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The International English Language Testing System, or IELTS /ˈaɪ.ɛlts/, is an international standardised test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. It is jointly managed by Cambridge English Language Assessment, the British Council and IDP Education Pvt Ltd, and was established in 1989. IELTS is one of the two major English-language tests in the world, the other being the TOEFL.
There are two versions of the IELTS:
The Academic Version:
The Academic Version is intended for those who want to enroll in universities and other institutions of higher education and for professionals such as medical doctors and nurses who want to study or practise in an English-speaking country.
The General Training Version:
The General Training Version is intended for those planning to undertake non-academic training or to gain work experience, or for immigration purposes.
IELTS is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian, Irish, New Zealand and South African academic institutions, over 3,000 academic institutions in the United States, and various professional organisations across the world. It is also a requirement for immigration to Australia and New Zealand. In Canada, IELTS, TEF, or CELPIP are accepted by the immigration authority.
The Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL, evaluates the ability of an individual to use and understand English in an academic setting. It sometimes is an admission requirement for non-native English speakers at many English-speaking colleges and universities. Additionally, institutions such as government agencies, licensing bodies, businesses, or scholarship programs may require this test. A TOEFL score is valid for two years and then will no longer be officially reported since a candidate’s language proficiency could have significantly changed since the date of the test. Colleges and universities usually consider only the most recent TOEFL score. The TOEFL test is a registered trademark of Educational Testing Service (ETS) and is administered worldwide. The test was first administered in 1964 and has since been taken by more than 23 million students. The test was originally developed at the Center for Applied Linguistics under the direction of Stanford University applied linguistics professor Dr. Charles A. Ferguson.
Policies governing the TOEFL program are formulated with advice from a 16-member board. Board members are affiliated with undergraduate and graduate schools, 2-year institutions and public or private agencies with an interest in international education. Other members are specialists in the field of English as a foreign or second language. The TOEFL Committee of Examiners is composed of 12 specialists in linguistics, language testing, teaching or research. Its main responsibility is to advice on TOEFL test content. The committee helps ensure the test is a valid measure of English language proficiency reflecting current trends and methodologies.
The PTE Academic assesses the real life English skills you will need at your university and living abroad. Not only does PTE assess speaking, listening, reading and writing, but also reflects real life settings, as well as testing academic skills. PTE Academic is the world’s leading computer-based test of English for students to study abroad and immigration. If one is planning to apply to universities or for a UK or Australian visa and need proof of English proficiency, one can use the PTE Academic score. PTE Academic assesses listening, reading, speaking and writing in a single three-hour online test session.
To complete the PTE Academic test, a candidate needs to go to a secure Pearson Test Centre. The candidate uses a computer and headset to listen to, read and respond to questions. PTE Academic assesses real life, academic content. During the test, the candidate hears excerpts from lectures and views graphs and charts. The candidate hears a range of accents in the test, from British and American to non-native speakers, in order to be exposed to the type of accents that may be encountered in everyday life. Candidates can schedule their tests in as little as twenty-four hours in advance, appear for a single three-hour test session and receive results within five business days.
SAT stands for Scholastic Aptitude Test. It is a standardized test with a pre-defined syllabus that is designed to test critical thinking skills, as well as the ability to analyze and solve problems in math, critical reading, and writing. The SAT is one way to demonstrate a student’s competitiveness and their likelihood to succeed in a course, and is one of the several factors that many universities and colleges consider when making their admission decisions alongside high school grades.
SAT is classified into two categories. The first is the SAT that tests knowledge of the subjects taught every day in high school classrooms which are reading, writing and math. The second is the sat that examines a student’s proficiency in a particular subject matter. This test is usually taken by students who are applying for a specialized field of study such as English Literature, World History, Mathematics, Biology or Chemistry.
GMAT stands for Graduate Management Admission Test. It is a standardized aptitude test with a pre-defined syllabus and is required for admission to many of the world’s leading Business Schools. The GMAT score is generally accepted as one of the most valid and reliable testing schemes in graduate business schools. The exam is designed to measure the skills students require to succeed in the challenging curriculum.
Being a computer-adaptive exam, it is one that assesses the student’s verbal, quantitative and analytical writing skills rather than a handwritten test. Being computer-based, the gmat exam can determine the student’s ability by selecting questions based on previous answers. As the student progresses with the exam, the difficulty of questions alters in accordance with the number of correct or incorrect answers given.
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a standardized test that is an admission requirement for many graduate schools in the United States, in other English-speaking countries and for English-taught graduate and business programs world-wide. Created and administered by Educational Testing Service (or ETS) in 1949, the exam aims to measure verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing and critical thinking skills that have been acquired over a long period of time and that are not related to any specific field of study.
The GRE General Test is offered as a computer-based, computer adaptive exam administered by selected qualified testing centers; however, paper-based exams are offered in areas of the world where computer-based testing is not available.In the graduate school admissions process, the level of emphasis that is placed upon GRE scores varies widely between schools and between departments within schools. The importance of a GRE score can range from being a mere admission formality to an important selection factor. ETS is promoting financial aid to those GRE applicants who prove economic hardship. ETS erases all test records that are older than 5 years, although graduate program policies on the admittance of scores older than 5 years will vary.
The CELPIP Tests are Canada's leading general English tests for immigration, citizenship, and professional designation.