Spoken English Evaluation

Vericant’s SEE score reflects an applicant’s spoken English ability as assessed analytically across five categories: Vocabulary Range, Grammatical Accuracy, Fluency, Conversational Interaction, and Coherence.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Vericant SEE score?

Vericant’s SEE is a holistic reflection of how language is used for the social purposes of real-life communication, rather than just the speaker’s technical mastery of grammar and vocabulary. SEE reflects a speaker’s ability to communicate accurately and appropriately in a conversational interview setting.

Do all Vericant Interviews include the SEE score?

For 2023 application season, only the K-12 Vericant Interview include the SEE score as part of the standard service.

Undergraduate and graduate institutions may request an SEE score for a specific interview via the School Portal. 

Why was SEE developed?

Pencil and paper English proficiency exams measure reading, writing and listening abilities, but neglect the fourth and possibly the most important ability in a western classroom: speaking. To fill this gap, Vericant’s verified video interviews were developed to help admission officers better understand their applicant’s spoken English ability and non-cognitive skills.  The only problem was evaluations were subjective and applicants received little feedback on their abilities. 

With Vericant SEE, admission officers now have a standardized measurement of applicant’s spoken English abilities and applicants receive feedback on their spoken English ability

What does the SEE score consider?

Vericant’s SEE score reflects an interviewee’s spoken English ability as assessed analytically across five categories: Vocabulary Range, Grammatical Accuracy, Fluency, Conversational Interaction, and Coherence.

Scoring is completed by two individual raters extensively trained on the SEE Detailed Rubric. Final SEE Scores are provided to both institutions and applicants to an accuracy of one decimal point (i.e. 4.3 or 2.2).

What range does SEE have?

The SEE ranges from Levels 1-6, with Level 1 reflecting an extremely limited conversational exchange, and Level 6 reflecting the skillful conversational ability of a well-spoken, highly-educated individual.

How does SEE compare to TOEFL or IELTS?

The SEE is developed from the Common European Framework of References for Languages (CEFR), a globally recognized framework of references that serves as the basis of most language tests, including TOEFL and IELTS exams. Unlike TOEFL and IELTS, the SEE was not developed with the specific purposes of assessing the proficiency of academic English.

The SEE is an evaluation of spoken English communication expressed during Vericant’s behavioral interview setting.

How are examiners trained?

Examiners undergo intensive SEE rubric training during which the scoring process is thoroughly reviewed and calibrated. Examiners are given periodic re-calibrations to the SEE rubric, and if they’re not able to score inline with our master rating, are excused from examining until they’ve passed retraining.

How do I set up an onboarding call with Vericant to learn more about the product?

Please click here to set up a call with a Vericant team member.

Institutions

Admissions officers and representatives of academic institutions and schools can contact our support team via e-mail: