Four-skills workplace English assessment
Practical English
for work,
ELT Practical English Test (PCAT) is an online assessment that measures listening, reading, writing and speaking through tasks close to real work — meetings, emails, chats and role-plays. Beyond whether the English is correct, it puts weight on whether the meaning got across and the task got done.
- Online, no test centre
- About 45 minutes in total
- All scoring by AI
- Results usually within 30 minutes
The challenge
Existing English scores alone don’t show whether people can use English at work
Working with overseas teams and clients is now part of everyday business, and the question is whether people can get work done in English. Tests of correct English show whether someone understands short audio and texts accurately, and how accurate and fluent their grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation are. Some things the job needs are harder to see.
Speaking up and keeping up in English meetings
Following the main points in meetings with overseas offices and clients, and getting your own view across.
Getting your intent across in email and moving people to act
Giving just the information needed, in a message that gets the other person to act.
Choosing the right words for the situation, and rephrasing
Adjusting how you say things to the person and the situation, and rephrasing to recover when the message doesn’t land.
As a result, decisions rely on interviewers’ impressions or reviews after an assignment or placement
This is not a criticism of existing tests. They measure different things, so combining them shows more.
What is PCAT?
ELT Practical English Test (PCAT) is an online assessment of how well you use English at work. Alongside the accuracy of grammar and vocabulary, it puts weight on whether your meaning got across and whether the task got done. Through tasks close to real work — reading work chat, following a meeting with three or four speakers, replying to emails and responding by voice in a role-play — it measures all four skills in about 45 minutes, and returns a CEFR-aligned level with dimension-level results for speaking and writing, usually within 30 minutes.
How to use it
Use PCAT in place of your current English test, or alongside it
Tell us your goals and who will take it, and we will suggest whether replacing or combining fits.
Use it in place of your current test
Bring English assessment into PCAT and measure all four skills with work-like tasks, in about 45 minutes per test.
Good for
- Before and after training, or regular checks of English ability
- When you want all four skills, speaking and writing included, in one test
- When you want to stop arranging test centres and dates
Use it alongside your current test
Keep your current test and HR standards, and check across four skills whether people can use English at work.
Good for
- Checking candidates for overseas work or roles that use English
- Hiring and internal moves, to add to interviews
- Comparing existing scores with how people use English at work
PCAT does not offer score conversions or equivalences with other English tests. Results are reported as CEFR-aligned levels.
What sets it apart
In speaking and writing, 85% of the score is whether the meaning got across and the task got done
A few small errors never decide the overall result, and accuracy still counts.
Example: “She don’t have the file yet.” is an error the meaning survives, so it only slightly affects language quality. “I will conform the schedule tomorrow.” (meaning confirm) misleads the listener, so it lowers the score for whether the listener can understand.
Speaking & Writing
Communication: task achievement / intelligibility / appropriateness / coherence / rephrasing and repair
The tasks
Work situations as the setting, with listening, reading, writing and speaking in one test
You take listening, then reading, writing and speaking. The time limits add up to about 45 minutes.
Listening
Short remarks, two-person conversations, meetings with three or four people (some with a handout), and internal briefings. Adaptive, four options.
Reading
Work chats, specifications and business documents, and cross-checking several documents. Adaptive, four options and short answers.
Writing
Chat replies, email replies, and reports, summaries or minutes. Written answers.
Speaking
Answering questions, describing a photo, giving an opinion or recommendation, and a role-play. Recorded answers.
Results
Not just a level, but where and how to improve
Results are reported as CEFR-aligned levels. The PCAT Score is not a percentage correct: it reflects the difficulty of the questions answered correctly. Results usually arrive within 30 minutes.
Overall and four-skills scores and levels
A score and level overall and for each skill, with what someone at that level can do. The profile across skills shows what to work on.
Dimension-level results and feedback
Ratings and feedback on 8 speaking and 6 writing dimensions, with strengths and areas to work on.
Study plan
The report screen shows a study plan that AI creates for each test taker, with recommended materials.
PCAT Score and CEFR bands
- Below A180–99
- A1100–119
- A2120–139
- B1140–159
- B2160–179
- C1180–199
- C2200–230
Use cases
Suited to diagnosis before training and to checking candidates for roles that use English
It can also support hiring, internal moves and before-and-after checks around training.
Diagnosis and placement before training
See where each person stands in the four skills, choose who joins and place them in classes. Dimension-level results show what each person should work on.
Talk to us →Overseas work and roles that use English every day
On top of your internal standards, check with work-like tasks how candidates handle meetings, emails and spoken exchanges.
Talk to us →Hiring and internal moves
As one more input alongside CVs, interviews and existing scores, it shows how people use English in ways an interview can miss.
Talk to us →Before and after training
Take it before and after training and use the change in skill and dimension results to review the training (talk to us).
Talk to us →We don’t recommend PCAT as a cut-off for promotion or as the sole basis for pass/fail decisions, because it is not a proctored test with identity checks.
Phased rollout
Start with a small group, confirm it fits your environment and goals, then expand
For fewer than 10 people, please ask us.
- STEP 1
Staff trial
Up to 5 people, one test each. See the test screens and the score report.
Free
- STEP 2
Pilot
From 10 people, with numbers and timing designed around your needs. We run the operations for you and hold one results briefing.
Pilot rate
- STEP 3
Review
At the results briefing we explain the totals and our observations. You decide whether to continue.
Included in the pilot
- STEP 4
Full rollout
Expand coverage year by year. As standard, your team runs the organization portal.
Quoted for you
Transparency first
A new test should show what’s inside.
Before any client logos, we show what PCAT measures, how it is scored and what comes back.
- Sample score reportSee the report you actually receive, with fictitious data.
- Scoring method, publishedThe communication and language-quality criteria and their weights are on this site.
- All scoring by AIAll scoring is done by AI. Each speaking and writing response is scored three times independently, and the median is used for each dimension.
- How data is handledAudio, video and answers are stored in Microsoft Azure’s Japan region and are not used to train AI.
For individuals
You can also take PCAT on your own.
JPY 5,500 per attempt, tax included. Take it on a computer with Chrome, Edge or Safari. Phones and tablets are not covered by our testing.
- 1× JPY 5,500
- 3× JPY 14,850
- 5× JPY 22,000
How it works
- 1Create an accountSign up in the test app.
- 2Check your setupComputer, browser and microphone.
- 3Take the test in about 45 minutesListening, reading, writing, speaking.
- 4Results usually within 30 minutesSkill and dimension results, plus a study plan.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can PCAT be used instead of TOEIC or other English tests?
No. PCAT is not designed on the assumption that you drop a test or HR standard you already use. You can keep it and add a four-skills assessment close to real work.
Is PCAT scored entirely by AI?
All scoring is done by AI. Each speaking and writing response is scored three times independently by AI and the median is used for each dimension, which evens out the variation of a single run.
Can I take the test on a phone or tablet?
Please use a computer. PCAT runs in Chrome, Edge or Safari; phones and tablets are not covered by our testing.
What if I get interrupted?
You can resume the same attempt within 24 hours of starting it, at no extra cost.
Start by telling us what you want to check, how many people and when
In a 30-minute online briefing we hear your goals and who will take it, and suggest how to use PCAT. Staff can try it free, up to 5 people.