TOEFL Test

TOEFL or "Test Of English as a Foreign Language" is a mandatory entrance exam to get admission in various university and colleges, particularly in USA. In addition to college admissions, many of the government bodies, licensing and certification agencies also use TOEFL scores to evaluate command over English language of people whose native language is not English. Among all international English language exams, TOEFL is the best-known exam.

TOEFL Exam can be given in three different formats

• CBT (Computer Based Testing)
• iBT (Internet Based Testing)
• PBT (Paper Based Testing)

In the Computer Based TOEFL Testing, the computer itself selects questions of some sections, from a pool of questions that are classified by difficulty and content. The computer, based on how well the candidate answers his previous questions, selects the questions. The Internet Based TOEFL Testing will be delivered through Internet. The Paper Based TOEFL Exam is a conventional paper based type, which measures, Listening Comprehension, Structure, Written Expression and Reading Comprehension of the candidate. 

Primarily, TOEFL-CBT test has four sections, all of which are mandatory. Listening section measures the ability to understand English as it is spoken in North America. This section tests comprehension of main ideas, supporting ideas, important details, and inferences. The candidate will both see and hear the questions before the answer choices appear. Structure section measures the ability to recognize language that is appropriate for standard written English. The language tested is formal, rather than conversational. When topics have a national context, they refer to United States or Canadian history, culture, art, or literature. However, knowledge of these contexts is not required to answer the questions. Reading section measures the ability to understand short passage similar in topic and style to academic texts used in North American colleges and universities. The candidate will have to read a variety of short passages on academic subjects and answer several questions about each passage. Writing section measures the ability to write in English on an assigned topic. The candidate must compose an essay.

GMAT Course

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a Standardized test that measures verbal, mathematical and analytical writing skills. GMAT helps business schools in assessing the potential of applicants for advanced study in business and management. Nearly 900 management institutes all over the world (almost all of them in the US) give admission in the MBA program on the basis of GMAT scores.

The GMAT test is developed and administered by the US-based Pearson VUE under the direction of the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), a non-profit organization of graduate business schools worldwide. For the conduct of the test, Pearson VUE has appointed testing centers in various countries.

GMAT test is held all-round-the-year. You can choose your own date and time for taking the GMAT. The test is administered five-days-a-week (Monday through Friday), twice-a-day. September to December is the high season for GMAT. In case you intend to take the test during this period, you need to register quite early (say 2-3 months advance) to get a date of your choice. Otherwise, registering at least 15 days in advance is mandatory.

Anyone is eligible to appear in GMAT. There are no restrictions based on age or qualifications. The test scores are valid for five years, i.e., most universities accept scores up to five years old

IELTS Test

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is a test of English language proficiency. IELTS is mandatory exam for admission into universities, secondary, vocational and training programs in the countries of England, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. IELTS is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, British Council, and IDP: IELTS Australia. It has become a mandatory test for students of many nationalities to get student visas to Australia. IELTS is however not accepted by most universities in USA. TOEFL is required for study there.. 

The test has different sections:

• The Listening Section - Duration : 30 minutes
• Academic reading/general training reading section - Duration : 60 minutes
• Academic writing/general training writing section - Duration : 60 minutes
• Speaking Section : Duration : 11 - 14 minutes
• Total test time : 2 hours and 45 minutes

All Aspirants are supposed to take the Listening and Speaking modules and the choice of Reading and Writing modules of IELTS is determined by the purpose of taking IELTS. 

The Academic reading and writing modules are suitable for those seeking admission to undergraduate and postgraduate courses. General training reading and writing modules are suitable for candidates who are going to English-speaking countries to complete their secondary education or to undertake work experience or training programmes not at degree level. The General training modules are also used for immigration purposes.

IELTS assesses a candidate on a band scale of one to nine. Band one indicates that you have virtually no knowledge of English. Band nine indicates that your English proficiency is as good as that of a native English speaker. Universities in Australia, England etc, typically require a band score of 6 and more.

LSAT Test

LSAT (Law School Admission Test) exam is mandatory for getting admission in those Law Schools of USA, which are approved by ABA (American Bar Association). LSAT is also compulsory for getting admission in Law courses in most of the Canadian Law Schools and many of the non-ABA approved Law Schools too. LSAT is conducted four times a year at selected centers all over the world. LSAT helps Law Schools make sound admission decisions by providing standard measure of verbal and reasoning skills of the students. The Law schools can use LSAT score as one among the few other features in evaluating the candidates for admission.

A prospective law student may be from any of academic backgrounds, ethnic cluster and cultures. The LSAT precisely comprise of five sections namely,

• Reading comprehension section.
• Logical reasoning (arguments) section.
• Analytical reasoning (games) section.
• Experimental section (another Arguments, Games, or Reading Comprehension).
• Essay section or writing sample section.

The Experimental section will be games, arguments, or reading section. You will not know which is the real section and which is the experimental one, so you must just try your best on every single section. The good news is that if at some point you have a strangely difficult section that makes no sense, there's a strong chance that it was the experimental section. There is also a writing sample or essay section. The writing sample does not count towards your score, but the law schools to which you apply will receive a copy of your essay to evaluate. The duration of the test is about 3.5 hours. There is no negative marking as such, but you are expected to attend all the questions. After your test is graded, your score will be converted into an LSAT score ranging from a low of 120 to a high of 180. Your score and hence your percentile will roughly follow along a bell curve pattern, a score of 150 is an average one, and 170 is the 99th percentile.

GRE Test

The Graduate Record Examination is a Standardized test that measures verbal, mathematical and analytical skills. It is intended to help the graduate schools (other than business schools) assess the potential of applicants for advanced study. The GRE Test is developed and administered by the US-based "Educational Testing Service" (ETS) under the direction of the Graduate Record Examination Board , a non-profit organization of graduate business schools worldwide.

GRE test is conducted in two categories - General GRE test and Subject GRE test. General GRE test is conducted all-round-the-year. Unlike other exams, you can choose your own date and time for taking the GRE Test. The test is administered in the five-days-a-week (Monday through Friday), twice-a-day. September to December is the high season for GRE Test, so in case you intend to take the test during this period, you need to register very early (say 2-3 months in advance) to get a date of your choice. 

Anyone is eligible to appear in GRE General test. There are no restrictions based on age or qualifications. The test scores are valid for five years, i.e., most universities accept scores up to five years old. 

The GRE Subject test is meant to assess candidate's qualification in a specific field of study. It is required mainly for Doctoral Study in the US and is also required by some universities for Masters Level programs. GRE Subject test is a written test and not a computer test like the General GRE test. It is held thrice a year 

The test is available in eight different areas:
1. Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology
2. Biology 
3. Chemistry 
4. Computer Science 
5. Literature in English 
6. Mathematics 
7. Physics 
8. Psychology

MCAT Test

MCAT is a mandatory exam to get admissions in undergraduate courses in the U.S medical schools. Along with the other additional admission factors, Medical school admission team considers MCAT score as a primary factor in admitting the aspirants. Abbreviated for Medical College Admission Test, MCAT is based on MCQs (Multiple choice Questions) to test the problem solving, critical thinking, writing and science knowledge skills of the medical aspirants. Many of the medical schools do not consider the MCAT score, if the medical aspirants took the exam more than three years back. Read further to know some useful aspects of MCAT exam.

• MCAT is conducted twice a year by the AAMC (Association of American Medical Council) in April and August. The test is conducted in 40 different versions on the test date for exam safety purposes.
• MCAT consists of four parts: Verbal Reasoning, Problems from Physical Sciences, Writing Samples and Biological Problems including Organic Chemistry.
• MCAT student manual can give sample questions of MCAT exam and other MCAT related information to the aspirants.
• Except the Writing sample section, each section of MCAT is given a score in the scale of 1 to 15. Retaking MCAT is offered to candidates. But it is advisable not to retake MCAT exam, as there is lesser chance of scoring with prominent difference. The reason being, both your performances will be taken for consideration after taking the average of the two.
• MCAT will basically test the knowledge of your medical school pre-requisite courses and human physiology. MCAT will not test your Mathematics knowledge.
• Although MCAT is conducted twice a year, better give the test when you feel well prepared. MCAT will be introduced to the aspirants as MCAT-CBT (Computer Based Test) from the year 2007.

SAT Test

Acronym for Scholastic Assessment Test, SAT is a mandatory exam to get undergraduate admission into any college of USA. The SAT is developed and administered by the USA-based 'College Entrance Examination Board'. This implies that College board sets the questions, conducts the test, and sends each examinee the score report. SAT is similar to ACT (America College Test). SAT and ACT exams are different exams but the intention of the test is same. High school juniors and seniors take the SAT exam. SAT exam is updated in March 2005. The new test is a measure of the critical thinking skills of each student for the academic success in their under graduation program. SAT exam is conducted seven times a year.

• There are two SAT exams namely SAT I and SAT II. SAT I is structured as a reasoning test that basically tests candidate's verbal, mathematical and reasoning abilities. SAT II is a subject test; to test the candidate's knowledge of specific subject opted by the candidate. SAT exam is more of multiple choice questions based. Some schools or colleges expect students to clear more subject tests.
• Candidates may either take the SAT reasoning test or up to three SAT subject tests on the given test date. Candidates wishing to take the test may register online, by mail, or by telephone, at least three weeks before the test date. Many U.S. universities use tests such as the SAT and the ACT as a way of assessing students coming from schools using different grade, class and division system. Nearly every college in USA accept SAT score to admit students. More than two million students across the world take SAT exam every year.