Which English test will an Indian employer give you?
It depends on the company and the role, and most of the employers on this page do not publish it. For voice and BPO roles, expect a recorded spoken English test scored by a computer: Pearson's Versant, SHL's SVAR or, at Concentrix, a Harver assessment. For campus hiring in IT services, expect a written English section inside an online assessment, and in some companies a separate spoken "communication" round. Of the five employers on this page, only Concentrix names its assessment tool on its own careers site. Everything else, including which company uses Versant and which uses SVAR, comes from candidates and prep sites, and we label it that way. No company publishes a cut-off. The one thing most worth knowing: the invitation email tells you the test, because Versant comes with a Pearson Test Identification Number, Concentrix names Harver, and an SHL link means SVAR. Read it before you search.
- SHL SVAR: 12 to 15 minutes, scores "pronunciation, fluency, grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension", "20+ languages and 7 accents", "works on mobile and web" (shl.com).
- Versant English Test: about 17 minutes, 63 questions, six sections, scored 10 to 90 on the Global Scale of English (Pearson India store, which sells it as a practice test for Rs 1,100).
- AMCAT English module: written, 18 questions in 18 minutes (myamcat.com).
- Concentrix: "Harver is a virtual assessment tool that allows us to objectively evaluate our candidates" (Concentrix careers FAQ).
Company by company: official or reported
Each row separates what the company itself publishes from what candidates report. Where the company publishes nothing we could read, we say so. Candidate reports are not verified: they tell you what to prepare for, not what is guaranteed.
| Company | Official (company page) | Reported by candidates (unverified) | Prepare with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wipro | Nothing we could read. The Wipro Elite careers page did not describe its assessment stages on 21 October 2026. | A written English section in the campus online assessment; a spoken English round, often called SVAR, for voice-process roles. | SVAR questions and answers |
| Accenture | Nothing we could reach this week. | A "communication assessment" stage in campus hiring: a recorded spoken test with read-aloud and repeat tasks that candidates compare to Versant. | Practice bank (read aloud, repeat) |
| Tech Mahindra | Nothing we could reach this week. | An English writing task in campus assessments; a Versant-style spoken test for some voice roles. | Versant guide |
| Teleperformance (TP) India | No English test named. TP's US careers page warns that "TP hiring managers will only contact you from a @Teleperformance.com email address". | A Versant test for voice roles ("TP Versant test" is a common search); a Harver link for some roles. | Versant guide, Harver page |
| Concentrix India | The Concentrix careers FAQ names Harver and lists "language proficiency, computer proficiency, customer support, and typing skills", plus internet speed and system checks for work-from-home roles. | The Harver spoken module; a Versant test for some accounts. | Harver page |
Other employers that hire freshers for voice roles in India, such as banks' outsourcing arms, e-commerce support teams and captive service centres, may use the same tools. We do not list them, because we could not find a page from any of them naming a test. If you know your employer publishes its test, tell us and we will add the row with the link.
SVAR, Versant, AMCAT and Harver: the official facts
The tests are better documented than the companies. Every cell below comes from the test owner's page, read on 21 October 2026.
| SVAR (SHL) | Versant English Test (Pearson) | AMCAT English and MyEnglish | Harver Spoken Language | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you do | "Listen to a sentence, prompt, or spoken information" and "repeat or respond in their own words". | Six sections: Reading, Repeat, Short Answer Questions, Sentence Builds, Story Retelling, Open Questions. | English module: vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension (written). MyEnglish: "text and audio responses". | Single words, listen and repeat, read a longer paragraph aloud. |
| Length | 12 to 15 minutes | About 17 minutes, 63 questions | English module: 18 questions, 18 minutes | Not published |
| What is scored | Pronunciation, fluency, grammar, vocabulary, comprehension | Overall and sub-scores 10 to 90 on the GSE: fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary, sentence mastery | MyEnglish: "12 different parameters" | Speaking rate, pauses and hesitations, cadence, pitch; percentile with IELTS and CEFR references |
| Device | "Works on mobile and web" | Employer tests: computer or smartphone, per Pearson's FAQ. Store practice test: computer only; "tablet OSs are not supported" | Online | Online |
| Who pays | Employer (no public price) | Employer for the real test; Rs 1,100 for the practice test on the India store | MyEnglish Rs 850, or Rs 550 with AMCAT | Employer (no public price) |
| Source | SHL SVAR page | Pearson India store | AMCAT MyEnglish page | Harver page |
SHL lists SVAR's uses as "customer service and contact centres, technical support and helpdesks, telesales and inside sales, front-office and client-facing roles" and multilingual hiring. That is the voice-process list almost word for word, which is why SVAR turns up in Indian BPO hiring. For worked SVAR items, our SVAR questions and answers post has twelve with model answers. For Versant's six sections, the Versant guide goes task by task.
Campus drive vs walk-in: where the English test sits
Indian hiring for these roles runs in two shapes. The stages below are the typical shape candidates describe, with the official pieces marked. Each company and each account differs, so read your own invitation.
| Stage | Campus or off-campus drive (IT services, freshers) | Walk-in or lateral (BPO voice roles) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Registration through the college placement cell or the company portal. | HR screening, by phone or at the centre. This is already an English check. |
| 2 | Online assessment: aptitude, a written English section, coding for technical roles. Some companies use platforms such as AMCAT here. | Online assessment: spoken English test (Versant, SVAR or Harver), often typing, sometimes a chat or email task. Concentrix officially lists language, computer, customer support and typing. |
| 3 | A spoken communication round at some companies, such as the one Accenture candidates describe. | Operations or account round, often a mock call with a "customer". |
| 4 | Technical and HR interviews. | HR and offer discussion. |
Two practical differences. On campus, the English test is one filter among several. In a walk-in, the spoken test comes early, so a weak result can end the day before you reach the operations round. And in a walk-in, the HR screening call before the test is itself an English assessment, so our phone interview tips for India matter as much as test practice.
How to tell which test your invitation is
| What you see in the email or SMS | Most likely test | Why we say so |
|---|---|---|
| A Test Identification Number (TIN) and a Pearson or Versant link | Versant | Pearson's FAQ: every Versant test runs on a TIN, and "once you make an attempt to use your TIN it cannot be used again". |
| An SHL link, or the word SVAR | SVAR | SVAR is an SHL product. |
| A Harver link, or Concentrix as the employer | Harver modules, possibly including the spoken one | Concentrix's FAQ names Harver. |
| An AMCAT login | AMCAT modules, usually written English; SVAR if named | AMCAT's English module is written; its contact form lists SVAR queries. |
| Only "voice round" or "versant round" from a recruiter | Ask which platform | "Versant" is sometimes used for any spoken English round, so the word alone does not settle it. |
Do not open the link to "have a look"
Pearson's test-taker FAQ says a Versant test "is considered used after it has been started", and only the test administrator can decide whether you get another. Concentrix's FAQ says of its Harver modules: "Once you open the module, the clock starts ticking." Open the link only when you are ready to finish the whole test in one go.
How to prepare, test by test
If it is SVAR
Practise the two task types SHL names: repeating what you hear, and answering in your own words. Use the twelve items in the SVAR questions and answers post, record every answer, and listen for the five things SHL scores: pronunciation, fluency, grammar, vocabulary and comprehension. Comprehension is the one people forget: if you answer a different question from the one asked, fluent English does not save it.
If it is Versant
Learn the six sections until none of them surprises you, then drill your weakest two. Sentence Builds and Story Retelling are the ones that most need practice before the day, in our view, because they test memory under time. Our practice bank has items by task type, and the Versant guide has a two-week plan.
If it is a written English section (AMCAT or a company assessment)
The AMCAT syllabus page lists vocabulary (synonyms, antonyms, words in context), grammar (error spotting, sentence improvement) and reading comprehension. Time yourself: 18 questions in 18 minutes leaves a minute a question, so long passages have to be read once, not twice.
If it is Harver
Single words, sentences to repeat and a paragraph to read aloud. The drills and the self-check on our Harver page are built for exactly those three tasks.
Whatever the test
Do one timed mock before the real thing. The AI BPO voice interview covers the live round, and the 7-day plan fits all four tests into half an hour a day.
Notes for Hindi, South Indian, Marathi and Bengali speakers
These are TalkDrill teaching notes, not data from any test owner. They are the habits we would check first, because automated speaking tests score sounds and rhythm, and each first language carries its own into English. Our first-language mistakes page has drills for each.
| First language | Check first | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Hindi | v and w merged ("wery", "vork"); a vowel added before s clusters ("iskool", "istation"); "I am having" for states. | v and w drill; Hindi speakers' pronunciation guide |
| Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada | Equal weight on every syllable, so stressed words do not stand out; a vowel added after final consonants; stress on the wrong syllable in long words ("deVELopment" heard as "develOPment"). | word stress drill; South Indian speakers' guide |
| Marathi | v and w merged, as in Hindi; dropped -ed and -s endings in fast speech. | -ed endings drill |
| Bengali | v said as b ("bery"); s and sh swapped ("sop" for shop, "shell" for sell); dropped -s endings. | p, f, b, v drill |
One habit is shared across all four groups and costs marks in every automated test: a long "uhh" before each answer while you plan it. Replace it with a one-second silent pause and a first sentence that answers the question. For the full cluster, including the Philippines pages, go back to the BPO English tests hub.