THAI COMPETENCY TEST COURSE
Government Examination 2024
The Thai Ministry of Education has established the Thai Competency Test for the purpose of testing the Thai language proficiency of non-Thai people against that of a native speaker. This was done in order to provide opportunities for those who are interested to receive documentation of their proficiency in the Thai language.
The results of this test allow successful candidates to apply for further studies, apply for certain jobs and occupations, or operate a business, where it is necessary to use documents showing their level of proficiency in the Thai language. This is especially true for foreigners who are foreign language teachers in Thailand who must have the ability to use Thai to communicate with their students.
The Ministry of Education issues documents certifying the results of the examination for test takers that are valid for 2 years from the date the documents are issued. Certificates with the exam results are also sent to those who take the test.
Language Skills Tested in the Exam
by Ministry of Education
Reading Skill
This portion of the exam tests whether the candidate can capture information and facts from reading a story, interpret the author’s ideas and objectives, and arrive at a significant conclusion, all within the time allotted for this portion of the exam.
Listening Skill
The aim of this portion of the exam is to measure the candidates’ competency of hearing the Thai language spoken and comprehending the meaning of what they have heard. What is spoken includes short messages, short conversations, news reports, event reports, academic articles, etc., which candidates must listen to from the CD that the staff plays for them to hear. Each item will be played only once during the test-taking period.
Writing Skill
This portion of the exam is divided into two sections, which include:
Section 1: General Writing
This section asks examinees to compose simple sentences to explain what is included in the chart or table given. The examinee is not asked to comment or provide their own opinion on the information provided.
Section 2: Academic Writing
This section asks examinees to describe or explain a given article or image. Their description or explanation must include reasons, arguments, or academic opinions; and candidates must use the correct style for essay writing.
Speaking Skill
This portion of the exam measures the speaker’s ability to speak the Thai language. The three aspects that will be evaluated include:
1) Speaking style
2) Ability to answer questions
3) Selection of words and phrases
This portion of the exam will be judged by two different judges who will speak to the candidates.