Introduction

PROFEX (PROficiency EXamination) is an English for Medical Purposes (EMP) bilingual testing system offering language tests for medical and paramedical professionals. The three levels, B1, B2 and C1, were defined in accordance with the recommendations of the Council of Europe described in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The PROFEX Exam Center is located at the Faculty of General Medicine, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary. PROFEX exams are administered in more than 20 exam sites including Targu Mures University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Targu Mures, Romania (see Contact us for more information on exam sites). Successful exams are certified by official language certificates issued in four languages.

Who can take PROFEX?

Since PROFEX is meant to measure English for Medical Purposes language skills, it is recommended for medical and paramedical professionals including biomedical researchers, physicians, pharmacists, dentists, nurses, physiotherapists, dietitians and other health care professionals, as well as students of medicine and allied health sciences.

When and where can PROFEX be taken?

PROFEX offers English for Medical Purposes language tests twice a year, in spring and autumn, at any of the 20 recognized exam sites including Targu Mures University of Medicine and Pharmacy and Targu Mures, Romania (see News for more information on exam dates).

Test format of PROFEX

Profex assesses test takers’ abilities in listening, reading, writing and speaking. The Listening, Reading and Writing components of Profex are completed on the same day, with no breaks in between them. The total test time of these three components is 3 hours. The Speaking component, however, can be completed up to a week prior to the other tests. Your exam site will offer additional advice.

The Listening component has two sections. The questions of section 1 are based on a monologue on a medical subject. In section 2, there is a conversation between a patient and a health care professional (see About Profex/Test format in detail for more information). This component assesses test takers’ ability to understand the main ideas, detailed factual information and the opinions and attitudes of speakers.

The Reading component consists of tasks that test a wide range of reading skills. These include reading for gist, reading for main ideas, reading for detail, skimming, and understanding logical argument. In this component, test takers are required to read two different texts on medical subjects. These are extracts from books, magazines, journals, handbooks, patients’ information leaflets, etc. These are materials health care professionals are likely to encounter on a daily basis in an English-speaking environment (see About Profex/Test format in detail for more information).

In the Writing component, test takers are required to write an official letter and an official e-mail. These may include a conference application, a job application, an invitation letter, a referral, a recommendation letter and a case study (see About Profex/Test format in detail for more information).

The Speaking component assesses test takers’ use of spoken English. It consists of three parts:

Part 1 - the examiner will ask the test taker general questions about him or herself including a range of familiar topics, such as work, studies and research fields. This part lasts between 2 and 6 minutes (depending on the level of the exam).

Part 2 - the test taker is required to role-play two dialogues with the examiner (health care professional - patient and health care professional - health care professional) on the basis of the prompts provided on the cards the test taker selected at the beginning of the Speaking component. The test taker has 1-2 minutes to prepare for each dialogue and 1-5 minutes to role play each dialogue (depending on the level of the exam).

Part 3 - the test taker is required to describe a graph (B1 and B2) or give a presentation (C1) on a medical subject the test taker selected at the beginning of the Speaking component. The test taker has 1-2 minutes to prepare and 1-6 minutes to give the presentation (depending on the level of the exam). (see About Profex/Test format in detail for more information)