Procedures for developing and validating a modified cloze test are described. The multiple-choice cloze procedure was developed to aid in the rapid placement of college freshmen who are students of English as a second language. It was designed to overcome some problems in the original cloze test, to reduce anxiety, and to be machine scored. The pilot test, intended to obtain appropriate distractors, was administered to 376 first-time freshmen in three colleges of education in the Middle East. The final test form was administered to 95 students in two colleges of education to obtain item analyses, calculate test validity and reliability, and determine the optimum test time. These measures indicate that the test as a whole provides good assessment of the learners' general English language ability. A 35-item bibliography and the instrument are included. (MSE)