Do you sit exams?

[prettylittleliar]

I know that you can learn languages in a lot of different ways, and that most of the courses (perhaps ones you take online or via apps) don't require you to take exams and thus you receive no certification. Some people like to have a record of their achievements for their resumes though, and might choose to take exams to prove their aptitude. I was considering whether or not to take some exams for my CV and was wondering if anyone else has done similar despite not taking a formal classroom based course? I know you can pay to take exams usually. Has anyone done this or considered it?

[reverserewind]

Well, I see some logic in this but something remains unclear to me. What kind of job do you want? Does it involve speaking foreign languages as a necessity? If not, it's a huge waste of time and money. However, keeping a permanent certificate was never a useless thing for the future.

[lushlala]

I've only ever done it with my French. I took a French Minor for my English Linguistics degree, and I had to sit a few different exams including the spoken aspect, written and listening comprehension. I always did well, but I'd be sick with worry, eaten up by nerves in the run-up. It sure would help boost your CV, although I very rarely put my French on there. I guess I have zero confidence, as I've not spoken it in years. 

[lingualbabe]

Well, the only exam I took of was the TOEIC, Test of English for International Communication. And I took the test because it was part of the requirements in my school. If you don't take it and pass, you cannot graduate, I think. Fortunately, I passed it and almost all the others in our batch passed it as well. We did have to pay for it, it was included in our tuition already. We also have a certificate for it and we can attach it to our CVs and resumes as well. However, this was a classroom-based exam since it was conducted in our school. As far as taking exams outside of school, I haven't done that.

Like you said, it could look good in your CV especially if you're in the linguistics or language field. I do know other online employment require certain certificates as well. So if you're in that field, why not? It can make your resume stand out from the rest of the applicants that's for sure. But to be on the safer side, try to look first for employments seeking your certain language so that you won't waste money if you cannot find any job openings for it. 

I hope this helps, good luck!

[Lingua Franca]

I have considered it but I ended up not doing so. This was many years back were I would have to pay for classes but didn't have to go to them. Right at the end of the course all I had to do was go to the exam and I would get a certificate. I found that in my case at least it wasn't worth while.

[darkchild]

I would rather show my achievement in language learning by communicating rather than through certification.

The only time I have sat for a language exam is IELTS and I am an English speaker but needed it for post graduate admissions in Germany. Other than that, I would rather not take language exams.

[宇崎ちゃん]

I will do JLPT next month, then I'll consider doing IELTS.
But I don't think I will need a certification for other languages.

[lingvo]

Only if is required to achieve a profitable return. I dislike to sit several hours and stay under constant pressure even when I handle well stress conditions when I'm taking an exam. In other words, I find it unpleasant and would do it only for job or something serious. Never because I want to challenge myself  taking tests or something like that.

[宇崎ちゃん]

Exactly @lingvo, my reason to do JLPT is because I want to work in Japan somewhere next year.
And I'm going to do IELTS because that improves business opportunities over there too.

I may also do Polish and Dutch certifications to earn an extra living on Italki, but teaching a language isn't really my thing (I'm a web and game programmer).

[Chris_A]

I always put any achievement into my CV, regardless if I actually got a diploma or not. Most jobs that require you to know a certain language make you undergo a test, anyway, before you get hired.

[maryannballeras]

I think it's always good to have a certificate for something you've learned. Not for bragging and all, but mostly as a black and white proof of your skills. If it doesn't cost too much, I suggest that you get a certificate. You will surely reap your rewards by doing so and the good thing is that, it can stay in your CV for as long as you want. In my view, I think of it as an investment. 

[wolfette]

I did take an exam in Spanish because I took it in school but I haven't considered taking any other language exams. If I was going to be looking for a job in translation or another field that requires extensive knowledge in multiple languages then I'd definitely consider it because it would certainly help me to get that sort of job. I think if it wasn't that sort of a job that would require knowledge in languages then I probably wouldn't bother with an exam.