CEPA (Common Educational Proficiency Assessment)

Common Educational Proficiency Assessment (CEPA) is a set of locally-developed standardized tests used for admissions and placement by three federal institutions of higher education in the United Arab Emirates (Zayed University, the Higher Colleges of Technology, and UAEU). The tests are produced by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific research as part of NAPO (National Admissions and Placement Office) and administered in the three federal institutions. Around 17,000 grade 12 Emirati students take the tests each year. There are two CEPA exams. CEPA-English tests basic English proficiency, and CEPA-Math measures basic math skills. Both exams are administered in two formats: paper-based (with scanned answer sheets) and computer-based.

Zayed University, the Higher Colleges of Technology, and UAE University are primarily English-medium universities located in the United Arab Emirates. Each of these institutions has a foundations or academic bridge program designed to help students increase their level of English to the level required for higher education. CEPA scores indicate which, if any, level of English course is necessary.

CEPA-English was created in 2002 to place students into English foundations programs at the three federal institutions of higher education in the United Arab Emirates (Zayed University, the Higher Colleges of Technology, and UAE University), all of which are English-medium. It was designed to discriminate best at the average level of high school students in the UAE. The test takes two hours, in which test-takers complete 110 multiple choice questions and one essay. Test items are developed in conjunction with English teachers at the three institutions, in an effort to keep the content culturally relevant and compatible with local sensibilities.

CEPA-English tests English Grammar and Vocabulary proficiency using multiple-choice sentence-completion questions. There are 45 grammar questions, which cover a wide range of basic English structures. There are 40 vocabulary questions, testing the most common words of English, drawn from modified word lists, such as the General Service List, as well as academically-oriented words drawn from a modified Academic Word List.

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