Choosing the right English test is like hiring the perfect tour guide

Abi Fordham
A university teacher stood in front of a class, responding to a student thats sat with their hand up
Reading time: 2 minutes

Imagine planning a trip to a new city. Sure, you could wander around on your own, relying on internet reviews and vague directions, or you could hire a tour guide... someone who knows the streets, understands the landmarks, and can give you a genuine and knowledge-filled experience. 

Now, would you pick a tour guide who just started last week, or would you look to one who has been showing people around for decades, refining their approach and knowing all the ins and outs of the landscape? 

That’s the difference experience makes. 

Why experience in testing matters

Just like an expert guide ensures you experience the best parts of a city because they’ve explored every corner before, a test backed by years of research and constant refinement delivers reliable, accurate results for international admissions teams. Pearson has spent years perfecting its approach to language assessment, not only through research but also by learning from every test taken.

Each test provides valuable data, feeding into ongoing improvements, ensuring that assessments remain fair, precise, and aligned with real-world English proficiency needs. 

The result? Universities can trust they’re admitting students based on a system that gets smarter with every exam, reducing unpredictability and reinforcing reliability.

English Tests designed by experts

Both PTE Academic and Pearson English Express Test benefit from Pearson’s expertise: 

  • PTE Academic: A globally trusted exam designed to measure real-world English proficiency with precision. 
  • Pearson English Express Test: Fast and convenient skills assessment, backed by the same deep research ensuring fairness and accuracy.

Final thought: Choose experience

When you pick the right guide who is backed with expertise, it can transform your experience from ordinary to unforgettable. Likewise, choosing a well-established proficiency test, refined through years of experience, gives universities the confidence to make informed admissions decisions. 

Pearson has spent decades perfecting the science of language assessment—so why leave such a critical choice to uncertainty?

Explore Pearson's new test

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    And it is not just about convenience. It is about equity.

    Fairness, built in

    One of the most exciting things about Pearson English Express Test is how it levels the playing field. The test uses AI scoring that has been rigorously developed and validated by human experts. This reduces bias and ensures that every student is assessed consistently, no matter where they are from or what accent they have.

    We’ve also built in over 90 security features including dual-camera proctoring, ID and speaker verification. So, institutions can trust the results, and students can trust the process. 

    Meeting students where they are

    Today’s learners are digital experts. They expect speed, flexibility, and transparency. Pearson English Express Test meets them where they are, both literally and figuratively! It is a test that fits into their lives, not the other way around.

    And institutions are taking notice, with universities and institutions joining the list to accept the test for their future admissions windows. At NAFSA, we heard again and again how refreshing it was to see a trusted name like Pearson offering a modern, student-friendly alternative.

    This is just the beginning

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    1. Don't take things personally when you're teaching English

    "I am probably not emotionally suited for this job. I take everything very personally and if a lesson goes wrong or an activity I have taken time and energy to plan doesn’t work, I feel like a complete failure. It’s a trial and error experience but when things go wrong, they can go very wrong, and it really makes you doubt your abilities as a teacher.

    Having said that, the lessons that do go well can make up for these negative feelings. I shouldn’t take things personally; the majority of my colleagues don’t and it saves them a lot of sleepless nights"

    2. Teaching English is incredibly rewarding

    "There are very few feelings that I’ve experienced that compare to seeing a student use a word that you have taught them – it makes you feel like a proud parent. Equally, seeing a student improve over a series of months is so joyful. I have been teaching English university preparation students for the past year.

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    3. Teach more than just English

    "Turkish students love hearing about how you appreciate their food and cultural traditions. Equally, they are genuinely interested in understanding how things operate in the UK and enjoy hearing personal anecdotes. I tend to be very open with my students – even about my personal life. I think it is partly because I have striven from the very beginning of my career to be seen as their equal.

    Turkish students are used to having a huge respect for teachers, and there is a hierarchical system in schools here, which I can never go along with. In my first lesson with most students, I tell them that they must call me by my first name (usually you refer to teachers here as ‘hocam’ which means ‘my teacher’ and shows respect) and this can take a long while for them to get used to."

    4. Failure to prepare is to prepare for failure... or is it?

    "Lessons that you spend hours preparing for generally don’t go as well as you had hoped. There were several times when I’d spend hours cutting and sticking things on pieces of card and placing pictures all over the classroom, hoping it would get some vocabulary action going, only to start the class and receive no response from the students.

    Conversely, lessons where you don’t feel very motivated or have no idea what you are going to do until you get into the classroom (which I call the ‘flying by the seat of your pants’ lessons) can turn out to be the best ones. I once had a lesson in which I was, admittedly, rather hungover. On the way to the lesson, I grabbed a book called ‘Taboos and Issues’, full of discussion topics, which I used as a basis for a rather impromptu lesson on addictions, which was very successful indeed."

    5. Teaching English isn't easy

    "Teaching English is a love/hate profession. There are weeks when you absolutely loathe it and want to quit, but then within the space of a lesson or two, you get inspired by something completely unexpected, rediscover your joy for it and love it again."