Purpose

METU-EPE is a test battery designed to assess the English language proficiency level of students
who are entitled to undertake their undergraduate or graduate studies at Middle East Technical
University, where English is the medium of instruction. The aim of the battery is to determine
whether the students' proficiency in English is at a level that will enable them to follow courses
offered in their respective fields of study and fulfill the requirements of the courses with relative
ease. Thus, the METU-EPE is mainly concerned with assessing students' proficiency in reading
and understanding academic texts, their ability to follow lectures, take notes and make use of these
notes, as well as their competence in composing academic texts of varying length. Therefore, the
main focus of the METU-EPE is English for Academic Purposes and it may well serve the needs
of students in other English-medium universities, provided their institutions recognize this test.
Government agencies and ministries in need of English proficiency credentials for promotions and
appointments are advised to note that METU-EPE is more similar to the new generation TOEFL
(IBT) and IELTS rather than KPDS (State Personnel Language Examination) and ÜDS (Inter-
University Council Language Exam).

Please see http://www.metu.edu.tr/home/www93/prf/anasayfa.htm for further information on

registration, exam dates and rules.

Contents of METU-EPE
METU-EPE consists of two stages, each administered on a separate day. Both stages of the test are
equally weighted, each contributing 50 points to the overall total of 100 points.

STAGE I :
Language Use & Reading Comprehension
(Duration: 90 minutes / 50 pts.)

STAGE II :
Listening Comprehension
(15 min. break)
Listening & Note-Taking and Writing
(Duration: 170 – 180 minutes / 50 pts.)

Stage One of METU-EPE determines whether a candidate may take the second stage of the test or
not. The final METU-EPE score of those candidates who do not qualify for the second stage of the
test will be whatever they have scored on the first stage of the test.
What follows is brief information on the contents of each stage of the METU-EPE, its comprising
sections, assessment objectives, and some sample items.
STAGE ONE (Duration: 90 minutes / Total 50 pts.):

LANGUAGE USE AND READING COMPREHENSION

PART A – Language Use (40 questions / 0,5 pt. each; Total 20 pts.)
All multiple choice questions, one correct option (key), three distractors. Candidates mark their
choices on an optic form.

SECTION OBJECTIVES SOURCE OF TEXTS NUMBER

OF TEXTS

To assess the candidate's Sentences and paragraphs 10 –15

ability to decode simple,
compound and complex
sentences and to detect
correct, appropriate language
Language Use
taken from various authentic texts of
sources. When necessary, varying
some single-sentence items lengths,
are constructed by test writers. with 1 – 15

structures, vocabulary and or more

discourse markers. Also, to blanks.
assess the candidate's
awareness of the essentials
and intricacies of English
grammar, including tenses,
prepositions, idiomatic
expressions and stylistic
variations of certain
structures.

Questions 1-40
On your answer sheet, mark the alternative which best completes each sentence /
paragraph.
Sample Item

It was in 2003, ___ (5) ___ Spirited Away won an Oscar for best animated feature film
that Japanese animated films (animé) ___ (6) ___ instant fame worldwide. Of course,
even ___ (7) ___ then, animé were being broadcast and enjoyed by children everywhere,
___ (8) ___ most didn’t know they were watching a Japanese production.

5. a) that 6. a) gathered 7. a) before 8. a) because

b) when b) caught b) since b) in case
c) which c) achieved c) after c) as if
d) then d) accomplished d) until d) although

Correct answers: 5. b 6. c 7. a 8. d
PART B – Reading Comprehension (30 questions / 1 pt. each; Total 30 pts.)

All multiple choice questions, one correct option (key), three distractors. Candidates mark their
choices on an optic form.

SECTION OBJECTIVES SOURCE OF TEXTS NUMBER

OF TEXTS
I – Sentence Completion

To assess the candidate's Sentences taken from various

ability to recognize the authentic sources.
relationship between ideas in 4
a text and to recognize and
interpret cohesive devices for
linking different parts of a
text.

Questions 41-44
On your answer sheet, mark the alternative which best completes each sentence or
thought.

Sample Item

41. The fur trade is a controversial issue. On the one hand, fur farmers and sellers are
fighting to be allowed to continue producing fur goods, and, on the other hand,
___________.

a) the fur traders say that they do not cause unnecessary suffering to animals
b) people concerned about animal rights are trying to prevent the ongoing trade
c) if the trade were made illegal, hunters without licenses would cause greater
suffering to animals
d) an animal has more right to live than a human does to wear its coat

The correct answer is b.

SECTION OBJECTIVES SOURCE OF TEXTS NUMBER
OF TEXTS
II – Paragraph Completion

To assess the candidate's Paragraphs taken from

ability to recognize the
relationship between ideas
within a text, discourse
organization and transitions
that tie ideas to one another in
a paragraph.
authentic sources such as
academic texts, course books
newspaper and magazine 3
articles.

Questions 45-47
Mark the alternative which best completes each paragraph.

Sample Item

46. Between 1820 and 1840, an estimated 700,000 immigrants arrived in the United
States, mainly from the British Isles and German-speaking areas of continental
Europe. During the 1840s, this substantial flow suddenly became a flood. No less
than 4,200,000 crossed the Atlantic between 1840 and 1860. This was the greatest
influx in proportion to total population — then about 20 million — that the nation has
ever experienced. ___________ . Smaller contingents came from Switzerland,
Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

a) Many came to escape great suffering because of natural causes or systems that
kept them in poverty
b) The great “push” factor that caused a million and a half Irish to leave their
homeland was the great potato famine
c) The largest single source of the new mass immigration was Ireland, but Germany
was not far behind
d) Yet, what many of them found in their new land was not exactly what they
expected

The correct answer is c.

SECTION OBJECTIVES SOURCE OF TEXTS NUMBER
OF TEXTS
III – Supporting Ideas

To assess the candidate's Sentences taken from

ability to recognize ideas that authentic sources such as
support a given topic academic texts, course books
sentence. newspaper and magazine 3
articles.

Question 48-50
In the following items, three of the alternatives support the main statement or idea
and one does not. Mark the alternative that DOES NOT support the given topic
statement.

Sample Item

48. While life outside the city is the secret dream of certain city-dwellers, it has many
drawbacks.

a) Because there are fewer people, one has a smaller number of friends.
b) One is much closer to nature and can enjoy more peace and quiet.
c) Entertainment, particularly in the evening, is difficult to find.
d) There are fewer services, thus fewer employment opportunities.

The correct answer is b.

SECTION OBJECTIVES SOURCE OF TEXTS NUMBER
OF TEXTS

To assess the candidate's Texts taken from various 5 –7 Texts

IV – Text Comprehension

ability to understand the key authentic sources. Caution of varying

ideas in a text and answer
comprehension questions
about it, to distinguish
between different levels of
information, to identify the
purpose of a text, to
understand the author's
point of view, to make out
inferred meaning and to
guess word meanings.
is exercised to select texts in lengths
a balanced fashion from accompanied
both social and physical by 1 – 10
sciences aimed at popular questions.
readers; i.e., not requiring
very specialized background
knowledge.

Questions 51-70
On your answer sheet, mark the alternative which best answers the question or
completes the statement about the text.

Sample Item

One of the leading schools of psychological thought in the twentieth century is

behaviorism — the belief that the role of the psychologist is to study behavior, which is
observable, rather than conscious or unconscious thought, which is not. Probably the
best-known proponent of behaviorism is B.F. Skinner, who is famous for his research on
how rewards and punishments influence behavior. He came to believe that positive
reinforcements such as praise, food, or money were more effective in promoting good
behavior than negative reinforcement, or punishment.

52. The school of behaviourism is concerned with ___________.

a) conscious thought patterns c) psychological thought
b) observable actions d) unconscious behaviour

53. According to Skinner, good behaviour is ___________.

a) effective when one is punished
b) important in influencing rewards and punishment
c) promoted by not being praised
d) encouraged by positive reinforcement

Correct answers: 52. b 53. d

STAGE TWO (Duration: 170 – 180 minutes (including a 15 minute break) / Total 50 pts.):

LISTENING COMPREHENSION, NOTE-TAKING AND WRITING

PART A – Listening Comprehension (40 questions / 0,5 pt. each; Total 20 pts.; Duration:
65-70 minutes, including 10 minutes to transfer answers on to the answer sheet.)
All multiple choice questions, one correct option (key), three distractors. Candidates mark their
choices on the question booklet as they listen to the recording and then transfer their answers to
an optic form, in pencil.

SECTION OBJECTIVES SOURCE OF TEXTS NUMBER

OF TEXTS

To assess the candidate's Sentences mostly 7–8

I – Statements

ability to deduce the constructed by test writers. statements

meaning of functional
expressions, idiomatic
expressions, vocabulary and
structure, to identify
paraphrasing and to draw
conclusions.

For the items in this section, you will hear a statement for each item and a question
related to it. Before you listen to each statement and the related question, you will
be given 15 seconds in order to have a look at the 4 alternative answers to the
question. Each statement will be spoken only once. After you listen to each
statement you must mark the alternative which best answers the question that
follows.

Sample Item

You will hear:

(Speaker A) Read the question and the four alternatives given for this sample item.
(Speaker B) Sally wishes her son had taken her advice and studied medicine instead
of law.
(Speaker A) What do we learn about Sally's son?

You will read:

a) He majored in law.
b) He took his mother's advice.
c) He preferred to study medicine.
d) He chose neither medicine nor law.

The correct answer is a because Sally’s son studied law.

SECTION OBJECTIVES SOURCE OF TEXTS NUMBER
OF TEXTS

To assess the candidate's Dialogues constructed by test 5–6

ability to deduce the writers. dialogues
II – Dialogues

meaning of functional
expressions, idiomatic
expressions, vocabulary and
structure, to identify
paraphrasing and to draw
conclusions.

For the items in this section, you will hear a dialogue for each item and a question
related to it. Before you listen to each dialogue and the related question, you will be
given 15 seconds in order to have a look at the 4 alternative answers to the question.
Each dialogue will be spoken only once. After you listen to each dialogue you must
mark the alternative which best answers the question that follows.
Sample Item

You will hear:

(Speaker A) Read the question and the four alternatives given for this sample item.
(Speaker B) I’m taking so many courses that I need a lot of time to work on my
assignments.
(Speaker C) Will you have the time to complete all of them?
(Speaker B) All of my classes are in the morning, so I can spare time every week day
from noon on. And of course, my weekends are free.
(Speaker A) When can the student study?

You will read:

a) Every morning.
b) Afternoons and weekends.
c) When she is in class.
d) Weekdays

The correct answer is b because the student has classes till noon every day
and she is free at weekends.
SECTION OBJECTIVES SOURCE OF TEXTS NUMBER
OF TEXTS

To assess the candidate's 6 – 9 sentence texts taken 6–7

III – Mini Talks

ability to comprehend short from authentic sources and mini talks

stretches of spoken converted into spoken
discourse and to predict English.
what will follow.

For the items in this section, you will hear a mini talk for each item. However, the
last sentence of each mini talk is incomplete. Before you listen to each mini talk, you
will be given 15 seconds in order to have a look at the 4 options that may complete
the last sentence. Each mini talk will be spoken only once. After you listen to each
mini talk and hear the "beep" sound, mark the alternative which best completes the
sentence.

Sample Item

You will hear:

(Speaker B) Exercise without good nutrition will not result in a healthy body—
neither will good nutrition without exercise. The most important thing
about exercise is that it should be done regularly together with a well-
balanced diet. It's also desirable to do more than one kind of sport, as
different sports … (beep).

You will read:

a) call for a more balanced diet.
b) exercise different parts of the body.
c) appeal to different people.
d) require different kinds of nutrition.

The correct answer is b because it gives the reason why one should do different kinds of
sport.
SECTION OBJECTIVES SOURCE OF TEXTS NUMBER
OF TEXTS

To assess the candidate's Semi-academic interviews 2 interviews

IV – Interviews

ability to follow a taken from authentic with 5 – 6

conversation, to identify
specific information on a
range of topics and to
distinguish between facts
and opinions.
sources. Caution is questions
exercised to make sure the each
interviews do not require
specialized background
knowledge.

For items in this section, you will hear two interviews. You will hear each interview
only once. As you listen to the interviews, mark the choice that best answers each
question or completes each statement.
Before you listen to each interview, you will have one minute to look at the
questions and the alternatives.
Sample Item

You will hear…

For items 17-21, you will hear a radio program on which a doctor answers the most
frequently asked questions about SARS (or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). The
radio program was broadcast in early April 2003. As you listen, mark the choice that best
answers each question or completes each blank.
Now you have one minute to look at the questions and the alternatives.

[….. (Speaker B) On this edition of Q&A, we’ll be focusing on SARS. The continuing
spread of SARS has all of Asia — and much of the rest of the world
— on edge. What do we know about this mysterious disease? And
how can we protect ourselves against it? Our guest today is Doctor
Miller. He is going to answer the questions most frequently asked by
the audience about SARS. First of all, what is SARS, Doctor Miller?
(Speaker C) Well, according to the World Health Organization, SARS is a disease
caused by a virus that affects the lungs. It leads to a dry cough, shortness
of breath, stiffness, fever and loss of appetite. The symptoms are very
similar to those associated with the flu, except that SARS can appear as
pneumonia in chest x-rays..... ]
You will read:

17. Which of the following is NOT a symptom of SARS?

a) Stiff muscles
b) Cough
c) Drop in body temperature
d) Difficulty in breathing
The correct answer is c.
SECTION OBJECTIVES SOURCE OF TEXTS NUMBER
OF TEXTS

To assess the candidate's The transcript of a recorded 2 lectures

ability to follow and lecture on a topic related to with 5 – 6
comprehend extended either social or physical questions
spoken input and identify its sciences, not excessively each
IV – Lectures

purpose, to track the specialized.

development of the
argument, to identify
specific information on a
range of topics, to
distinguish between facts
and opinions and to
distinguish main ideas from
supporting details

For items 28-40 in this section, you will hear two lectures. You will hear each lecture
only once. As you listen to the lectures, mark the choice that best answers each
question or completes each statement.
Before you listen to each lecture, you will have one minute to look at the questions
and the alternatives.

Sample Item

You will hear…

For items 28-34, you will hear a lecture on TOMATOES. As you listen to the lecture,
mark the choice which best answers each question or completes each statement. Now you
have one minute to look at the questions and the alternatives.
[ ..... (Speaker) ... The tomato has been grown since prehistoric times. We believe that it
first originated in South America and was cultivated by Indians in the
Andes Mountains. More than 3,000 years ago, it moved from South
America to Mexico. The tomato was first introduced to Europe in the 16th
century, but it was not until the 19th century that it became popular in
Europe. This is most probably because Europeans considered the tomato
poisonous and therefore inedible...... ]
You will read:
28. The tomato was ___________.
a) first grown in Mexico
b) not known in Europe till the 19th century
c) first cultivated during prehistoric times
d) brought to South America by Indians

The correct answer is c.

PART B – Listening and Note-Taking ( 4 – 6 questions /Total 10 pts.; Duration: 20-25
minutes)

All open ended questions to be answered referring to the notes taken while listening to a lecture.
Notes to be taken on a separate sheet; question answer sheets to be distributed after the text is
spoken.

SECTION OBJECTIVES SOURCE OF TEXTS NUMBER

OF TEXTS

To assess the candidate's The transcript of a recorded

IV – Listening and
Note-Taking

ability to follow and lecture of 5 - 6 minutes on a

comprehend extended
spoken input, to predict the
organization and the content
of a talk throughout, to
recognize the outline of the
talk and the important
information and to take
notes simultaneously.
topic related to either social __
or physical sciences, not
requiring specialized (Notes taken
background knowledge. not to be
graded)

Sample Note Sheet

In this section, you will hear a lecture on PHOBIA. As you listen to the
lecture, take notes on the following points:
• Definition of phobia,
• Types of phobias and their definitions,
• Distribution of phobias within the population,
• Ways of treating phobias, the techniques employed, and their side effects, if
any.
Later, you will be asked to write answers to 5 open-ended questions. Your notes will
not be graded.

In addition to those stated 4–5

Open-Ended

above, to assess the questions

II – Answering

Questions

candidate's ability to write __

short answers to questions
related to the talk by
referring to notes taken
earlier.

Sample Item

Q. Define social phobia and give an example of it.

Definition: _________________________________________________________
Example: _________________________________________________________
PART C – Writing (Total 20 pts.; Duration: 55 minutes)

Section I: An open ended question. (5 pts.)

Section II: Paragraph to be written on a separate sheet. (15 pts.)

NUMBER OF
SECTION OBJECTIVES SOURCE OF TEXTS TEXTS
I – Responding

To assess the candidate's A text taken from an 1 question

ability to recognize the authentic source such as a
to a Text

attitude of the writer newspaper, a magazine, or

towards the issue, his point an academic text.
of view and how well he
supports his argument.

Sample Item
What is the argument of the author in this text? State this in one sentence and write down
the author's supports / reasons in one or two sentences.

To assess the candidate's The text in Part I above will 1 paragraph of

ability to use correct, serve as a tool to activate approximately
II – Writing a
Paragraph

appropriate language the candidate's schemata, 200 words

structures, vocabulary and concepts and vocabulary
discourse features in relevant to the topic and to
writing, to follow the help him think about the
conventions of standard issue prior to writing.
written English, to
produce a cohesive and
coherent piece of writing.

For instance, if the reading text in Section I above is about the Internet in general, a
writing task like the one below might be appropriate.
Sample Item
Write a paragraph of approximately 200 words comparing the library and the Internet as a
research tool.
Make sure you stay within the word limits of 180-220, or else you will lose points.
You are expected to develop your own ideas. You may also use some ideas of the writer
but not his exact words.
Make sure:
9 you write a well-organized paragraph
9 all your ideas are relevant to the topic
Your paragraph will be graded according to:
9 the content
9 the organization
9 the accuracy of language
METU-EPE Scoring Procedure and Guidelines

• Stage One – Language Use and Reading Comprehension and Stage Two / Part A –
Listening Comprehension are scored by an optic reader.

• Stage Two – Part B / Listening and Note-Taking is graded by a group of experienced raters
in accordance with an answer key provided. The raters go through standardization before each
grading session. Each paper is graded by two co-raters.

• Stage Two – Part C / Writing is graded by a group of experienced raters in accordance with
the guidelines provided. The raters are trained in using the guidelines for grading in a
standardization session before each grading. Each paper is graded by two co-raters.

Reporting of the METU-EPE Scores

• Stage One – Language Use and Reading Comprehension

The results of Stage One are announced within 1 or 2 days after the exam, indicating whether the
candidate has qualified to sit for Stage Two of the exam or not. In order to qualify for Stage Two
of the METU-EPE, a test taker must have obtained a minimum of 50% achievement in Stage One.
The final METU-EPE score of those candidates who do not qualify to sit for Stage Two will be
announced along with the Stage Two results.

• METU-EPE Scores
The METU-EPE final scores are announced within 3 – 5 days after Stage Two of the exam as

a) the total grade, and

b) the grade for each component

The list of scores are posted on the bulletin boards at the Registrar's Office and the School of
Foreign Languages. The scores are also announced on the Web page of the School of Foreign
Languages: http://www.metu.edu.tr/home/www93/prf/anasayfa.htm.
Research and Future Work

• Reliability

Alpha Cronbach coefficients for the 70 item STAGE I vary between r: 0.80 and r: 0.91 across
versions. Similar values have been obtained for the 40-item multiple choice Listening
Comprehension section.
Inter-scorer reliability coefficients for the Writing Section reported so far vary between r: 0.81 and
r: 0.84.

• Validity

The following intercorrelation coefficients have been obtained among different components of this
test.

Reading Listening Grammar Writing

Language Use (Grammar) 0.71 0.57 1.00 0.38

Reading 1.00 0.74 0.71 0.34

Listening 0.74 1.00 0.57 0.47

Writing 0.34 0.47 0.38 1.00

Predictive validity studies on students who took EPE reveal a coefficient of r: 0.38 between their
EPE grades and their GPAs in the first term of their Freshman year. The coefficient between the
EPE grades and the English 101 term grades has been found to be r: 0.65.
Further work on validation is under way and is displayed on the SFL website.