FAQ

Der Ausschuss für die Durchführung des Eignungsfeststellungsverfahrens kann für ordnungsgemäß angemeldete Bewerber und Bewerberinnen aufgrund der Leistungen in der Abiturprüfung im Fach Englisch eine Befreiung vom Eignungstest aussprechen (vgl. §1.2 der Satzung). Grundlage für die Entscheidung ist der Durchschnitt der Halbjahresleistungen bzw. die Leistung in der Abiturprüfung (mündlich oder schriftlich) sowie die Gesamtnote im Abitur, die um den Faktor 10 multipliziert wird. Der Punktwert ist das einfache Mittel aus diesen beiden Werten und wird nicht gerundet. Bewerber und Bewerberinnen, die auf diese Weise eine Punktzahl von 30 oder geringer erreichen, können vom Eignungstest befreit werden. 

Mit anderen Worten: Wenn Sie im Fach Englisch 10 Punkte oder mehr und in der Abiturgesamtnote 3,0 oder besser erreicht haben, haben Sie gute Chancen auf eine Befreiung. 

Bei der Berechnung der Punktzahlen entsprechen folgende Punktergebnisse wie folgt der Punktzahlen, die im EFT vergeben werden:

15  = 5
14  = 10
13  = 13
12  = 17
11  = 20
10  = 23

When you arrive at the exam centre your identity will be checked and you will be directed to a work-station. Full instructions about procedure will be given at the beginning of the test and the administrators will be pleased to answer any 'technical' questions you may have.

The CAT is a computer adaptive test - this means the level of difficulty of each task varies according to whether the previous question was answered correctly or not. If you answer a question correctly, you will be given a more difficult question; if you answer this question incorrectly, an easier question follows. The CAT generates approximately 20 questions for each candidate. It continues to generate questions until your level can be satisfactorily determined. Do not be concerned if you get a question wrong ‘by accident’: the CAT will generate enough questions for you to demonstrate that your ‘true’ standard is higher!

There are a number of question types and each test-taker is given an individual set of questions generated from a vast corpus. There is no time limit, but candidates usually complete the test in 20-30 minutes. The test ends as soon as the CAT has determined your level. This level or score is converted into a grade in accordance with the table set out in the admission statutes.

Functional/Notional

Advice/suggestions, apology, arrangements, certainty/possibility, checking/clarifying, conversational, directions/instructions, feelings, invitations, likes/preferences, obligation/necessity, offers, opinion/agreement, permission, requests

Grammar

Adjectives/adverbs, articles, auxiliary verbs and modals, clauses (relative etc.), conditionals, imperative, indirect speech, negative forms, passive, possessive, prepositions, pronouns, question forms, some/any, time markers/tenses, verb patterns (gerund etc.)

Lexical

Collocation, idiomatic structures, irregular verbs, phrasal verbs, vocabulary, word building

Textual

Cohesion, coherence, logical argument, narrative sequencing

Clear instructions on how to answer each question will be given at the top of your screen. The working language is English.

Question types include:
• Multiple choice questions:
• Choose matching items
• Rearrange a jumbled paragraph
• Rearrange a jumbled sentence
• Supply the correct form of a word
• Choose the correct form (tense, mood etc.) of the verb
• Finish sentence B so that it means the same as sentence A
• Add words to form a complete sentence
• Make speaker B agree with speaker A
• Form a question
• Supply a suitable phrase in the context
• Use a word (from one sentence) in a new sentence

Sample question: Finish the second sentence so that it means exactly the same as the first.

 To please students is sometimes quite difficult.

Students ______________________________________.

(Answer: Students are sometimes quite difficult to please.)

Note that the CAT is an efficient diagnostic test of your current level of competence. It is not intended to serve as an extensive or exhaustive assessment of your knowledge of English. Nevertheless, you can prepare for the test. If you wish to revise grammar you could begin by taking a ‘crash’ course using the following material from the UBT Sprachenzentrum website:

http://www.sz.uni-bayreuth.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Info-Dateien/script.pdf

http://www.sz.uni-bayreuth.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Info-Dateien/test.pdf

The latest editions of the self-study series by Cambridge University Press are also highly recommended, in particular:

Richard Murphy: English Grammar in Use. Upper-Intermediate.

Michael McCarthy and Felicity O’Dell: English Vocabulary in Use. Upper-Intermediate.

When you have completed the CAT you will be directed to the second part of the admission test, listening comprehension. You will listen to and answer questions about a recording in English. The recording will be played twice. The duration of the recording is usually 5-10 minutes; the test itself usually takes about 20-25 minutes.

You will answer multiple choice and gap-fill questions designed to test your aural skills.

Sample question:

Circle the correct answer.

The speaker believes that
    (a) most students are virtually impossible to please.
    (b) the vast majority of students are not difficult to please.
    (c) it is easy to please students who are willing to work hard.

You can prepare by watching/listening to English-language broad- and webcasts. Choose material where there is some written input to help you check your comprehension of the audio footage, for example, visit ‘all-in-one’ websites such as http://www.bbc.co.uk. (Please comply with the terms of use stipulated.)