Key Takeaways
- IELTS tests English skills primarily for school and immigration.
- The Hyring English Test is for hiring candidates based on real job situations. It helps predict success better when the test matches the job.
- Digital tests work better for high-volume hiring.
Which test is better?
The Hyring English Proficiency Test and IELTS are for different target groups.
IELTS helps students study in other countries or get into schools. The Hyring English Test helps evaluate a candidate's communication skills efficiently. So, if speaking English is important for your team's work with customers, phone calls, writing reports, and communication, why pick a test meant for school?
This guide compares the two tests, including their formats, scoring, and predictability.
What Is IELTS and How Does It Work?
(IELTS) The International English Language Testing System is a common global test that checks how well someone speaks and understands English.
People mainly take it for school or immigration. The test is run by the British Council, IDP Education, and Cambridge Assessment English and is known around the world.
It tests:
- Listening: understanding different accents and situations,
- Reading: understanding difficult texts,
- Writing: writing an essay or report,
- Speaking: having a personal interview or recording oneself. Scores range from Band 1 to Band 9.
Different schools have different score needs, and people who want to immigrate need IELTS scores for their visa. However, IELTS scores do not show how well someone can work. For example, a person might get a Band 7.5 but struggle to talk during a customer call. IELTS measures English skills for school, not for work.
What Is the Hyring English Proficiency Test?
The Hyring English Proficiency Test is a new way to test a candidate's communication skills. Other tests check grammar and writing, but Hyring looks at how well candidates communicate in work situations.
Using AI, it assesses:
- Clear speech in job-related contexts
- Organized speaking in timed settings
- Good responses in real-life situations
- Fair scoring with AI to avoid bias
The test is fully online, making it easy to fit into the existing hiring pipeline. There are no test centers, no scheduling, and no time zone issues. For large-scale hiring, like customer service or sales, this approach can greatly improve recruitment.
Hyring English Test vs IELTS: Core Differences
It's not about how hard the tests are or their status.
It's about what they really measure. IELTS checks language skills. Hyring looks at how well someone uses language in tasks. If you need someone to write academic papers, consider IELTS.
But if you need someone to handle clients or persuade people, you need a more workplace-oriented assessment.
Which Test Predicts Job Performance Better?
The U.S. Department of Labor says that a single bad hire can cost a company up to 30% of that person's first-year salary.
Poor language skills often lead to failure in jobs that need good communication. IELTS is good for predicting success in school, but not for jobs that involve clients.
The Hyring English Test checks key communication skills:
Can they answer quickly and clearly?
Can they stay calm under pressure?
Can they share ideas without prep?
Can they make others feel confident?
These skills can't be measured well with a written test. They are shown in real-life situations.
Cost, Scalability, and Screening Efficiency
It's important to talk about testing limits because there are more issues than many recruiters think.
There are challenges with using IELTS:
Candidates must schedule tests weeks in advance. The cost adds up when hiring many people. There are limits on how many can test at once.
If you hire 200 people at the same time, these scheduling issues can slow down hiring. In contrast, the Hiring English Test is done independently. Candidates take the test on their own, and you get scores right away without scheduling problems. Fast hiring affects profits directly. Empty positions lead to poor service and financial losses.
When Should You Choose IELTS?
The IELTS exam is still useful in some cases. If the job requires an academic degree or publications in order for the candidate to do the job properly.
If you help employees with registration in controlled jobs. If you need documents for immigration or visas. In these situations, IELTS is essential and works well for its purpose.
When Should You Choose the Hyring English Test?
The Hyring English Test is better for hiring in customer service, sales, or other roles where communication is a non-negotiable skill online. Good communication helps your team work better and ensures that they are able to communicate with customers.
Hyring’s EPT also gives consistent results, helping with fast-tracking the hiring process, especially when it is a high-volume role. EPT, however, is not a competitor for IELTS; it helps find people who can do their job well, not just speak English.
Do you know which test fits your hiring needs?
Final Verdict: Hyring's EPT vs IELTS for Hiring
If you need to test someone's language skills for universities or immigration, IELTS is a good choice. It is a well-known test.
But if you want to build a strong team with good communication and happy clients, IELTS is not the right test. For this, you should use the Hyring's English Proficiency Test.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is IELTS valid for hiring decisions?
It is somewhat enough, but it does not focus on workplace communication. A Band 7 on IELTS does not mean someone will do well with tough customers.
2. Does the Hyring English Test replace IELTS?
The Hyring English Test is not a replacement for IELTS, which is needed for immigration or studying abroad. You need a different test for job situations.
3. Which test is more cost-effective for high-volume recruiting?
A job-related language test is likely to be cheaper than IELTS.
4. Can IELTS scores predict whether someone will succeed in a customer-facing role?
They can show this a little, as language skills are important in any job. But IELTS does not test specific job language skills.
