| Test Preparation |
TOEFL is the test that can take you anywhere, if you are planning to study abroad. Students from non-English speaking countries at the 11th-grade level or above should take TOEFL to provide evidence of their English language proficiency, before beginning academic work in an English speaking country. The TOEFL test is offered in 180 countries around the world. Paper-based version of the test is administered in place where access to Internet-based testing is limited.
TOEFL scores are accepted by more than 6000 colleges, universities and licensing agencies in 136 countries* (Source: www.ets.org), much ahead of any other test scores in the world, and about 4,300 test centers around the world makes taking the test convenient and easy. TOEFL measures your reading, listening, speaking and writing skills in English, and your ability to use and understand Standard American English in a university classroom.
TOEFL can help you get admission to many colleges or universities in the world, including the best ones in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia and New Zealand. The test gives various flexible options on when, where and how often you can take the test, with a lot of practice materials, than any most of the other English-language test in the world.
Test Format
Reading - 60 to 100 minutes
Listening - 60 to 90 minutes
Speaking - 20 minutes
Writing - 50 minutes
International English Language Testing System, widely known by the acronym IELTS, measures a candidate’s ability to use all four language skills, listening, reading, writing and speaking in English. IELTS is jointly managed by the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, British Council and IDP Education Australia. The test is designed for those people who plan to study or work in an English-language speaking country. The test focuses on International English, which includes British English, American English and other varieties like Australian or South African English.
Around 6,000 academic and professional establishments around the world recognize IELTS scores as a valid indicator of ability to use English to communicate. Over 1,000,000 aspirants take IELTS to pursue their dream career abroad. IELTS, taken every year across 120 countries, is one of the fastest growing English language tests in the world.
IELTS is accepted by most British, Australian, Canadian, Irish and New Zealand educational institutions for higher education. IELTS is gaining recognition in the US as an alternative to TOEFL. However, not all academic institutions in the US accept the IELTS score.
The Listening, Reading and Writing tests must be taken in one day; however the Speaking test can be taken on the same day or up to two days later upon the discretion of the test center. IELTS scores are recorded as levels of ability, called Bands. 9 bands is the highest for each of the language skills. Test results will be announced on the 13th day after the written examinations.
Test Format
Writing - 60 Minutes
Listening - 30 Minutes
Reading - 60 Minutes
Speaking - 11 to 14 Minutes
Most graduate schools in English speaking countries require their prospective students to take GRE. The examination gauges your verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical writing skills that are not related to any specific field of study. The test is offered all round the year. Any accredited graduate, business or professional school may require that its applicants take the GRE General Test.
The test is conducted all round the year from Monday to Friday, twice a day. September to December is the time of the year when most of the students register for the test. Students who wish to take the test during this period should contact the chosen test centre (two to three months in advance) for registration.
The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is a computer adaptive test that has three sections:
• 2 essays to be written on-line (Analysis of an Argument and Analysis of an Issue)
• 1 - 45-minute, 28-question Math section (Problem Solving and Quantitative Comparison)
• 1 - 30-minute, 30-question Verbal section (Sentence Completions, antonyms, Analogies, and Reading Comprehension)
Note: There could be a marketing survey, or 1 or 2 experimental sections (Verbal or Quantitative)
Test Format
Analytical Writing - 45 minutes
Analytical Writing - 30 minutes
Verbal - 30 minutes
Quantitative - 30 minutes
Graduate Management Admission Test is an assessment that assesses the qualifications of applicants for advanced study in business and management schools. The test helps the schools in extrapolating the academic competency in an MBA program or in other graduate management programs.
GMAT measures the basic verbal, mathematical, and analytical writing skills. The test has three main parts:
• Analytical Writing Assessment
• Quantitative section
• Verbal section
The test score report will have scores based on your performance on the multiple-choice Quantitative and Verbal sections and a separate score based on your performance on the Analytical Writing sections. The overall score which is the most important, ranges from 200 to 800 and is calculated based on your performance on the Verbal and Quantitative sections. There will also be Verbal and Quantitative sub-scores, both of which ranges from 0 to 60.
The test is conducted all round the year from Monday to Friday, twice a day. It will be advisable to register for the test at least a month in advance. GMAT scores are valid for 5 years.
Test Format
Quantitative - 75 Minutes
Verbal - 75 Minutes
Analytical Writing: 2 short essays - 30 minutes for each essay
The College Board's SAT Program consists of the SAT Reasoning Test (SAT) and SAT Subject Tests. According to College Board, the SAT Reasoning Test is designed to measure students' "critical thinking skills.? It is a general test of verbal and quantitative reasoning required for admission to undergraduate programs of most universities in the US. SAT is conducted 6 to 7 times a year.
The test measures skills in three areas: critical reading, math, and writing. Most of the questions are multiple choices; however students are also required to write a 25-minute essay. Preparing for the test involves becoming comfortable with the test format and question types, having knowledge of effective test taking strategies, practicing the right kinds of test taking exercises, and studying the categories of material covered on the test. The SAT consists of seven sections: 3 verbal sections, 3 math sections, 1 experimental section.
The SAT results contain three different scores: Total score - 400-1600, Verbal section - 200-800, Mathematics section - 200-800. Most universities consider a score of above 1300 to be good. A score of above 1400 would be considered ?very good,? above 1500 would be considered ?excellent.?
Test Format
Critical Reading - 70 minutes
Writing - 60 minutes
Mathematics - 70 minutes