A repost from LinkedIn:
Remember: a standardized English test doesn’t necessarily have to be 55 minutes long and cost $59 to succeed in today’s market. A test can still be 2+ hours and frigging expensive while growing its market share… as long as the firm behind it offers a modern test-taking experience and treats customers with some amount of dignity and respect.
Consider the rapid growth of the PTE Academic Test in recent years. By my calculations, it is now the second most popular test used for university admissions and student visas (behind the IELTS, ahead of the TOEFL). On the rare occasions when testing firms ask me for advice I often suggest that they study what Pearson has done in recent years, and emulate it when appropriate.
This has come up in real-world conversation a few times in recent weeks, so I figured it would be good to mention it here (again).
(Disclaimer: people reading this post probably know that I’m a big proponent of lower testing fees, but I realize that in 2023 low fees aren’t required for success)