Placement and Proficiency Exams
Placement Test and English Proficiency Exam (APEX)
Students enrolled in English medium programs at Atılım University take the Placement Test administered by the Department of Basic English. Based on the results of this exam, students are placed into one of the levels D, C, B, or A where they will receive their education in the Department of Basic English. Students placed at level A according to their Placement Test result become eligible to take the English Proficiency Exam (APEX). Other students begin their education in the Department of Basic English at the level determined by their Placement Test result (D, C, or B), while students who take the English Proficiency Exam and fail begin their education at level A.
Students who pass the Proficiency Exam are exempt from English preparatory education and continue their studies in their respective faculties. The passing score for APEX is 60 out of 100, while it is 65 for the departments of English Language and Literature and English Translation and Interpretation.
The content of the Proficiency Exam is as follows:
APEX (Atılım University English Proficiency Exam)
The APEX (Atılım University English Proficiency Exam) is a comprehensive test of English proficiency for candidates aiming to enroll in degree or diploma programs at Atılım University. The test is designed to cover level B1+ and B2 levels according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). It is developed and administered by the Department of Basic English at the Atılım University School of Foreign Languages. The examination standards are aligned with the CEFR.
Due to the need to assess a large number of candidates efficiently, the test primarily uses formats that can be optically or manually marked. For writing assessment, a team of experienced markers conduct double marking to ensure accuracy. As APEX is a dynamic and evolving examination, the formats may change from time to time to improve assessment methods.
Listening Section
The Listening section of APEX consists of two parts. The first part measures candidates' ability to understand the general gist of a spoken text, such as a radio program, conversation, seminar, lecture, or dialogue, identify the speaker's emotions, or distinguish necessary information from the content. In this section, candidates answer multiple-choice questions. The second part aims to have candidates understand and take notes on key details from a spoken text by making inferences. Candidates use their notes to answer multiple-choice questions.
Reading Section
The Reading section of the exam consists of 3 or 4 reading texts, each accompanied by multiple-choice questions that measure candidates' ability to comprehend the meaning of an English text at the word, phrase, sentence, paragraph, and overall level. Candidates are expected to understand the main idea, answer questions related to the text, differentiate various pieces of information, determine the purpose of the text, understand the author's viewpoint, make inferences, and guess the meaning of key words. Candidates should possess various reading skills, such as skimming for the main idea and scanning for detailed information. They are also expected to understand the structure of the reading text, maintaining unity and coherence from introduction to conclusion.
Grammar and Vocabulary Section
This section consists of two parts with a total of 20 multiple-choice questions. Candidates mark their answers on an optical form. The first part evaluates candidates' vocabulary knowledge (meaning, structure, and type of words) within a meaningful context. Words are selected from the 3000 Academic Word List. The second part measures candidates' grammatical competence, including specific structural forms like tenses and prepositions. The number of texts provided varies between 3 and 4, with each text containing 1 to 7 blanks.
Writing Section
The purpose of this section is to measure candidates' ability to understand a topic and write a text with coherence and cohesion, using grammar and vocabulary appropriate to their level. Candidates are expected to write a critique or an opinion essay presenting the positive and negative aspects of a situation, supporting their views with reasons. They may be asked to write an essay in various formats, such as a two-sided argument, a problem-solution proposal, cause and effect, advantages and disadvantages, or a comparison.