Development and Validation of a Comprehensive English Test for Sophomore Students in Liaoning, China

The English proficiency of Chinese college students varies in different regions and majors. For college students, it’s of great importance to know their strengths and weaknesses in the process of language learning and to have targeted practice . For language teachers, it is quite significant to identify the problems and needs of students in English learning, to adjust the teaching methods and contents and to improve the teaching effect. At the same time, the feedback of the test results can also promote the school’s attention to and investment i n English teaching and promote the in depth reform of English teaching. In this procedure, a comprehensive English test is an effective way. This study describes developing and validating a comprehensive English test for sophomore students at Shenyang Univ ersity of Chemistry and Technology in Liaoning, China. The test is designed to assess students' English proficiency upon completing the "New Century College English Reading" course. The research employed a mixed methods approach, combining qualitative meth ods for test development and expert review with quantitative methods for statistical validation. The test development process included content analysis of course materials, creation of test specifications aligned with course objectives, and item writi ng. T he test covers four key language domains: listening, reading, translation, and writing. Validation is conducted through expert r eview using a content, construct, and face validity checklist. Five experienced English language teaching and assessment experts evaluated the test using a 15 item checklist with a 5 point Likert scale. Results showed high overall validity, with mean scores above 4.0 for content validity, construct validity, and face validity, indicating strong agreement among experts on the test' s validation. While the study provides strong evidence for the test's validity, limitations include the sample size and geographic scope. Future research directions include longitudinal studies to assess predictive validity and cross regional validation to evaluate the test's applicability across China's educational contexts. This study contributes to English language assessment in Chines e higher education in Liaoning province. It provides a validated tool that aligns closely with curriculum objectives and a ddresses the need for comprehensive language proficiency evaluation.