EFL diagnostic tests — multiple choice, sentence transformation or essay writing?

Every semester at the Catholic University in Lisbon, Portugal (UCP), students are required to take diagnostic tests to assess their level of English as a Foreign Language. Most faculties require a B2 level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and teachers are required to design reliable tests that assess the students levels fairly. Therefore, test writing and design are often a topic of conversation between teachers during which the multiple choice, transformation and essay formats are discussed. Most EFL diagnostic tests taken at UCP include at least two of these formats, but no formal analysis of results has been made to assess the discrepancy or similarity between the results achieved by students in the different parts of the test, as the final result is calculated by the mean of all parts, which are worth equal points. The study aims to compare and analyse the diagnostic test results achieved by students enrolled in the Law Faculty at UCP in 2020.21 and data collection is based on the results obtained in the multiple choice, sentence transformation and writing sections. Ultimately, the study aims to determine which question format is more reliable to assess student’s EFL level and eventually help teachers make better decisions on diagnostic test design.