MUET Introduction
The Malaysian University English Test (which is normally referred to as MUET) is an English Proficiency Test under the Malaysian Examination Council (MEC). Starting from the year 2021, this test will be using the new format for all the four papers and are CEFR aligned. More about this later on in the article.
First of all, some background information about MUET. This language test is used as a criterion for entry into a degree programme in most Malaysian universities and may be a vital condition that you will need to achieve for you to graduate from these universities.
MUET was first started more than two decades ago in 1999. This test will be taken by form six students, matriculation students, diploma holders and pre-university students who plan to pursue their first degree in a Malaysian university.
As a subject, MUET is taught to six formers in schools, students in the matriculation programme and preuniversity students in certain programmes in Malaysia. In the length of study, each student will have to sit for the test and would need to get the band that will fulfil the requirement of the course they choose to start in university.
MUET Test Dates
The MUET test is held 3 times a year. MUET Sesi 1 is in March or April, MUET Sesi 2 is held in June or July and MUET Sesi 3 will be in November. The results will come out about two months after the test is completed.
It is good for you to know when you would need to use your MUET results for the purpose of application to universities and arrange the best time to be sitting for MUET. I would advise you to sit for MUET earlier on and not wait till the last minute. This is so that if in the unfortunate event you would have to resit the test, there is going to be enough time for you to do so.
There is however a solution for when you need to have your MUET results quickly. There is the MUET on Demand (MoD) that you can sit for that is held several times a year. You would need to log on to the MEC portal for the actual dates. The seats for the MoD are very limited as there are not many centres conducting this test. Also, the fee costs a lot more
MUET Fees
*This amount is correct during the time this post is written in April 2021
There is a big difference in the fees for MUET and MoD. There is also a difference in amount for Malaysians wanting to sit for the test and non-Malaysians.
This fee needs to be paid in full when you buy the MEC PIN number. The pin number will be needed during the test registration.
MUET challenges faced by candidates
In the effort of getting the band that they need to enter university; it is common also to see students having to sit for the test for more than one time. This will naturally cause some (or a lot) of worry and stress among students.
Later on, when they have already entered university, students may also be required to achieve a certain band in MUET for them to finally graduate. It is a must to get the higher bands of Band 5.0 and above if you are pursuing certain courses such as Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) or a law degree for you to actually complete your studies.
There are also MUET candidates who have already started working. These candidates may want to improve their qualifications by getting a degree. In their hope to be accepted into universities they too would have to sit for MUET. It is certainly not easy to get yourself prepared for the test and hold a full-time job at the same time.
As a teacher I can see that the struggle is real for some. My heart goes to you. But as a teacher also I have seen students with a very basic level of English but through a lot of hard work and perseverance succeeded in achieving the band they needed to enter university. Kudos to you!
New format of MUET–CEFR aligned
Starting from the year 2021 MUET will come in a new format for all papers. This new format is what is described as CEFR aligned which means that the aggregated score for MUET will be in line with the CEFR global scale.
The changes would affect the paper in all aspects namely the paper format, the time allocation for each paper, the scoring for all papers, the band used for the test and the descriptors of user for bands awarded.
What is CEFR?
CEFR is the short form for the Common European Framework of References. The CEFR is a measure that is commonly used to describe what a language learner is able to do at different stages of their learning of the language.
To make it clearer, think of the metric system of measurement that is being used by many nations around the world. The measurement for length, volume and mass which uses metre, litre and grammes for instance are the same if used anywhere around world. It is a unified understanding and acceptance that if you run a distance of 1 kilometre in Malaysia, you would have run the same distance if it was done in any other country around the world. So, the CEFR could be viewed loosely as the having the metric system of measurement for language proficiency.
The CEFR is language-neutral which means that it is a yardstick that could then be applied for any languages. The CEFR categorises language proficiency in 6 levels as could be seen below
The CEFR Global scale
Source: Council of Europe [www.coe.int]
The language proficiency levels are categorised into 6 levels from A1 being the lowest to C2 the highest. The A1 and A2 level is identified as the Basic User of the language. B1 and B2 levels are identified as the Independent User and the C1 and C2 levels the as the Proficient User of the language.There are also the more detailed scales from the same source such as the self-assessment grid and the qualitative aspects of spoken language use and more. All this added information could be found from the website mentioned above.
MUET Test Components
The MUET test is made up of four components. They are the listening, speaking, reading and writing papers. All information about the test that is seen here is taken from the Malaysian University English Test (MUET) Regulations and Test Specifications. This document could be found in the Malaysian Examination Council portal.
Information about the four different components of the test is as seen below:
The Test Components
All candidates must sit for all four components to be awarded a band for MUET. As could be seen in the table, paper 1 is the listening paper, paper 2 is speaking, paper 3 is reading and paper 4 is writing. The papers have different time allocations except for reading and writing. I would like to focus on the interesting detail here that all four papers have the same value of importance of the same 25% weighting for each paper.
This does not simply mean that a candidate should allocate the same amount of time of study for all the four papers. Only you would know which paper you would need to focus on more. But bear in mind that all papers will give you with 25% of the overall marks for MUET.
MUET Test Scores
The MUET test has a maximum score of 360 marks. The distribution of marks is as seen here:
MUET Aggregated Scores
The marks for all four components will be added up and the total marks will grant you a band as according to the table below:
You would to have a workable target of what score you would need to get. Aim from now and then work towards it.
I would advise you to keep this aggregated score table visible or where it is easy for you to see. Work hard!
