is an English certificate really useful and necessary?

I am a Chinese college student and the other day I took part in the CET-band4 and passed it. I think it's necessary we chinese students mostly have to show our certificates when hunting for a job. They are just required as a brief evidence to testify one's experience to see whether he/she studys hard during the college life. so the certificates are considered to be connected with the character of the person.....whether he/she is a hardworking person.....that's what counts why we chinese students have to get the certificate of English

yeah well it mostly depends on where u wanna work n do they require but nowadays english knowlegde is important happy lotting and have a nice day! :D

i guess they are kind of necessary things.you can't talk to everybody to decide their english is good or not.you really need a test. that't is what band-4&6 for, i guess.they may not be as useful as people usually considered,but we have to admit it is a way to prove one's english.of course, it's not the only way,nor the best way.

Me too, I passed CET6. But it does not mean anything. Yesterday I attended a job interview, they did not look at my certificate but let me translate an Email live. And I did a good job, they told me go to work next day. If your english really good, do not scare.

I strongly agree with you. I learn English in college,and I care nothing about these boring exams,I just focuse on my English speaking ,listening,writing but not passing exams! Now I work in a foreign company and thanks to my efforts before,it helps me a lot ,if they can understands them very well,and be able to eapress yourself,nothing concern with these exams,they stands for noting here! So,let the real ability speak!

Well, from my experience, it is important if you want to apply for a job, or educantional programs where the official language is english! But apart from that, I believe that only practise can make you good in speaking english fluently...No matter how many certificates you have! If you have a certificate but don't practise, the most common thing is to write in a correct and fluent manner but you you don't have oral skills! And the opposite happens with people without certificates, but who live in an english speaking country, or practise english frequently! They cannot write in english well, but when the speak they don't have any problem