Meet the STEP test
The Standardized Test of English Proficiency (STEP) from the National Center for Assessment measures your general English level. Universities, scholarship…
The Standardized Test of English Proficiency (STEP) from the National Center for Assessment measures your general English level. Universities, scholarship programmes and employers use it. Every question is multiple choice, in English.
Test sections
| Section | Weight | What it tests |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 40% | short and long texts: main idea, details, word meaning, inference |
| Structure | 30% | grammar: tenses, passive, conditionals, pronouns, prepositions and more |
| Listening Comprehension | 20% | conversations, announcements and short talks with questions |
| Compositional Analysis | 10% | linking words, punctuation, capitals, sentence order, error spotting |
Quick facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Questions | 100 multiple-choice questions |
| Time | about two and a half hours |
| Score | out of 100 |
| Our simulation | 4 sections: Reading 40 questions (60 min), Structure 30 (35), Listening 20 (30), Compositional Analysis 10 (15) |
| Listening | each recording plays twice; the transcript appears after you answer |
A suggested study plan
- Start with reading: it is 40% of the score. One passage a day with its questions.
- Work through the Structure chapters pattern by pattern and try five questions of each.
- Listen to ten minutes of clear English every day (news, short dialogues).
- Learn the linking-word table and punctuation rules: they are the easiest marks.
- End each week with a full simulation and review your mistakes notebook.
Instructions and buttons on STEP test pages are in English, as in the real test, so you get used to them.