Traditional school education trains people into thinking about tests the wrong way, making them seem like nothing more than a simple measurement of how much knowledge is retained at the end of each chapter. But in fact, testing is a vital part of the learning process from beginning to end. Taking regular French tests is one of the most effective things you can do to learn the language.
When you start taking public or private classes, your teacher tests your French knowledge, either explicitly by having you take a proficiency test, or implicitly by leading you in conversation. This testing at the beginning of the learning cycle is essential: it establishes your baseline and helps your teacher, particularly when it comes to private classes, create a course based on what you, personally, know and don’t know.
But the usefulness of testing doesn’t end there – it should be at the centre of the learning cycle. Ongoing French tests will help refine what you know and where you’re having trouble, which is vital so that you don’t practise your mistakes. Most importantly, testing is an easy and efficient way to practise your French actively, and has long-term learning benefits.
Most computer-based language courses, whether online or off, don’t bother to test your French level; rather, they typically offer one-size-fits-all products that don’t really fit anyone. That’s what sets Kwiziq apart: it starts with a detailed CEFR level assessment, and after that the entire system is based on kwizzing. As you’re tested on every aspect of the language, your progress is tracked and your personalized Studyplan updated so that you’re always working on exactly what you need the most help with.
The only way to embed new grammar and language skills in your memory is to use what you’ve learned. So if you’re serious about improving your French, make sure you take our online French test!
Author info
[Follow on Twitter: @gruffdavies] Despite the very Welsh name, Gruff is actually half French. Nowadays, he's a tech entrepreneur (and some-time novelist) but he used to be a physicist at Imperial College before getting hooked on inventing things. He has a special interest in language learning, speaks five languages to varying degrees of fluency and he often blogs about language learning, science, and technology. As well as co-founding Kwiziq, he is the author the Amazon best-selling SF thriller, The Looking Glass Club and the inventor of the Exertris gaming exercise-bike and Pidgin, a free online tool that makes drawing flow charts and relationship diagrams as quick and easy as describing them in pidgin English.
Laura is a French expert and Kwiziq's Head of Quality Control. Online educator since '99, Laura is passionate about language, travel, and cooking. She's American by birth and a permanent ex-pat by choice - freelancing made it possible for her to travel extensively and live in several countries before settling permanently in Guadeloupe. Laura is the author of Lawless French, Lawless Spanish, and other websites and books on French, Spanish, Italian, English, and vegetarianism. She spends most of her spare time reading, playing with food, and enjoying water sports.