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Q: Have you ever had other foreigners try to 'test' your Chinese?
I've had a few foreigners (mainly guys) come up to me before and start speaking to me in Mandarin trying to work out how good my Chinese is. I always reply in English because I think it's a bit pretentious... I even had a Dutch guy come up to me once and shove a Chinese book under my nose and ask me to read it to him... We were at a party...
sounds like a reverse of what many foreigners, myself included, have experienced when random strangers approach and demand english lessons. 
humbug:
Haha yeah I get that too, but I'm not Chinese, I'm also a foreigner, they aren't trying to learn from me, so I don't really get the point.
So basically, you are saying foreigners come to China (where people speak Chinese) and spoke Chinese to you? My god! HOW DARE THEY TRY TO LEARN MANDARIN AND ACTUALLY USE IT?!
Are you Chinese (by your post one can only assume)?
Do you know how many Chinese randomly speak to me to test their English or mine?
Just a dose of your own medicine it seems.
humbug:
No, I'm not Chinese, that's why I think it's strange when foreigners come up to me and refuse to speak to me in anything but Mandarin.
Never, ever happened. A couple of time, I've been asked about my fluency in Mandarin and that's about it, no "testing" or "listen how good I am" 
No, just the locals wanting to know if I understand so they don't say something they don't want me to know
( main offender is the wife)
I know what your talking about..... its much less of a test then for them to show off their chinese. When were all teachers there is very few ways to differentiate themselves. So people will brag about chinese or use it at inappropriate times. Like when your in a very western restaurant and the server speaks perfectly fine english to you and you order in english but the next guy must only use chinese. Others here love to show how smart they are in various ways. Others still have so little to say that they resort to attacking other peoples english who are very obviously from a western country but just dont give a shit when they are in a forum.
Next time it happens challenge him to an arm wrestle.
Smart people arent nearly so condescending once youve made it known that you can destroy their face.
humbug:
Haha I'm pretty sure if I challenged them to an arm wrestle I would be the one losing face, I have noodle arms 
Nope, like others have experienced, other foreigners rarely talk to me and if they do no Chinese language test.
In 8 years I have never had another foreigner "approach me" and speak Chinese. As a matter of fact, I haven't even had a foreigner try to speak Chinese to me under any circumstances. This question seems quite strange to me.
I only know one foreigner who tries to show off his Chinese skills in front of other foreigners.
Give him his due, he has worked hard at it and a lot of money has been spent on lessons.
I only know one foreigner who is really fluent in Chinese. His Mandarin is actually better than most Chinese I know. He never shows off with his skills.
Most foreigners I know get by. I get about with about 25 words of Mandarin. I know guys who get about more with less, Some guys may have 200 words but go nowhere.
Next time you meet a mandarin speaking foreigner who is showing off, ask him to ask a Chinese person a question.... in Mandarin.
It's very easy for a foreigner to sound impressive to an another foreigner, but unless the culprit has the tones, Chinese will not have a clue what he is waffling about.
