MELAB

MELAB stands for Michigan English Language Assessment Battery. It is an advanced-level battery (or group) of English language proficiency tests. It is for adult non-native speakers of English who will need to use English for academic purposes at the college and university level.

D e s c r i p t i o n

The MELAB is mainly for students who are applying to universities in the United States, Canada, and The United Kingdom, where the language of instruction is English, and is accepted as evidence of English language proficiency by universities as an alternative to the TOEFL. The MELAB is also administered to professionals who will need to use English in their work: for example, to engineers who come to the U.S. for on-site training at large manufacturing companies, etc. The MELAB is NOT evidence of certification for purposes to teaching English.

The MELAB is designed to measure proficiency in the four basic language skill areas: writing, listening, reading and speaking. The entire MELAB lasts 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours (including check-in at the examination site) and consists of the following:

Part 1: A written composition
Part 2: A listening comprehension test
Part 3: A grammar, cloze, vocabulary, and reading comprehension test
Optional Speaking test (not available at all test centres)

The speaking test is not automatically included in every MELAB administration. It is required for some candidates seeking professional certification and for applicants to the University of Michigan. If you are applying at the graduate level to a university in the U.S. and want to be considered for a teaching assistantship in order to receive financial aid, it is strongly recommended that you include the speaking test in your MELAB test. The speaking test is not available at some test centres.

THE SPEAKING TEST MAY NOT BE TAKEN SEPERATELY FROM THE REST OF THE TEST

All test forms in the official MELAB are secure and are not for sale. To register for MELAB, contact the test centre of your choice. All test papers are scored at the English Language Institute of the University of Michigan (ELI-UM).

The MELAB is given in the U.S. and Canada. There is very limited availability of the MELAB outside of the U.S. and Canada, where it is given only as a sponsored group test. The optional speaking test is not available for any test outside3 the U.S. and Canada.

Preparation

The MELAB is a general proficiency language test. It is not linked to any particular book, language study program, or course study. The best way to develop proficiency in a language is through active use of the language for communication combined with the study of materials that widen exposure to the language. Learning a language is a continuing process.

You can prepare for the MELAB by becoming familiar with the format test, so that you have an idea of what to expect.

You can prepare for the writing part by writing on a topic for 30 minutes. How well do you communicate your ideas? Do you write clearly? Does your writing show that you have a wide range of vocabulary? Are the words you use appropriate?

You can prepare for the listening test by giving yourself frequent opportunities to listen to spoken English.

You can prepare for the speaking test by having conversations with native speakers about various topics in which you express your opinions or preferences. Do you have the vocabulary and control of sentence structure to express yourself easily? How well are you able to interact? When the topic switches to a new one, are you able to move smoothly to the new topic?

A variety of English language learning materials are available at bookstores and libraries. Some materials are also available which give students practice with multiple-choice language tests. The ELI does not sell any particular materials. We do recommend A Student's Guide to the MELAB, by Mary Spaan (UM Press, 1992), available at bookstores or through the UM Press at (800) 621-2736 or (773) 702-7000 if you are outside the U.S. This book can also be purchased on Amazon.com.

You may also take a sample test and answers for the sample at the ELI website.

Elegibility

You must wait a minimum of 6 weeks to retake the MELAB. You may take the MELAB only 4 times in a 12-month period. This means that if you have taken the test 4 times, you may not take the test again until a year and a day from your first test. If you have taken the test more that 4 times, you may not take the test until a year and a day from your fourth most recent test.

Registration

Completely fill out the Official Identification Form. Attach a recent, original passport photo to the ID Form. Scanned photos or photocopied photos are not acceptable. Registration is only valid for 6 months and is not transferable. Extensions are not granted, and no refunds are given.

SPEAKING TEST: If you are required to take the optional speaking test, you must pay the examiner an additional US $40.00. You must bring a blank audiocassette to the test so that the speaking test can be recorded. The speaking test may not be taken separately from the rest of the test.

Identification

On the day of the test you will need to bring supporting evidence of your identity to the test centre, either one of the following:
Your SIGNED PASSPORT, issued by your country's government, with your passport photo clearly embossed, either in ink or with a raised seal, OR

You PERMANENT RESIDENT CARD (Green Card), issued by the U.S. or Canadian government, if you live in the U.S. or Canada and you have been given permanent resident status, OR

Your HEALTH CARD if you live in Canada.

You should also have an additional piece of photo ID with you, such as a driver's licence, school identity card, etc. This ID is not sufficient by itself but will confirm the information on your passport, Permanent Resident Card, or Health Card if you live in Canada. If your passport photo is not recent and shows your appearance as a much younger person, you MUST show another photo ID to the examiner. In case of questionable identity, photos of you may be taken on the spot at the test site.

Arrive promptly at the scheduled time. If you arrive late, you will not be allowed to take the test on that date. It may be possible to reschedule the test for another date. Discuss this with the local examiner.

Unacceptable Behavior

The ELI-UM reserves the right to decline to score the MELAB or invalidate the MELAB scores under the following circumstances:

An examiners appearance does not match his or her MELAB registration photograph, or an examinee's appearance does not match his or her passport, Permanent Resident Card, or Health Card photograph.
The examiner discovers evidence of examinee misconduct during the MELAB administration, including, but not limited to, copying answers from another examinee, talking with another examinee during the test administration, transferring MELAB test information to any external media, referring to previously prepared notes or aids (test preparation books, study guides, dictionaries, etc. Are not allowed), creating a disturbance, or neglecting to follow the examiner's instructions.
There is sufficient evidence that the handwriting on the MELAB composition section does not match the handwriting on a previous MELAB administration completed by the same examinee, or that the signature on the MELAB composition does not match the signature on the MELAB registration form.
There is an unusual discrepancy in the pattern of answers for an examinee across MELAB sections, or from one MELAB administration to another.

An examinee charged with misconduct during the examination will be asked to leave the test administration room. No test fees will be refunded for examinees charged with misconduct, or for those whose scores are invalidated, and no score reports will be issued. When a question of identity arises, the examinee signature and photograph may be sent to an institution or government agency for verification of identity.

Special Handling / Rush Fees

Rush service is available for the reporting of scores. Tests are normally processed (without rush service) within 2 weeks of receipt at the ELI-UM, and the scores are sent by first class mail to the institution requested. In most cases, this means that your MELAB scores will be received at the university or college you request within 4-5 weeks of the test date.

MELAB Content and Samples

The content of the test is designed for the level of English a student might encounter in a University setting. On the listening test, the speakers use standard American English at a normal rate of delivery. The grammar items on the test focus on control of forms and structur4es of English that people might use when talking with each other. The vocabulary words tested are those frequently encountered in written sources. The Reading comprehension passages, on a variety of subjects, are taken from books and magazines. The test consists of three required parts (composition, listening, grammar/cloze/vocabulary/reading) and one additional part (speaking test). The entire test takes from 2.5 to 3.5 hours, including the check-in procedures.

Part 1: Composition

The limit for the composition is 30 minutes. The examiner will give you a form with instructions and two topics on it. You must sign your name on the signature line of the form.

You must write on only one of the two topics. If you write about something else, your composition paper will not be graded, and you will not be given a final MELAB score. If you do not understand the topics, you must ask the examiner to explain or to translate them. You may be asked to give your opinion of something and explain why you believe this, to describe something from your experience, or to explain a problem and offer possible solutions.

You should write at least one page. Most MELAB compositions are one or two pages long (about 200-300 words). If your paper is extremely short (less than 150 words), your composition may be given a lower score.

Before you begin writing, you may want to take 2 or 3 minutes to plan your composition and to make a short outline to organize your thoughts. Such outlines are not graded; they are only to help you. You should use the last 5 minutes to read through your composition and to make changes or corrections.

You are not graded on penmanship, but be sure your handwriting is legible. You may make changes or corrections in the body of the composition, but you should not copy your composition over. You may write in either pen or pencil.

Your composition will be graded on how clearly you express yourself in English, on the range of English you are able to use, and your control in doing so. This means your composition should be well organized, your arguments should be fully developed, and you should use a range of grammatical structures and vocabulary. Compositions that consist only of very short sentences and very simple vocabulary cannot be given the highest scores. If errors are not frequent and if they do not confuse your meaning, they will not lower your score very much.

Part 2: Listening

This is a multiple-choice tape-recorded test containing 50 questions. It lasts about 30 minutes. The examiner will play the instructions and examples on the tape recording, and then pause to answer questions, and if necessary, repeat the examples or make sound adjustments. Then the examiner will continue tape recording. It will not be stopped again until the end of the test.

You will be given a test booklet and answer sheet. You will listen to the problems on the tape recording, read the answer choices in the test booklet, and mark your answers on a separate answer sheet. You should NOT make any marks on the test booklet.

For each problem in this part of the test, there are three answer choices. You must choose the best answer. Only one is correct. If you are not sure about an answer, you should guess.

There are several kinds of problems. Some are short sentences. In the short sentence problems, you will be asked a question or you will hear a statement.

Part 3: Grammar, Cloze, Vocabulary, Reading

This test usually contains 100 questions: 30 grammar, 20 cloze, 30 vocabulary, and 20 reading. The time limit for the 100-question test is 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes). Sometimes a longer version containing 130 to 144 questions will be given. If a longer test is given, the time limit will be extended. For each question in this part of the test, there are 4 answer choices. You must choose the best answer. Only one is correct. If you are not sure about an answer, you should guess.

Optional Speaking Test

You will have a 10 to 15 minute conversation with the local examiner, who will rate your overall communicative language proficiency. The examiner will consider six salient features in your speaking before giving you an overall score. These features include fluency, intelligibility, conversational development and comprehension, and vocabulary and grammar.

During the conversation, the examiner will ask you questions about your background, your future plans, and your opinions on certain issues. The examiner may also ask you to explain certain points in detail, particularly with regard to your field of specialization or professional background.

You must bring a blank cassette tape to the test so that the speaking test can be recorded.

Reporting MELAB Scores

What is a MELAB score report?

Score reports include scores of performance on the different parts of the MELAB. Scores on Parts 1, 2, and 3 are then averaged to produce a MELAB final score. MELAB reports also include brief biographical information, the test date, and test location. (No special test certificate is awarded.)

Where are they reported?

You will automatically receive one of the unofficial copies of your MELAB score report. It will be sent to the address given on your Official Identification Form. To send official MELAB scores to universities or institutions, list these places at the bottom of the Official Identification Form. Two score reports are free, only if you list them on the form before taking the test, and additional reports cost U.S. $55.00 each.

You must list the name and the complete address of the school(s) to which you want scores sent. If you do not list them, your scores cannot be sent. If you do not know the admissions office's complete address, contact the university you are applying to and get the information from them.

Without your written permission, your score reports will not be released. You may indicate that you want your scores released only if your final score is at or above a certain number.

Do not send the score report to the institution yourself. ELI-UM sends all official MELAB score reports directly to the universities and institutions. Institutions are instructed not to accept students' copies of MELAB score reports. They will not accept a photocopy of your MELAB score report. Student copies of score reports are not considered valid.

You should make sure that the school(s) you re applying to will Accept MELAB scores as evidence of English Language profiency. If you have any problems with your scores being accepted, contact the MELAB office, and we will send the institution further information on the MELAB and help the admissions officers interpret the MELAB scores.

Additional score reports ordered after you have received your score report are U.S. $20.00 each. Rush score reports ordered after you have received your score report are U.S. $60.00.

To print out the score report form, see http://www.lsa.umich.edu/eli/melab.htm. If you have taken the test more than once, only the most recent score will be sent. You must order additional score reports by FAX or MAIL. You must include a photocopy of the score report from your most recent test.

Scores are valid for two years. No score reports can be issued for tests taken more than two years ago.

Sprott - Shaw