Placement

The ESLAT is a Reading & Writing test. You will read a 600-800 word passage. You will then summarize the passage and respond to it in a short essay. You will have 50 minutes to complete the test. (Scroll down to see an example ESLAT.)

Your test will be read by two experienced raters. If the two raters do not reach a consensus score, your test will be read by a third rater. 

The skills and abilities that are evaluated to determine whether or not you need to take an ESL course include your reading, writing, and language skills. To be exempt from ESL, you must demonstrate satisfactory proficiency in the following:

Reading ability:

• Summary reflects clear understanding of the reading
• Summary conveys the main points of the article’s arguments

Writing ability:

• Composition adheres to the conventions of academic writing
• Composition contains no plagiarism; no copying from the article
• Composition makes use of cohesive devices
• Paragraphs are well-formed
• Opinion is organized, reasoned and developed

Language use:

• Vocabulary is varied and academic
• Correct word forms are used
• Grammar is accurate and does not interfere with meaning
• Variety of sentence structures is used

The Office of Admissions and Recruitment determines who should take the ESLAT (not the Program in ESL). Please direct any questions to Admissions, as they may be able to assist you with your question more appropriately. [onwisconsin@admissions.wisc.edu]

Online placement exams results are one tool your SOAR advisor will use to guide your course registration. Based on your writing sample, you will be placed in an ESL Course (ESL 114 through ESL 118) or exempted from your English language requirement.

The ESLAT placement test is designed to assess international students’ English reading and writing proficiency and to determine whether you need additional support to succeed throughout your time at UW-Madison. If your skills as an academic writer are already strong, then there is nothing you need to do besides sit down and take the exam. We will be able to see that you are ready for all the university will demand of you. 

If, however, your reading and writing skills are not that strong, there is nothing you can do in a week or two of cramming that will change your English proficiency. If you want to perform at the peak of your ability–do your best, in other words–we recommend you spend the day before you take the exam reading, free-writing, and speaking in English only so that when you take the ESLAT the next day, your “English brain” is primed and you aren’t wasting cognitive energy in constant code-switching (that is, switching between English and your native language). 

In short, if you do have time to prepare, then you can read widely, summarize what you read, and write about it. Good writing develops through practice.

Download a past exam.

Can Children Learn from Robots (PDF)

Can Children Learn from Robots (Word Document)

Take your exam within your assigned time so that your results can be shared in time for your SOAR meeting.

The ESLAT exam will be conducted online through Canvas, the University’s online learning platform. The Canvas course will appear on your UW Canvas Dashboard (canvas.wisc.edu) after making a SOAR reservation. (You will receive an invitation to join the Canvas course via your wisc mail.)

If you have been informed to take the ESLAT, the course should appear on your UW Canvas dashboard after paying your enrollment deposit and activating your NetID. This may take two weeks or more. If you have questions, contact the Office of Student Transition and Family Engagement at soar@studentaffairs.wisc.edu if you are an undergraduate student. If you are a graduate student, contact askesl@english.wisc.edu

For undergraduate students, if you have not received any emails from the Admissions Office (check your wiscmail for university related emails) or are unsure of which placement test you’re supposed to take, please contact the Office of Admissions and Recruitment at onwisconsin@admissions.wisc.edu

See the information in this Knowledge Base Document on Activating your NetID. If you already received a NetID but forgot it, follow the instructions here.

The exam will take place in Canvas and proctored with Honorlock. Make sure you accept the Canvas course invitation at least 24 hours prior to your test. To get to Canvas, go to canvas.wisc.edu. Follow the instructions (explained in detail in the Canvas course) to prepare your equipment for the test. Read more about the minimum system requirements in this document.

At the beginning of your test, you must produce a photo ID to verify your identity. We recommend using a passport or a country-issued ID.

1. If you encounter technical difficulties, contact the DOIT help desk: help@doit.wisc.edu  
2. If you experience issues with Honorlock, use the Honorlock chat function to communicate with their support team.
3. If you are unable to successfully complete your test, contact askESL@english.wisc.edu. Include your full name and a brief explanation of what happened. Depending on your experience, you may be rescheduled to take the test online or the Program in ESL will make arrangements for you to retake the test in person on campus.

The test is 60 minutes long. Once you begin your test, you have 60 minutes to complete the test. Complete the exam to the best of your ability without outside help. This means you should not use any online tools like translation software, AI, or grammar checkers. We want to evaluate your writing based on your own abilities to ensure that the score you receive is reflective of your current proficiency.  This will allow us to properly support you in your studies here at UW.

Your results will be available at your SOAR meeting.

Everyone enrolled in ESL 114-118 has a second chance. On the first day of your ESL class, you will be given an ESLAT retake exam. (Note: There are no ESLAT retake exams for graduate courses.)

This retake test is another opportunity for you to demonstrate your English proficiency and ensure that you have been placed in the appropriate course. Based on the retake test, teachers will determine whether or not students should remain in the class or be moved up to a different level. While there is no way to prepare for this retake test, we recommend that you get a good night’s sleep, eat a good breakfast, and do your best during the test.