Before we try to improve any skill we have, we need to know where we are at it. It is nearly impossible to move in the right direction if you don’t know where you are standing. If you know where you are standing, you will know which way to move to get to the place you want.

In order to get to your destination successfully, you need to follow this equation.

B+G=S

B is for the beginning point. This is where you are right this moment, G is for your goal point and S is for your Success in achieving this goal. It is as simple as that.

Many people know where they want to be, but they have no clue where they are standing at this point. As a result, they struggle a lot and most of the time they end up going in circles ending up where they started instead of reaching their goal.

Imagine if you are lost on the road to a certain destination. You don’t know where you are, but you know where you want to go. Will it be possible to get there? The answer is simply NO. You have no idea where you are so deciding which way to go is almost impossible, right?

That is why language assessments, among many other types of assessments, exist. They are designed to show us where we are in our language skills so we can put the right plan for improvement. Unfortunately, not all assessments are accurate in their measurements.

I am not talking about the standardized tests like TOEFL and IELTS as they are rarely taken to measure language ability, but I am talking about general assessments that we take or shall take to assess our level, our language needs, and areas in need of improvement.

Just like in the example above, to be able to improve your language and better your four language skills, you need to know where you are standing in each one of them and what areas are your most problematic and how to improve them. This way you will be able to improve your language as a whole and reach your language goals.

So, before you sit to set your language goals make sure to get your language skills properly assessed to be able to put the right action plan for improvement.