Exam Structure
The Computer Based Test(CBT) has four sections
The first two sections- Listening and Structure are computer adaptive, meaning, each time a question is answered, the computer scores that question and adjusts to the response. It determines the next question to be presented to the candidate by using this information. Both of these are multiple-choice sections and the candidate is presented with a question of moderate difficulty at first. If answered correctly, the second question will be tougher and if the response is incorrect the second question would be easier. The computer will continue presenting questions based on the responses, with the goal of determining the ability level of the candidate and at the same time meeting the requirement of the test for which it is designed.
Listening Section evaluates the ability of the candidate to understand English as spoken in US and Canada. Candidates are given headphones to hear recorded sessions. The questions based on the recording appear on the screen and thereafter the answer choices appear. The time spent in hearing the test material is not counted, however the material and the questions are presented only once. Structure Section contains incomplete and incorrect sentences. These are required to be completed or corrected by using words/phrases from the given chices.
The other two sections are Reading and Writing respectively. These sections are not 'computer adaptive' since the selection of passages and topics in them are not based on the performance of the candidate. The section on Reading contains short passages and questions on them. It measures the ability of the candidate to comprehend short passages, similar to those, which he may actually encounter while pursuing the actual course. The section on Writing comprises of essay writing on a given topic, within 30 minutes. The candidate has the option to type out his essay on the computer or write it on a sheet
