MELAB

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 officeâs 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 studentsâ 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.