SharpAssessmentGet started

Free English proficiency test

Free English proficiency test online: 36 grammar, vocabulary and reading questions in 30 minutes, timed or untimed, explanations for every answer, shareable result.

FREE PRACTICE · NEW QUESTIONS EVERY ATTEMPT

English proficiency test

Choose one answer per question. This 36-question check covers written grammar, vocabulary and reading. Do not use a dictionary or translator if you want a useful practice result. Listening, speaking and writing are not assessed.

36 questions30 minutes108 in the bank
Choose your pace

Each attempt draws 36 of 108 questions, and a retake avoids the ones you have just seen. One point per correct answer, no penalty for guessing. Skip and return to questions; answers and explanations appear after you finish. Your progress stays on this page until you reload or leave.

What an English proficiency test measures

An English proficiency test estimates how well you can use the language for work or study. Calibrated exams such as IELTS, TOEFL and the Cambridge suite test all four skills and report a level on the CEFR scale from A1 to C2. Employers who do not need a certificate often use a shorter written screen instead: grammar in context, vocabulary and reading comprehension, because those three predict how someone will handle emails, documents and instructions.

This test is that shorter screen. It tells you whether your written English is ready for an interview task or a workplace test, and which of the three areas needs the most practice first.

How this free test works

  • 36 original questions in 30 minutes: 16 grammar, 8 vocabulary and 12 reading, drawn per attempt from a bank of 108. A retake excludes the questions you saw last time.
  • Grammar in sentences, not rules to recite. Tenses, conditionals, articles, prepositions, relative clauses, reported speech, comparatives and subject-verb agreement, each as a gap in a workplace sentence.
  • Vocabulary in context: the word or phrase that fits an email, a notice or a contract, including phrasal verbs and easily confused words.
  • Reading of short workplace texts: notices, emails and policy lines, asking what they actually state.
  • Timed or untimed. Learn without the clock, then rehearse with it.
  • An explanation for every answer and a three-skill breakdown after you finish.
  • An optional shareable result with a permanent link, preview image and an Add to LinkedIn profile button.

Sample English proficiency questions

Grammar. “I ___ him since we worked together in Madrid.” Don’t see, haven’t seen, didn’t see, am not seeing. “Since” with a starting point in the past calls for the present perfect: haven’t seen.

Vocabulary. “Sales ___ by 12% in the first quarter.” Raised, rose, risen, arose. “Rise” is intransitive and needs no object, so rose. “Raise” would need something that was raised.

Reading. “Please submit expenses within 30 days. Claims older than 60 days will not be paid.” What is the status of a claim submitted after 45 days? It is late but may still be paid: it missed the 30-day request but is inside the 60-day cut-off. Choosing “refused” reads a stronger rule than the one written.

How to improve your English proficiency score

  1. Find the time marker before choosing a tense. “Yesterday”, “since 2021”, “by next June” and “when I called” each fix the tense on their own.
  2. Check whether a verb needs an object. Rise and raise, lie and lay, arise and arouse are confused in exactly this way.
  3. Read the whole sentence before the gap. “Neither of the two proposals ___” is singular because “neither” is, whatever the plural noun next to the gap suggests.
  4. In reading questions, underline the condition. “Only with prior written approval”, “recommended for everyone else” and “at least two days” carry the answer.
  5. Review by skill, not by question. If grammar is the weak area, work through one tense family at a time rather than more random practice.

Reading your result

Your percentage is the share of the 36 questions you answered correctly. The result guide explains the score ranges and what to practise for each of the three skills. The test has not been calibrated to the CEFR and does not assess listening, speaking or writing, so the result is a practice score, not a level or a language certificate.

  • Proofreading test: find and fix the one error in each sentence, the production side of grammar.
  • Verbal reasoning test: True, False or Cannot say on longer passages, for readers who want harder comprehension.
  • Typing speed test: how fast and accurately you type English prose.

Frequently asked questions

Is this English proficiency test free?
Yes. All 36 questions, the score, the breakdown by grammar, vocabulary and reading, every explanation and a public result link are free. No account or email address is needed.
Does the score give me a CEFR level?
No. The test has not been calibrated against the CEFR scale, so a percentage here is not an A2, B1 or C1 level, and it is not an IELTS, TOEFL or Cambridge prediction. Use it to find the areas to work on before you sit a calibrated exam.
What does the test not cover?
Listening, speaking and free writing. It samples written grammar, vocabulary in context and reading of short workplace texts, which is the part of proficiency that a multiple-choice test can check reliably.
Are the questions the same on a retake?
No. Each attempt draws 16 grammar, 8 vocabulary and 12 reading questions from a bank of 108 and excludes the ones you saw last time.
Can I use a dictionary?
You can, but the result will then measure your dictionary rather than your English. Take it once without help to get a useful baseline, then look up anything you missed in the answer review.