Finnish language test
On Saturday, I spent five hours taking a test to prove my Finnish language proficiency to Finland (a certain level of Finnish is required to apply for citizenship, which we hope to someday do; Jeremy already took and passed the test a couple of years ago). By way of evaluation, test-takers’ language skills are placed on a six-point scale, ranging from A1 (or 1) to C2 (or 6). A1 means you can say a few things about yourself and commonly discussed topics; C2 would be equivalent to an educated, fluent native speaker. The test covers speaking, reading, listening, and writing.
To apply for citizenship, Finland requires at least a 3 (B1) in one productive and one receptive skill. So you could pass with a 3 in speaking and a 3 in reading, but not in, say, only reading and listening. Level 3 (B1) isn’t actually terribly proficient - it’s just proof that if you need to, you can get stuff done and function in society, even if it isn’t pretty. I find it very generous that Finland doesn’t require B2 (4) like I think it could if it really wanted to. Though I imagine they are hesitant to do so, since many foreign residents are already choosing to take the test in Swedish (Finland’s other national language) because it’s so much easier to learn than Finnish!
Taking the test was interesting and exciting and nerve-wracking for me on a few levels. First as a resident of Finland thinking about applying for citizenship, of course - on that level, I was just hoping to do my best and pass. But I also enjoyed it on other levels: as a language learner, as a language nerd, as an educator, as a test prep instructor, as someone who has literally worked as an OPI rater for English. For example, during the speaking portion of the test, I got the prompt to talk for two minutes about an athlete or musician who I admired. And I knew immediately that the point wasn’t exactly to choose my actual favorite, but to instead make sure I chose someone who I could…say a lot of things about!
So I chose Bear Grylls. (We JUST watched World’s Toughest Race.)
I also had a sweet moment of redemption for what is probably my all-time worst Finnish mistake! Years ago, in a church kitchen full of small children, I thanked a friend for the chocolate cake she made, but instead of saying “chocolate cake,” I said “chocolate s***”. The kids STILL remember it. Well, in the speaking portion of the exam on Saturday, one prompt told me to thank a friend for something she did for my birthday and I made sure to incorporate “thank you for the CHOCOLATE CAKE” into my response. REDEMPTION!!!
Out of the four sections (speaking, listening, reading, and writing), I found the listening section to be the most difficult. I think it’s because it was so decontextualized - “here is a conversation/situation/interview; now answer some questions about it.” Think about it: that almost never happens in real life! Instead, there is almost always something to help you understand the foreign language: facial expressions, a PowerPoint slide, a location, objects, previous context. So it was really hard to just be dropped in the middle of an audio recording and then figure it out.
I should get my scores in a few weeks. I feel pretty good about the test but we’ll see. The nice thing was that the test was designed to let you show what you can do, rather than what you can’t. And I feel like I can do a lot of things in Finnish…even if I can’t do everything!
