Our friends at Pearson have a new English test called the “Versant by Pearson English Certificate.”
At first glance, it seems like a test for people seeking to demonstrate their English proficiency for workplace purposes. I imagine that it is very similar to the “Versant by Pearson English Test” line of products which is used internally by businesses to assess the language skills of their employees.
There is a lot to like here.
The UI is very pretty. The test is cheap. Proctoring is done by AI during the test and by humans only after the test is finished. No appointment is needed. Test-takers are clearly told they should have 8 gigs of RAM. Complete results come in a couple of hours and are certified within two days. If the test-taker’s internet cuts out during the test they can finish the test as normal and have 24 hours to re-establish a connection and upload their work. There is a cool badge from Credly.
Perhaps Pearson views this test as a modern alternative to the TOEIC test. Will the test challenge the TOEIC in the same way that the DET has challenged the TOEFL? Probably. But that market will be a fairly tough nut to crack since it is so regional and entrenched (Japan and Korea alone probably make up 80% of total test volume). I guess that even grabbing a small share of the market could be considered a success since the TOEIC is really really really popular.