Standardized Tests & English Proficiency Test Preparation for College Admission
The Standardized Aptitude Test (SAT)
✓ The SAT is one of two major college entrance exams.
✓ Assesses the academic skills and content knowledge students have acquired in high school. The SAT has two required sections: Evidence-based Reading and Writing, and Math.
✓ It also includes an optional essay, which may be required by some colleges.
✓ Students have three hours to complete the test plus 50 minutes for the optional essay.
✓ The baseline fee for the current and new version of the SAT is $54.50 with the essay and $43 without.
✓ Test takers may also incur additional fees (see “Fees”).
✓ The SAT is administered by the College Board several times throughout the year.
✓ It’s often taken in the spring of students’ junior year or fall of senior year.
The American College Testing (ACT)
✓ The ACT is the other major college entrance exam.
✓ The ACT is two hours and 55 minutes long
✓ Examines how well students have mastered a typical college preparatory high school curriculum.
✓ Consists of four sections: mathematics, English, science, and reading.
✓ A 40-minute writing test is optional but may be required by some colleges.
Advanced Placement Tests (AP Exams)
✓ More than 30 AP subjects to choose from
✓ High school AP classes are guided by course descriptions designed by the same people behind the corresponding exams.
✓ Measure students’ abilities with college- level work,
✓ Students can earn college credit should they achieve adequate scores.
✓ Some may accept a score of 3 or higher, while others require a 4 or 5.
✓ Students may receive credit and/or place out of introductory courses.
✓ AP tests are administered each year throughout the month of May and cost $93 each (additional fees may vary).
✓ Students may take multiple AP exams should they wish.
✓ Most AP tests last two to three hours and include multiple-choice and free-response sections.
✓ Additionally, language tests have a speaking portion, and those taking the Studio Art test submit portfolios, amongst other differences.
Graduate Record Examination
The GRE® General Test features question types that closely reflect the kind of thinking you’ll do — and the skills you need to succeed — in today’s demanding graduate school programs, including business and law
✓ Friendly design that lets you skip questions within a section, go back and change answers
✓ Have the flexibility to choose which questions within a section you want to answer first.
✓ Measures your verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills
✓ Three test sections — Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing.
Graduate Management Admission
✓ The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a computer adaptive test (CAT) intended to assess certain analytical, writing, quantitative, verbal, and reading skills in written English for use in admission to a graduate management program, such as an MBA program.
✓ GMAT is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admission Council.
✓ More than 7,000 programs at approximately 2,300+ graduate business schools around the world accept the GMAT as part of the selection criteria for their programs.
✓ Business schools use the test as a criterion for admission into a wide range of graduate management programs, including MBA, Master of Accountancy, Master of Finance programs and others.
✓ The GMAT is administered in standardized test centers in 114 countries around the world.
✓ Requires knowledge of certain specific grammar
✓ Requires knowledge of certain specific algebra, geometry, and arithmetic.
✓ Assesses analytical writing and problem-solving abilities, while also addressing data sufficiency, logic, and critical reasoning skills that it believes to be vital to real-world business and management success.
✓ It can be taken up to five times a year but no more than 8 times total.
✓ Attempts must be at least 16 days apart.
English Language Proficiency Tests
The TOEFL iBT® Test Test Of English as a Foreign language
The TOEFL® test is a reliable, fair and accurate measurement of the 4 language skills — reading, listening, speaking, and writing — the way they’re used in an academic environment. That’s why admissions officers know that TOEFL test takers are ready to succeed, and it’s why TOEFL scores are accepted by more than 11,000 universities in over 150 countries.
Important Updates
ETS launches TOEFL iBT® Special Home Edition to help test takers affected by test center
closings
ETS Testing Updates Due to COVID-19
International English Language Testing System
There are two types of the IELTS test: IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training.
IELTS Academic
The IELTS Academic test is for people applying for higher education or professional registration in an English speaking environment. It reflects some of the features of academic language and assesses whether you are ready to begin studying or training.
IELTS General Training
The IELTS General Training test is for those who are going to English speaking countries for secondary education, work experience or training programs. It is also a requirement for migration to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK. The test focuses on basic survival skills in broad social and workplace contexts.
✓ Listening and Speaking are the same for both tests,
✓ Subject matter of the Reading and Writing sections differs depending on which test you take.
✓ The Listening, Reading and Writing sections of all IELTS tests are completed on the same day, with no breaks in between them.
✓ The Speaking section, however, can be completed up to a week before or after the other tests. Your test centre will advise.
✓ The total test time is 2 hours and 45 minutes.