Assessment
to international standards
We are the team of ISTOK — the Center for Applied Linguistic Research and Testing at MIPT. We make language assessment objective and convenient: no extra barriers, fast results, and the option to test from anywhere in the world.
Mission
A new generation of possibilities
Our mission is to make modern language diagnostics and learning accessible to everyone: a result you can trust, a process without undue stress that helps you move forward with confidence. ISTOK helps you not only learn your level, but find a starting point, confirm your language skills with an official certificate, and get recommendations for further development.
Who's behind this
The MIPT team and partners
The platform is built on an interdisciplinary approach. We've brought together professionals from different fields: language didactics, machine learning, mathematical statistics, corpus and psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics and social psychology. AI helps process results and reduce subjectivity, while the scientific foundation ensures the reliability and validity of the assessment.
ISTOK Center
Methodology and test development
The dedicated MIPT team responsible for assessment methodology, the item bank and psychometric validation.
DeepPavlov
Research and AI models
An MIPT lab specialised in developing and adapting language models for free-speech and writing assessment.
Platform team
Technology platform
The engineering team that builds the admin tools, the test player and the certificate infrastructure.
Methodology
How we assess
CEFR
Our scale follows the European CEFR standard — the result is unified and makes sense to any teacher.
Adaptive algorithm
The test rebuilds in real time, adapting questions to each user's level. Item difficulty is determined with AI — this shortens testing time and builds an individual trajectory.
The role of AI
Written responses and speaking are graded by an artificial-intelligence language model.
Process transparency
ISTOK uses proctoring — a modern system for monitoring the test process via video recording.
Documents
Officially registered
ISTOK is registered as an information system under the applicable procedure. The state-issued certificate confirms our rights to the platform.