All tests

Business English Certification Test

Prove your workplace English in 45 minutes.

4.7test rating

Forty multiple-choice questions on the English people actually use at work — emails, meetings, reports, negotiations. You finish with a score, a CEFR level from A1 to C2, and a certificate you can put in front of an employer the same hour.Forty multiple-choice questions, a CEFR level from A1 to C2, and a certificate the moment you finish.

About this test

Not textbook English — the English you are actually judged on at work. Every question sits in a workplace situation, and your answers across four areas produce a single BECT score and the CEFR level that goes with it.

What’s assessed

Forty questions across four areas, rising in difficulty as you go.

  • Business vocabularyContracts, budgets, deadlines, collocations
  • Grammar and structureTenses, modals, conditionals, word order
  • Reading comprehensionEmails, reports, and what was implied rather than said
  • Workplace communicationRegister, hedging, tone in meetings and negotiation

Everyday English and workplace English are not quite the same skill. Someone perfectly comfortable in conversation can still misjudge the tone of a client email or the wording of a contract clause — so a general English level does not always tell an employer what they want to know. Every question here is set at work, and that is what the certificate reports on.

Why this matters
A1–C2

the six levels of the Common European Framework, defined by the Council of Europe and used as the reference for language ability worldwide — which is what makes your result readable to an employer who has never heard of any particular test.

Source: Council of Europe

Nearly every CV in an international hiring process says “English”. Recruiters know the word carries no information, so they either test for it themselves or look for a level somebody else has already measured. A CEFR level does that job in two characters.

The Business English Certification Test is a 40-question multiple-choice test taken entirely in your browser. It is completely text-based — there is no listening or speaking section, so you need neither a microphone nor speakers, just a stable connection.

There is no time limit. Most people finish in about 45 minutes, and you can move back through the questions and change any answer before you submit. Because the test spans A1 to C2 in a single sitting, you do not need to know your level in advance: the result places you on the scale rather than passing or failing you against a fixed bar.

The moment you submit, you get your BECT score, the CEFR level it corresponds to, and a personal certificate as a downloadable PDF. Every certificate carries a unique ID that anyone — an employer, a recruiter, an admissions office — can check on our verification page.

Your access does not expire and retakes are free, so many people sit the test once to see where they stand and again months later to show that their level has moved up. It is open to everyone: no application, no prerequisites, and no appointment.

See it before you sit it

One question at a time, in your browser, on any device — and your result the moment you submit.

  • Text onlyNo mic needed
  • Any devicePhone to laptop
  • Go back anytimeFree retakes
  • Instant resultScore and level

Certificate

Yours instantly,
verifiable forever

Sample BECT language certificate issued by IBMI Berlin
  • Instantas a digital PDFPDF download
  • Score & levelboth are printed
  • Lifetimeno expiry
  • ShareableLinkedIn & CV
  • Verifiableunique ID number
Demo verification
4678‑7253‑3554
Valid certificateBusiness English Certification TestIssued by IBMI Berlin to David Fischer · score 80, level B2
Check any real certificate ID on our verification page.Check any real certificate ID here.

Ratings & feedback

What test takers say
about this test

4.7 average rating for IBMI language tests
★ Rated ExcellentIBMI on Trustpilot →

"Sat it on a Sunday evening and had the certificate before bed. B2, exactly what I expected."

MMarta O.Portugal★★★★★

"I needed proof of my English for a job application and couldn't wait weeks for a test date. This took 45 minutes."

JJames T.South Africa★★★★★

"The vocabulary questions are properly business — contracts, deadlines, client emails. Not textbook English."

AAisha B.Nigeria★★★★★

"Took the general test first to see where I stood, then this one two weeks later. Free retakes made that painless."

DDaniel K.Germany★★★★★

"The questions get harder as you go, so one sitting really does place you on the whole scale. Ended at B1."

PPriya S.India★★★★☆

"$12 for a CEFR-aligned certificate is hard to argue with. I added it to my LinkedIn the same evening."

SSofia L.Italy★★★★★

"Recruiters kept asking for a language level on my CV. Now there's a certificate with a verification link behind it."

OOmar H.UAE★★★★★

"My employer accepted it for our internal training record. The verification link worked on the first try."

CCarlos M.Mexico★★★★★

"No microphone, no appointment, no travelling to a test centre. I did it at my kitchen table."

HHanna V.Netherlands★★★★★

Drag to explore more reviewsSwipe to explore more reviews

Featured in
NBC Yahoo MarketWatch Digital Journal Star Tribune IBT

Your level

One test,
the whole CEFR scale

Most exams assess a slice of the range, so you have to know roughly where you sit before you book one. This test covers all six levels in a single sitting — which is why the result is a level, not a pass or a fail.

  1. Familiar everyday phrases and very basic expressions.

  2. Simple, routine exchanges on familiar topics.

  3. The main points of clear standard input met at work.

  4. Complex text and technical discussion in your field.

  5. Fluent and spontaneous, flexible for professional use.

  6. Virtually everything read with ease, including nuance.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Add it to your cart and create your account during checkout. You can start straight after payment — there is no appointment and no test centre. All you need is a browser and a stable internet connection.
There is no time limit. The test has 40 multiple-choice questions and most people need about 45 minutes. You can go back and review your answers before you submit.
No. The test is completely text-based, so there is no listening or speaking section and no equipment to set up. It works on a computer, a tablet or a phone.
No. The test covers A1 to C2 in one sitting, so it places you on the scale rather than asking you to choose a level in advance. The result is a level, not a pass or a fail.
Yes, as often as you like, at no extra cost. Your access does not expire, so many people sit it once to see where they stand and again months later to show that their level has moved up.
The test is aligned to the Common European Framework of Reference, developed by the Council of Europe, so your level is stated in terms employers already recognise. IBMI certificates are acknowledged around the world as professional certificates. Please note we do not award academic titles or degrees.
Immediately. Your score, your CEFR level and your personal certificate are available to download as soon as you submit. Every certificate carries a unique ID that anyone can check on our certificate verification page.
This test uses workplace situations and vocabulary; the General English Test covers everyday language. If the certificate is for a job application, the business version is usually the better fit — and nothing stops you taking both.

More questions? Visit the Help Center →

Short test, fast results

From checkout to certificate
in about 45 minutes

Start Buy and begin

Checkout takes a minute — the first question is one click later.

45 min Answer 40 questions

Multiple choice, all text, no time pressure.

Immediately See your score and level

Your BECT score and the CEFR level it corresponds to, the moment you submit.

Finish Certificate in hand

Download the PDF, add it to your CV and LinkedIn, or send the verification link.

Business English Certification Test

Start now and get certified today

$30$12−60%

Online multiple-choice testOnline test · Personalized certificate
One-time payment · Unlimited free retakes

Add to cart

Keep learning

Test takers also took

General English Certification Test Language testTest 4.7

General English Test

Certificate · CEFR level 45 minutes45m · 40 questions $30$12−60% Essential Management Skills online course Course 4.8

Essential Management Skills

Certificate · lifetime access 3 hours3h · self-paced $50$15−70% Economics and International Business online course Course 4.8

Economics & International Business

Certificate · lifetime access 3 hours3h · self-paced $50$15−70% Basics of Project Management online course Course 4.8

Basics of Project Management

Certificate · lifetime access 2 hours2h · self-paced $30$12−60%
See all language tests See all courses