Foreign language equivalent to TOEFL?

December 23, 2009 10:45 AM

What are the foreign language equivalents to the TOEFL? I'm specifically looking for official tests where a qualifying score would, like the TOEFL, indicate that one's language ability is sufficient to study at a university in that country. For example, China has the HSK test. What would the equivalent test be in other languages?

I'm interested in all the equivalent tests in all languages, but particularly those in Arabic, Russian, Spanish, French and Korean.

Thanks for any help.

posted by Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo to Writing & Language (14 answers total)

The people to ask re: Arabic, for native English speakers learning Arabic, would probably be the admissions offices at AUAF Cairo or AUAF Beirut.
posted by thewalrus at 10:56 AM on December 23, 2009

Best answer: Japanese Language Proficiency Test for Japanese. The EU has the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which is not a test but a set of guidelines. That Wikipedia page has a good chart with links to the TOEFL-equivalents for various European languages. In some cases, such as German, there is no single TOEFL-equivalent test.
posted by jedicus at 10:59 AM on December 23, 2009

Europe seems to have a common form for these assessments. So this should apply to Spanish and French.
posted by pseudonick at 11:01 AM on December 23, 2009

France has the TCF. Sweden has the SWEDEX. pseudonick is right; if you take a language test in Europe, you are graded from A1 (lowest) to C2 (highest) in several categories; a complete description of the meaning of each level is here (pdf).
posted by * at 11:08 AM on December 23, 2009

Best answer: It's the DAF or the DHS for German.
posted by insouciant at 11:33 AM on December 23, 2009 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Russia has the TRKI or TORFL as the official exam.
posted by Wrinkled Stumpskin at 11:36 AM on December 23, 2009 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Nederlands als tweede taal (N2T): Dutch as a second language.
posted by joost de vries at 11:58 AM on December 23, 2009

Best answer: DELE is used in at least some parts of the Spanish speaking world.
posted by toodles at 12:16 PM on December 23, 2009

Best answer: Wikipedia has a good writeup about French as a foreign language and related tests. Personally, I've seen the DELF and DALF recommended by French universities for international, non-native French speaking students; never really heard of the TCF mentioned in the wiki article.
posted by fraula at 1:15 PM on December 23, 2009

Best answer: Out here in Israel we have the Yael test.

It is used to test Hebrew proficiency for people who take the equivalent of the SATs (called the Psychometri) in English.
posted by eytanb at 2:10 PM on December 23, 2009

Best answer: Swedex doesn't qualify you for university studies in Sweden, you want TISUS (Test In Swedish for University Studies). Swedex tests for a A2-B1 on the EU scale, as opposed to C1 for TISUS. For what it's worth this is the first time I have heard of Swedex, and I work primarily with people who have Swedish as a second language (their main qualification goal is SFI level-D or the National Test).
posted by Iteki at 2:49 PM on December 23, 2009

Best answer: Korean has the TOPIK (Test of proficiency in Korean).
posted by smorange at 4:34 PM on December 23, 2009

Best answer: Japanese Language Proficiency Test for Japanese.

Incidentally, since 2002 the standard test for applying to a Japanese university is now the Examination for Japanese University Admission (EJU). It covers various academic subjects as well as Japanese language ability.
posted by armage at 6:49 PM on December 23, 2009 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The advanced C-level Goethe Institut tests (Zentrale Oberstufenprüfung (ZOP), Kleines Deutsches Sprachdiplom (KDS), Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom (GDS)) can generally be accepted in place of the TestDaF or DHS tests.
posted by ubersturm at 9:57 PM on December 23, 2009