MUET is an English proficiency test organised by Malaysian Examinations Council. It is widely recognised by Malaysia and Singapore, with limited recognition in other countries. It is compatible to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
It ranks a person English proficiency from Band 1.0 to 5+. Band 1.0 to 2.5 are correspond to A2 in CEFR, Band 3.0 and 3.5 are identical to B1, Band 4.0 to 4.5 are equivalent to B2, Band 5.0 is equal to C1, and Band 5+ is the very same to C1+.
The test is divided into four sections: writing, speaking, reading and listening.
Writing
MUET Writing test contains two parts: Guided Writing and Extended Writing, both of them share 75 minutes to complete.
Guided Writing is about writing a letter or email to a particular person, for it to be your friend, colleague, lecturer or employer, in response to their note (which will contain several stimulus or points to be addressed). The formality of the letter or email is largely depends on who are you talking to. For friends, it can be informal, but for lecturer, it should be a bit formal. The response must be at least 100 words and should be done in 25 minutes. It is advised to write in a friendly tone and with the following structure:
- Send greetings
- Describe details of the stimulus or points
- Advises according to them
- Ending signature
Extended Writing is about writing an argumentative essay where we need to persuade or convince the readers. Treat it like an academic writing. The essay must not be less than 250 words and should be done in 50 minutes. It is advised to write in a structure as shown below which is consider to be organised:
- Introduction with thesis statement
- One topic for each paragraph
- Conclusion that summarises the essay and gives suggestion(s).
Speaking
MUET Speaking is split into two segments: Individual presentation and Group Discussion. There will be four examinees, grouped together, enter the test simultaneously. The first segment will be given a total time of 4 minutes, 2 minutes to prepare and 2 minutes to present. The second segment will have varying duration, generally there will be 3 minutes to be ready and 8-12 minutes to discuss.
You only need to bring stationaries during the test since the papers will be given by the examiners.
Reading
MUET Reading takes 75 minutes. There are 40 multiple choice question (MCQ) which their difficulty range from A2 to C1.
Listening
MUET Listening takes 50 minutes with 30 MCQ which are divided in 5 parts. It is advised to write your answer during the first time where the dialogue comes up.