LPI Discontinued as of July 2020

After careful consideration, Paragon Testing Enterprises has decided to discontinue delivering the Language Proficiency Index (LPI) as of July 2020.

Over the last 43 years, the LPI Test and its previous version, the English Placement Test (EPT), has been providing universities and colleges in British Columbia (BC) with information on a student’s academic English language proficiency in Writing. The EPT was first created in 1976/1977 by the Educational Research Institute of British Columbia (ERIBC) in response to the need for a placement test that could be used by universities and colleges to determine eligibility for, and/or placement in, first-year English courses. In 1986, ERIBC closed and a new version of the EPT was created, called the LPI Test, by Applied Research and Evaluation Services (ARES) at The University of British Columbia. In 2009, ARES closed and Paragon Testing Enterprises, a subsidiary of UBC, was created to continue to develop and deliver ARES’s English language proficiency tests including the LPI.

In recent years, most Canadian post-secondary institutions and professional organizations have put more emphasis on a test taker’s overall proficiency in all four English skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing). For this reason, the demand for the LPI Test, which primarily focuses on Writing, has decreased to a point where it is no longer feasible to administer. To keep in line with market trends for English language proficiency testing, Paragon will continue to develop and expand the availability of its academic, four-skills test, the Canadian Academic English Language Test – Computer Edition (CAEL CE).

The CAEL CE Test has significantly grown in popularity among test takers and score users. It is accepted by more than 180 universities and colleges across Canada. The test has built up a reputation within the Canadian academic testing industry for being one of the best tests currently available for identifying students with the English skills necessary for academic success. Learn more at cael.ca.

We very much appreciate your support for the LPI Test. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Paragon.

 

FAQ

When is the last test date for the LPI Test?

The schedule of test dates for the LPI Test is listed on the LPI website at the following link: lpitest.ca/test-locations-fees

All LPI test sittings will be completed by July 31, 2020.

For how long will you make test scores available to score users and test takers?

Paragon will make the results of the LPI Test available to score users and test takers for two years from the date of the test.

For example, if an LPI Test was taken on July 31, 2020, the results would be available until 2022.