Learn about Bulgarian proficiency tests
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Intro |
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| Michael: What are some common Bulgarian proficiency tests? |
| Yana: And how do I choose the right one for me? |
| Michael: At BulgarianPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Consider the following situation: Emma (@seattle-student) is talking to Jack (@london-student) about her attempts to motivate herself to study Bulgarian harder. She says, "I have to take the STBFL." |
| Emma Efremova: Трябва да направя теста СТБЕЧ. (Tryabva da napravya testa STBECH.) |
| Dialogue |
| Emma Efremova: Трябва да направя теста СТБЕЧ. (Tryabva da napravya testa STBECH.) |
| Jack Jones: Стандартизирания тест по български като чужд език? (Standartiziraniya test po balgarski kato chuzhd ezik?) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Emma Efremova: Трябва да направя теста СТБЕЧ. (Tryabva da napravya testa STBECH.) |
| Michael: "I have to take the STBFL." |
| Jack Jones: Стандартизирания тест по български като чужд език? (Standartiziraniya test po balgarski kato chuzhd ezik?) |
| Michael: "The Standard Test of Bulgarian as a Foreign Language?" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: People have different reasons for learning Bulgarian, and you definitely have your own too. Perhaps you want to live in Bulgaria or study for a few years, or maybe you want to work in the country. Regardless of what your reasons are, obtaining proof that you are proficient in Bulgarian can come in handy. And what better measurement of your fluency in the Bulgarian language than the STBFL, or "The Standard Test of Bulgarian as a Foreign Language?" |
| [Recall 1] |
| Michael: Let's take a closer look at the dialogue. |
| Do you remember how Emma says "I have to take the STBFL?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Yana as Emma Efremova: Трябва да направя теста СТБЕЧ. (Tryabva da napravya testa STBECH.) |
| Michael: And do you remember how Jack answers, "The Standard Test of Bulgarian as a Foreign Language?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Yana as Jack Jones: Стандартизирания тест по български като чужд език? (Standartiziraniya test po balgarski kato chuzhd ezik?) |
| Michael: The STBFL is a language exam that measures the ability of nonnative speakers to comprehend the Bulgarian language and use it to express themselves. The exam consists of five levels, which are A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2. |
| Michael: To give you an idea of how this exam works, let's see in detail what level A2 looks like. Level A2 consists of four sections. The first section is Listening, or |
| Yana: Слушане (Slushane). |
| Michael: In this section, candidates are required to identify individual words and larger linguistic items and understand them. The highest score you can get on this test is 55, with 28 as the passing score. You are required to complete the test within 40 minutes. The second section is Reading, or |
| Yana: Четене (Chetene). |
| Michael: In this section, candidates are expected to understand general texts, such as notes, letters, and instructions. This test involves two tasks and should be completed within 15 minutes. The highest mark you can get on this part is 35 points, with 18 as the passing score. The third section is Writing, or |
| Yana: Писане (Pisane). |
| Michael: The writing section involves a total of six tasks, and, in this test, candidates are expected to be able to write simple notes. Candidates must complete this section within 105 minutes and get a passing mark of 68 out of 135 points. The final section is Speaking, or |
| Yana: Говорене (Govorene). |
| Michael: Here, candidates are expected to be able to engage in conversations that talk about everyday topics. They must be able to communicate themselves well and must be able to understand questions in a dialogue and be able to ask questions themselves. This part of the test is 20 minutes long, and takers are to get a score of 30 over 60 total points to pass. |
| The structure is also similar for the higher levels of the exam, but, for each level, the tasks become more complicated, in order to test for higher language proficiency. For example, for the C2 Level, candidates are expected to have an excellent grasp of the Bulgarian language, similar to a native speaker. It's recommended to check the official site to get the most up to date and detailed information about each level. |
| Aside from the STBFL, there's another test, the ECL. It's held by the European Consortium for the Certificate of Attainment in Modern Languages, or |
| Yana: Европейски консорциум за сертификат за придобиване на съвременни езици (Evropeiski konsortsium za sertifikat za pridobivane na savremenni ezitsi) |
| Michael: This is an international examination system that evaluates the listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills of an individual for various European languages, including Bulgarian. The test consists of four levels of competence, which are A2, B1, B2, and C1 |
| Michael: What's different about the ECL exam is that it doesn't include tasks relating to translation and grammar, or |
| Yana: Граматика (Gramatika) |
| Michael: But just like the STBFL, the ECL has the same test structure in all four levels: speaking, writing, listening, and reading. |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: In this lesson, we had a look at two major Bulgarian proficiency tests, which are |
| Yana: Стандартизираният тест по български като чужд език. (Standartiziraniyat test po balgarski kato chuzhd ezik.) |
| Michael: and the ECL. |
| Michael: The websites of each of these tests will be linked in the lesson notes so you can find further information about them. These are just two of the few Bulgarian language proficiency tests, but in case you wish to apply at any university or workplace in Bulgaria, it's good to check first what is required so you know exactly which test to take. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Yana: До скоро! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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