MTC Placement Interview Questions

[xuebi 0]

Hello,

 

I plan to study at the MTC this winter. I have been learning Mandarin for several years though I studied Mandarin at university for six weeks. So my reading skills I think are better than my speaking skills.  I usually self-study the PAVC textbooks and talk with native Chinese speakers occasionally. Does anyone know what kind of questions they ask you? Hobbies? Why do you choose the MTC? etc.

 

Does anyone know or remember the topics you had to write about for the writing test?

 

I would like prepare for the interview so I have a greater chance to be placed in the intermediate class. I will only be there for a term so I would like to study Mandarin intensively. Currently, I am studying PAVC 3.

 

By the way does anyone know where I can purchase the new textbooks used at the MTC outside of Taiwan?

 

Thank you

 

[OneEye 1,381]

When I took the test (almost 4 years ago now, wow!), they asked me things like "Why are you studying Chinese?" "How long have you been studying?" etc. Standard stuff. I don't remember there being a writing test, but they've changed quite a few things since I was there. There was a reading comprehension test, which was essentially a TOCFL (or TOP-Huayu, as it was called then) practice test. Best of luck!

[xuebi 0]

Thank you for your input OneEye.

[Lu 3,097]

I was there in 2004 (ouch, that is rather long ago by now), don't remember any specific questions, but at the time, you could freely switch classes in the first week until you found one that suited you. You can perhaps check if this is still the case, and then you won't need to worry.

[etm001 162]

Hi,

 

I took the test in 2012. At that time there were only two portions to the test:

• A one-on-one interview with an MTC teacher, who asked basic questions to gauge my proficiency. I was also asked to read passages out loud from the PAVC books. Although the interview was short, the teacher gauged my proficiency (i.e., correlated it to a PAVC book) almost perfectly. 
• As OneEye noted, you next take the TOCFL computer-based reading comprehension test. I believe it's the full reading portion from the test, which means there were 50 multiple choice questions to be completed in 60 minutes.

A good thing for you is that you have been studying traditional characters. I had not studied traditional characters before taking this test, and I would have placed a bit higher had I been familiar with them.

 

On a side note, the MTC is no longer using the PAVC books. The new books are titled "A Practical Modern Course in Chinese" or something similar. They are self-published by the MTC, and overall they are an improvement, although they have some drawbacks as well. Sadly, you won't have to watch any videos of 高偉立.

 

Edit: I think the new books are "A Modern Course in Chinese"

[AR 1]

Are there any updates on this? I am planning to join MTC next year (if Corona lets me enter Taiwan...) and would like to know if the placement test has changed over the years.