Aptitude & reasoning

English Proficiency Test — free practice test

An English proficiency test measures how well you read, write, understand and sometimes speak English. Employers in BPO, IT services, content and any client-facing role use it to confirm you can communicate clearly with colleagues and customers. It commonly tests grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension and, in some versions, listening and spoken fluency.

Updated 2026-06-19 · 6 marked questions on this page, no signup · 5 worked sample questions with answers · AI-scored mock tests run inside the OnJob app.

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6 multiple-choice questions in the style of a real english proficiency test, marked instantly on this page. Every answer comes with the working, so a wrong pick tells you which concept to revise. Nothing to install, no account, no email.

Q1. Choose the correct article: "He is ___ honest man."
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Correct answer: an. The article follows the sound, not the spelling. "Honest" begins with a vowel sound because the h is silent.

Q2. Complete the sentence: "By the time we arrived, the film ___."
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Correct answer: had started. Two past events need the past perfect for the earlier one, so the film had started before we arrived.

Q3. Complete the sentence: "She has been working here ___ 2019."
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Correct answer: since. "Since" marks a starting point in time; "for" marks a duration, as in "for six years".

Q4. What is the plural of "criterion"?
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Correct answer: criteria. Criterion is Greek in origin and takes -a in the plural, like phenomenon → phenomena.

Q5. Complete the sentence: "If I ___ you, I would apply today."
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Correct answer: were. A hypothetical condition takes the subjunctive "were" for every subject, including I, he and she.

Q6. What does "concise" mean?
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Correct answer: Brief and clear. Concise describes saying much in few words. It is the opposite of verbose, not of vague.

Key takeaways

  • An English proficiency test measures how well you read, write, understand and sometimes speak English.
  • A English Proficiency Test typically covers: Grammar and usage, Vocabulary, Reading comprehension, Listening and speaking.
  • You can take a 6-question practice test on this page — it marks itself instantly and shows the working for every answer, with no signup.
What it measures

What an english proficiency test covers

Grammar and usage

Tenses, articles, prepositions, subject-verb agreement and sentence correction.

Vocabulary

Synonyms, antonyms, idioms, collocations and word usage in context.

Reading comprehension

Understanding passages and answering main-idea, detail and inference questions.

Listening and speaking

In some tests, transcribing audio and speaking responses scored for fluency and pronunciation.

Practice questions

5 sample english proficiency test questions with answers

Genuinely-correct, worked examples. Try each one before opening the answer , then go back to the marked practice test above and sit it against the clock .

Q1. Choose the correct article: 'She is ___ honest person.' (a / an / the)

Answer: The correct article is 'an'. 'Honest' begins with a silent 'h', so it starts with a vowel sound, and 'an' is used before vowel sounds rather than vowel letters.

Q2. Fill in the correct preposition: 'He is good ___ mathematics.'

Answer: The correct preposition is 'at'. The fixed collocation is 'good at' a skill or subject — 'good in' is incorrect in standard English.

Q3. Correct the tense: 'I have seen him yesterday.'

Answer: It should be 'I saw him yesterday.' The present perfect ('have seen') cannot be used with a finished past time marker like 'yesterday'; the simple past is required.

Q4. Pick the synonym of 'abundant': scarce, plentiful, rare, brief.

Answer: 'Plentiful' is the synonym. Abundant means existing in large quantities, which is the opposite of scarce or rare.

Q5. What does the idiom 'to hit the books' mean?

Answer: It means to study hard or begin studying seriously. Idioms are figurative, so 'hit the books' has nothing to do with physically striking anything — it simply means to study.

Step by step

How to prepare for an english proficiency test

  1. 1

    Read English news and books daily; broad exposure improves grammar, vocabulary and comprehension together.

  2. 2

    Learn fixed collocations and prepositions ('good at', 'interested in', 'depends on') because these recur in tests.

  3. 3

    Practise reading comprehension under time pressure — skim for structure, then locate the exact line each question targets.

  4. 4

    For spoken sections, record yourself answering common prompts and focus on clear pronunciation and steady pace over speed.

  5. 5

    Keep an idiom-and-phrasal-verb list and review it regularly, since these are common and easy to lose marks on.

Frequently asked questions

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What is an english proficiency test?

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Grammar, vocabulary, comprehension and sometimes spoken-English checks used to screen for client-facing and global roles. This page covers what it measures, 5 worked sample questions with answers, and 5 ways to prepare — then you can sit a timed, scored version in OnJob's free AI mock tests.

Choose the correct article: 'She is ___ honest person.' (a / an / the)

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The correct article is 'an'. 'Honest' begins with a silent 'h', so it starts with a vowel sound, and 'an' is used before vowel sounds rather than vowel letters.

Fill in the correct preposition: 'He is good ___ mathematics.'

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The correct preposition is 'at'. The fixed collocation is 'good at' a skill or subject — 'good in' is incorrect in standard English.

Can I take the test on this page, or do I have to sign up?

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You can take it right here. The practice test above has 6 multiple-choice questions, marks itself the moment you press "Check my score", and shows the working for every answer. No account, no email and no download. Signing up is only needed for OnJob's AI-scored mock tests, which grade written and spoken answers and can earn a verified skill badge.

Are these english proficiency test questions free to practise?

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Yes. Every sample question and answer on this page is free to read. OnJob's AI mock tests are free to start (₹0) — you get up to 3 mock tests and 1 real, badge-earning test every month, with instant scoring and feedback. Pro (₹99/month) adds more attempts and deeper analytics.

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