Erdem Aydemir
Division Coordinator
Placement Test
All students who are accepted to Istinye University are required to take İSÜ Placement Test. The test is composed of 3 parts, which are “language use”, “vocabulary knowledge” and “reading”. The students are placed into suitable language proficiency level groups based on their results. The students who are classified as B1 level or above are accepted into Istinye University English Proficiency Exam (ISTEP). Students who score 60 or above are exempt from English preparatory education.
English Proficiency Exam (ISTEP)
In one academic year; ISTEP (Istinye English Proficiency Exam) is administered 4 times in October, January, June and August. Students who score over 75 in İSÜ Placement Test, which is held 2 days before İstinye University English Proficiency Exam (ISTEP) are accepted to the first ISTEP in October. Students who score 74 or lower are not accepted to this first exam in October.
Only the students who have reached or successfully completed B2 level can take ISTEP in January, June and August. Before each exam, the list of students who are eligible to take the exam is announced.
Students who score 60 or above in ISTEP are considered to have successfully completed the English Preparatory Program. Students who score below 60 points cannot start the department education. They are expected to enter the next ISTEP and succeed.
The Istinye University English Proficiency Exam is composed of 3 parts: listening, reading and writing.
The listening part consists of two sections.
• Selective Listening: In this section, the students are given a question sheet. The students are expected to answer the questions while listening to a lecture.
Click here for sample Selective Listening questions and the answer key.
Click here for the sample Selective Listening audio track.
• Note-Taking: In this section, the students are expected to take notes on a blank sheet while listening to a lecture. After the lecture is over, the students are given a set of questions, which they answer by using their notes.
Click here for sample Note-Taking questions and the answer key.
Click here for sample Note-Taking audio track.
The reading part consists of 3 sections.
• Reading 1: In this section, the students are given an academic reading text of approximately 1000 words and a list of questions. The students need to read the text carefully to answer the questions. The questions must be answered in 40 minutes.
Click here for Reading 1 sample reading text, questions, and the answer key.
• Reading 2: In this section, the students are given an academic reading text of approximately 500 words and a list of questions. In this section, 5 multiple choice questions are asked. The questions must be answered in 20 minutes.
Click here for Reading 2 sample reading text, questions, and the answer key.
• Reading 3: In this section, the students are given an academic reading text of approximately 500 words and a list of questions. A summary of the reading passage is given. There are 5 blanks in this summary. These blanks need to be filled with appropriate words from the text. The questions must be answered in 20 minutes.
Click here for Reading 3 sample reading text, questions, and the answer key.
The writing part consists of 2 sections.
• In the first section, the students are expected to write an essay of 250-300 words.
• In the second section, a graph/table/map etc. and a short text are given to the students. The students are expected to answer the given question by writing one or two paragraphs of approximately 150 words, using the information on the graph/table/map etc. and the text.
Click here for sample Writing questions.
The writing part lasts 70 minutes in total.
Assessment: Each part is evaluated out of 100 points. The scores of each part affects the average in the following proportions: Listening 30%, Reading 30%, Writing 40%. The students who score 60 or more pass the exam.
Students can submit an official TOEFL (either the TOEFL iBT or TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition), IELTS Academic, PTE Academic, LanguageCert, CPE, or CAE score to be exempt from the Istinye English Proficiency Exam (ISTEP) and the English Preparatory Program. Students that successfully sent their scores and are eligible for exemption will be announced on our website weekly. Please find the confirmation details of each exam below.
Students who certify that they graduated from a high school (local or international) where the medium of instruction is 100% English with their transcripts etc., are also exempt from the English Preparatory Program and do not need to submit an exam result. These students need to submit their certificates to the International Office during registration (Having taken English courses or the language of instruction being partially English does not qualify for an exemption.)
TOEFL
The minimum score for admission is 75 on Internet-based tests. Please note that official TOEFL scores must be ordered from ETS and sent to Istinye University Foreign Languages Department Undergraduate Organization (reporting code C821). Unofficial score report copies (Test Taker Score Reports, pdf copies, emails, etc.) are not accepted.
IELTS Academic
The minimum score for admission is 6.0. Please send your Test Report Form (TRF) number to foreignlanguages@istinye.edu.tr for confirmation. Unofficial score report copies (Test Taker Score Reports, pdf copies, emails, etc.) are not accepted.
PTE Academic
The minimum score for admission is 55. Please send your Score Report Code to foreignlanguages@istinye.edu.tr for confirmation. Unofficial score report copies (Test Taker Score Reports, pdf copies, emails, etc.) are not accepted.
LanguageCert
The minimum score for admission is 70. Please send your Certificate number to foreignlanguages@istinye.edu.tr for confirmation. Unofficial score report copies (Test Taker Score Reports, pdf copies, emails, etc.) are not accepted.
CEA and CPE
The minimum score for admission is C for CPE and B for CEA. Please send your score reports to foreignlanguages@istinye.edu.tr for confirmation. Unofficial score report copies (Test Taker Score Reports, pdf copies, emails, etc.) are not accepted.,Determining the Program Exit/Level Pass