The English Evaluation Test (EET) is a diagnostic test of academic English given before each semester according to a policy set by the Committee on Graduate Programs. MIT’s English Language Studies Program (ELS) administers the EET.
The EET is designed for international graduate students from non-English-language academic backgrounds. The EET consists of assessments of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and grammar. It identifies weaknesses in academic speaking and writing English that may interfere with course work, teaching, and research at MIT.
The January 2025 EET will be offered in person on Thursday, January 30, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. in room 14E-310. NOTE: That is in building 14, NOT building E14. See whereis.mit.edu.
The EET does not affect your admissions status.
If you have been admitted to MIT, you have been admitted to MIT. The results of this test do not affect your status as an enrolling MIT student. They are informational, designed to provide a current assessment of your relevant and necessary academic communication skills in English.
Who takes the EET?
The Institute requires all entering international graduate students to take the EET if English was not their primary language of instruction from the age of six through high school. If your schooling was in English from the age of six through high school, you do not need to take the EET. Many students from India, Malaysia, Singapore and other Asian countries, as well as African and Caribbean countries such as South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, and St. Lucia, fall into this category.
Note that graduating with an undergraduate degree or a master’s degree in the U.S. or other country where instruction is conducted in English does not exempt a student from taking the EET. While some international students do graduate from such institutions with adequate communication skills, many others emerge still having major gaps in their communication skills. These gaps persist because focused instruction for international undergraduates in English language and academic communications is usually limited, and subsequent immersion in the language is usually not enough to fill in those gaps. Thus, even students who meet the requirements for waiving the standardized English proficiency tests for admission to MIT (e.g., the TOEFL or IELTS) are still required to take the EET upon arrival.
What do the results mean?
The EET results are strictly informative. There is no “passing” or “failing,” and students taking the EET have already been admitted to MIT. EET results do not affect that status.
EET results may indicate one of the following:
- Inadequate: One or more academic English skills are weak enough to need immediate attention. A particular course—specified in your results email—is strongly recommended. Departmental policy determines how a student will act on the recommendation.
- Limited: One or more academic English skills are weak enough such that focused instruction and study are probably needed for success in certain communication tasks typical of an academic community. Registering for a particular course—specified in your results email—is recommended for the current or future semester. Departmental policy determines how a student will act on the recommendation. Such communication tasks include:
- participating in interactive seminars;
- completing coursework that requires presentations and research reports;
- teaching recitation or lab sections;
- interacting with representatives of industry;
- presenting research to peers, sponsors, and experts at meetings and conferences; and
- writing proposals, reports, and journal papers.
- Adequate: A student’s academic English skills are proficient (adequate) for engaging fully in studies and research. No course work is recommended.
Why do arriving international graduate students take the EET?
At the request of faculty, the Committee on Graduate Programs (CGP) requires newly admitted international graduate students to take the English Evaluation Test (EET) to determine the current level of their academic English skills. Standardized English tests such as the TOEFL are not considered a reliable measure of academic communicative competence.
From the moment they enter the Institute, graduate students are expected to be productive members of a lively research community with an intense culture of communication. They are immediately expected to participate in some or all of the activities listed above (“What do the results mean?”).
Few international students have experience with these types of communication tasks in English. Many have little experience even in their first languages. The EET is thus intended to help students identify important gaps in their written and oral English that will inhibit their ability to meet academic, research, and work requirements and to provide new students and their advisors with information to help them prepare for success in their graduate activities at MIT.
Moreover, as noted earlier, a student can graduate from a U.S. or other English-instruction university or graduate program still having major gaps in their communication skills in English. Instruction in English language for international undergraduates is usually quite limited, and subsequent “immersion” is often not enough to fill in remaining gaps.
Do I need to register in advance in order to take the EET?
No. Just come to the test site specified above at the given time. PLEASE be sure to bring
- a charged laptop computer with the Google Chrome browser installed,
- a pair of earbuds or wired earphones/headphones, and
- your MIT ID, if you have one yet, or some other official (government-issued) picture ID.
(You do not need to bring paper, pencils/pens, or a dictionary. We will supply those as necessary.)
When will the results be available?
The results of the Spring 2025 EET will be sent out by email on Friday, January 31st to all test-takers and their departments.
Whom should I contact with questions about English Language Studies (ELS) classes at MIT?
Again, for questions regarding whether you should take the EET, contact your departmental graduate administrator.
For questions about ELS classes, please contact:
- Eric Grunwald, Director, ELS (egrunwal@mit.edu)
- A.C. Kemp, Lecturer II, ELS (ackemp@mit.edu)
- Or your graduate administrator.