (Chetvyortyy uroven') |
| Michael: or "Fourth Level," also known as C2. As the highest level, this affirms that you understand Russian and can speak it as well as any native speaker. This also enables you to get a Master's degree in 2798060602 |
| , a branch of knowledge that deals with language structure and historical development. |
| The TORFL is the official Russian proficiency test, although there are other similar tests you can take to evaluate your proficiency in the language. One of which is the TELC or The European Language Certificates test. TELC offers tests in ten languages, including Russian. Unlike the TORFL, however, it can only be taken at four levels. The first part of the test is the |
| Saodat: письменный экзамен (pis'mennyy ekzamen) |
| Michael: or the "Written Examination." This includes a 90-minute test on Reading Comprehension, a 30-minute test on Listening Comprehension, and another 30-minute test on Writing. The second part of the test is |
| Saodat: устный экзамен (ustnyy ekzamen) |
| Michael" or the "Oral Examination." This section is 15 minutes long and evaluates a student's verbal skills. This test is usually done in pairs, although it can also be taken individually. |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: In this lesson, we had a look at two major Russian proficiency tests, which are the |
| Saodat: Тест по русскому языку как иностранному (Test po russkomu yazyku kak inostrannomu?) |
| Michael: and |
| Saodat: Европейские Языковые Сертификаты (Yevropeyskiye Yazykovyye Sertifikaty) |
| Michael: The websites of each of these tests will be linked in the lesson notes so you can find further information about them. Some universities or workplaces in Russia might ask you to take language proficiency tests other than these two, but in most cases, taking the TORFL or TELC is enough. |
| Cultural Insight |
| Michael: Testing centers for the TORFL are available both in Russia and abroad, but only in a limited number of regions. In Russia, only 13 educational organizations are included in the list of testing centers authorized to give the test. One of these is |
| Saodat: Российский государственный педагогический университет (Rossiyskiy gosudarstvennyy pedagogicheskiy universitet) |
| Michael: or the "Russian State Pedagogical University" in St. Petersburg. Also known as Herzen University, it's one of the largest and oldest universities in Russia. It was named after the great Russian writer and thinker Alexander Herzen. Another authorized university to conduct the TORFL is |
| Saodat: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет (Sankt-Peterburgskiy gosudarstvennyy universitet) |
| Michael: or the "St. Petersburg State University." It's the oldest university in Russia and is considered the second best multi-faculty Russian university, second only to Moscow State University. As one of the highest-ranking universities in the world, St. Petersburg State University is a leading center for Russian as a foreign language, with more than 100 of the university's professors involved in the Russian language program. As a learner of the Russian language, this is definitely one of the first places you should see when you get to visit Russia! |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Saodat: Пока! (Poka!) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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