Malaysian University English Test

The Malaysian University English Test (commonly abbreviated as MUET) is a test that measures English language proficiency which is administered by the Malaysian Examinations Council since 1999. It has been aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR). In Malaysia, MUET is used to make high-stake decisions as its results are used for the purpose of students' admission and graduation for public higher education institutions. In Malaysia, no less than 170,000 candidates sit the test in a year as English language proficiency is heavily-emphasised in the Malaysian education system.

The main objective of MUET is to measure the English language proficiency of candidates who intend to pursue first degree studies in order to help institutions make better decisions about the readiness of prospective candidates for academic programmes, and about their ability to use and understand English in different contexts in the environment of higher education. MUET can also be used to measure the English language proficiency of adult learners of English who need to use English in the workplace. MUET assesses all four language skills, namely, Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Candidates' level of proficiency is reported using Bands 1 to 5+ based on aggregated scores ranging from 1 to 360.

To ensure that MUET is globally accepted, the MUET standard has been aligned with the specifications of the CEFR and acknowledged by the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA), MUET has been conducted for more than 22 years, and research has shown that its standard is steady, consistent and strongly correlated to other established English language proficiency test (refer to Research Monograph: A Correlational Study between MUET and IELTS). As of today, MUET is accepted by 17 renowned universities including those in Singapore, China (Including Mainland and Hong Kong), the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Japan.

Therefore, the Malaysian Examinations Council, as an assessment body established since 1980 to conduct the Malaysia Higher School Certificate Examinations and MUET, hereby proposes that all higher education institutions worldwide to accept MUET as one of the qualifications to meet the minimum English language requirement for university admission. The Malaysian Examinations Council is certain that MUET could fulfil the English language requirement of higher education institutions. With the acceptance of MUET, it is hoped that more prospective candidates from Malaysia and other countries will be able to further their studies in any institutions in the world.