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Despite broad use, the MSRT’s design and implementation raise concerns about validity and fairness. Using Kunnan’s Test Fairness Framework, the study analyzes the test’s structure, content, and psychometric qualities across purpose, validity, reliability, access, and social consequences. Evidence from empirical and theoretical sources shows major limitations in content relevance, transparency, authenticity, administration, and alignment with educational goals. 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It functions as a key gatekeeping assessment within Iran’s higher education system.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"What framework guides the critical review of the MSRT?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"The review applies Kunnan’s Test Fairness Framework to evaluate the MSRT’s structure, content, and psychometric properties. It focuses on test purpose, validity, reliability, access, and social consequences.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"What main shortcomings does the article identify in the MSRT?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"The article highlights concerns about validity and fairness, including misalignment with communicative and academic needs, and deficiencies related to content relevance, transparency, authenticity, and administration. 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Despite its widespread use, the design and implementation of the MSRT raise concerns about its validity and fairness as a measure of language proficiency. Grounded in Kunnan’s [1, 2] Test Fairness Framework, this review evaluates the MSRT’s structure, content, and psychometric properties, with a focus on key dimensions such as test purpose, validity, reliability, access, and social consequences. Drawing on both empirical studies and theoretical perspectives, the article highlights critical shortcomings in areas including content relevance, transparency, authenticity, administration and alignment with educational goals. In particular, the misalignment between MSRT and the communicative and academic needs of postgraduate students undermines its usefulness and equity. The article concludes by calling for comprehensive reforms in the test’s structure and administration to ensure that it better supports fair, accurate, and contextually appropriate assessment practices. In doing so, it contributes to ongoing discussions on language testing reform in Iran’s higher education system.  \nKeywords Iranian english language proficiency testing, Validity, Reliability, Social consequences, Absence of bias  \n1 Introduction  \nEnglish proficiency (EP) has become a critical component of academic and professional success in Iran, where graduate students are required to meet specific language requirements as prerequisites for access to higher education and employment opportunities. In an increasingly globalized academic and professional environment, EP is not only a communicative skill but also a strategic asset that is essential for engaging in international collaborations, accessing the latest scientific literature, and enhancing competitiveness in the job market. The demand for robust English language skills has thus positioned EP assessments as gatekeepers within the Iranian higher education system. To this end, a variety of EP tests designed to assess the language skills of graduate students have emerged within Iran. Prominent among these assessments are internationally  \n© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creativecommons.org/l](http://creativecommons.org/l)icenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.  \nParviz and Azizi Discover Educa","cbCaimhgw8lTF7pJ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaimhgw8lTF7pJ","pdf",1114701,17,"English","# Introduction\n## English proficiency as an academic and career gatekeeper\n## Major EP tests in Iran and their roles\n# Article focus and fairness criteria","[{\"question\":\"What is the MSRT and why is it important in Iran?\",\"answer\":\"The MSRT is the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology English Proficiency Test, required for postgraduate graduation, scholarships, and certain employment positions. It functions as a key gatekeeping assessment within Iran’s higher education system.\"},{\"question\":\"What framework guides the critical review of the MSRT?\",\"answer\":\"The review applies Kunnan’s Test Fairness Framework to evaluate the MSRT’s structure, content, and psychometric properties. It focuses on test purpose, validity, reliability, access, and social consequences.\"},{\"question\":\"What main shortcomings does the article identify in the MSRT?\",\"answer\":\"The article highlights concerns about validity and fairness, including misalignment with communicative and academic needs, and deficiencies related to content relevance, transparency, authenticity, and administration. It also points to limited alignment with educational goals, which undermines usefulness and equity.\"}]","The MSRT - a critical review of english proficiency in Iran | PDF",43]