Michigan English Test (MET)
The Michigan English Test, explained
A four-skill English test, one 155-minute sitting, a score out of 80, and a CEFR level at the end of it. Here is how the whole thing works — and how to be ready for it.
What is the Michigan English Test?
The MET is a four-skill English proficiency test — Listening, Reading and Grammar, Writing, and Speaking — taken in a single sitting of 155 minutes. Your result is reported as a score out of 80, and that score maps to a CEFR level.
It is taken by students and professionals who need a recognised CEFR level for a school, an employer, or a scholarship — often in situations where IELTS or PTE is not required, or simply is not offered nearby.
How the MET is structured
The MET is sat as one continuous 155-minute session covering all four skills. Our own preparation is organised around the same four areas the test assesses, which is the most useful way to think about the paper:
- Listening — short conversations, longer conversations and talks, and replay-excerpt questions.
- Reading and Grammar — grammar items, single-text reading, and multi-text reading where linked sources feed one question.
- Writing — short responses and an extended essay.
- Speaking — recorded response tasks.
The part people underestimate
The sections do not wait for you. Our own orientation lesson on the paper is called “Test Anatomy: Four Sections, One-Way Doors”, because that is the pressure the format actually applies. Practising the individual skills is not the same as surviving 155 continuous minutes of them. That is the whole argument for sitting a full-length mock before you sit the real thing.
How MET scoring works
Your MET result is a score out of 80, and that score converts to a CEFR level. The CEFR bands work like this:
| Scaled score | CEFR level |
|---|---|
| 64–80 | C1 |
| 53–63 | B2 |
| 40–52 | B1 |
| 27–39 | A2 |
| Below 27 | Below A2 |
Two things are worth knowing about that table. First, the same cut scores apply to all four skills. Second, C1 is the ceiling — the MET does not report C2. If you are aiming at the top of the scale, C1 is the top of the scale.
How Writing and Speaking are judged
Writing and Speaking are the judged sections, and the MET's rating scales for them are published by Michigan Language Assessment. Writing is marked on five criteria; Speaking on three. Each criterion runs 0–4.
| Skill | Criteria (each 0–4) |
|---|---|
| Writing | Grammatical Accuracy · Vocabulary · Mechanics · Cohesion and Organization · Task Completion |
| Speaking | Task Completion · Language Resources · Intelligibility and Delivery |
When Lexis marks your practice Writing and Speaking, it applies those published descriptors word for word rather than a Lexis paraphrase. See how Lexis scores your mock exams.
Who takes the MET, and why
Students and professionals who need a recognised CEFR level for a school, employer, or scholarship — frequently where IELTS or PTE is not required or not available nearby.
If your pathway checks two numbers, not one
Some credential pathways set a minimum on both your overall score and your Speaking score rather than the overall alone. The CGFNS VisaScreen threshold is one of them: 55 or above on the overall score and 55 or above on Speaking.
That is why every Lexis MET score report tells you whether your projection clears both, not just the overall. A strong overall with a weak Speaking score fails that test, and it is far better to find that out in practice than on results day.
How to prepare for the MET
Three things separate people who walk out confident from people who walk out surprised.
- Find out where you actually stand before you build a plan. The Lexis Readiness Check assesses all four skills and produces a study plan from your own results, rather than a generic syllabus.
- Learn the paper before you grind the paper. The 5-part MET Overview Course covers test structure, scoring, core strategies, and what to expect on test day. The MET Masterclass is a 14-lesson strategy course across the four tested skills, plus orientation and readiness.
- Then rehearse the whole 155 minutes. Skill drills do not simulate fatigue. Full-length AI-scored mock exams do.
What Lexis gives you for the MET
- A free Mini Test — original Lexis listening and grammar questions, a short introduction to the digital test experience, instant practice feedback, and no payment required.
- The Mock Package: 10 original, full-length AI-scored mock exams in the real 155-minute format, each returning an estimated MET-equivalent score and CEFR level, item review, writing and speaking feedback, and recorded speaking-response playback. 60 days of access.
- The Success Package: a four-skill Readiness Check, the 5-part Overview Course, the 14-lesson Masterclass, 120 skill-based practice items with feedback, 90 Writing and Speaking model responses with coach notes, and 5 original full-length AI-scored mock exams written for the Success Package. 90 days of access.
All of it is original Lexis material — our own questions, prompts, illustrations, audio, lessons, and model responses. One attempt per mock, the way the real test works.
MET, IELTS, or PTE?
Short answer: take the test your institution asks for. If more than one is accepted, the differences that actually matter are the scale, the format, and the day itself.
- MET — four skills in one 155-minute sitting, scored out of 80 and mapped to CEFR.
- IELTS — the 0–9 band scale, with a band per skill; Academic and General Training are different papers for different purposes.
- PTE — fully computer-based, scored by machine on a 10–90 scale, with integrated tasks that mark two skills at once.
Questions
Everything you might want to know.
What is the MET?
The Michigan English Test is a four-skill English proficiency test used for study, work, and visa purposes. Lexis MET mocks mirror its real 155-minute format.
How long is the MET?
155 minutes, in one sitting, covering all four skills.
How is the MET scored?
Out of 80, mapped to a CEFR level from A2 to C1 — the MET does not report C2. Writing and Speaking are judged on the published Michigan rating scales: five criteria for Writing, three for Speaking, each scored 0 to 4.
What is a good MET score?
It depends entirely on what your school, employer, or programme requires, so ask them for their minimum first. For orientation: 64 and above is C1, 53 to 63 is B2, and 40 to 52 is B1.
How is my Lexis mock score calculated?
Every mock is AI-graded and returns a projected MET score range and CEFR level. Projected scores are estimates to guide your preparation — they are not official MET results.
Is Lexis affiliated with the MET test maker?
No. Lexis is an independent preparation provider and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, Michigan Language Assessment. MET is their trademark.
Can I try the Lexis MET material before paying?
Yes. The Mini Test is free and needs no payment. It uses original Lexis listening and grammar questions and gives you instant practice feedback.
I have a voucher code from my school or agency.
Head to the voucher claim page, choose the Readiness Check, and enter your code at checkout to bring the total to ₱0.
How long do I have access?
The Mock Package includes 60 days of access. The Success Package includes 90 days of access from purchase.
Keep reading
- MET scores explainedThe 0–80 scale, the CEFR cut scores, and how Writing and Speaking are judged.
- How to prepare for the META four-step method, in the order that actually works.
- MET vs IELTSHow the two compare, and how to choose when both are accepted.
- How Lexis scores your mock examsWhat our scoring is calibrated against, and its limits.
Start with the free MET Mini Test
Try the Lexis test experience before choosing a package. No payment required.
See MET packagesMET® is a trademark of Michigan Language Assessment. Lexis is an independent preparation provider and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, Michigan Language Assessment.
Projected scores are estimates, not official MET results.