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Testing

Undergraduate Admission Requirements and Entrance Examinations

To be eligible for admission to a U.S. university, you must meet certain minimum entry requirements. These include a secondary school diploma or examination results, English language ability, and in many cases a score from one of the U.S. university admissions tests. See 'Preparing a Successful Application' for more information.

Secondary School Diplomas/Examination Results

Most U.S. universities expect international students to have a secondary school diploma or secondary school examination results that would enable them to attend a university in their home country. This is particularly true of the most competitive universities, which look for students with high grades (among other things). However, remember that there is a wide range of admission standards and acceptance rates among U.S. universities and colleges. Since the U.S. system of education places great emphasis on breadth of knowledge, it is also important that your secondary school study has included a variety of subjects such as English, mathematics, natural sciences (physics, chemistry, and/or biology), humanities or social sciences (history, geography, economics, politics, or similar subjects), and a foreign language. Lastly, universities will not usually accept international students who are younger than age 17.

English Language Ability

A basic requirement for successful study in the United States is the ability to communicate in English. If English is not your native language, U.S. universities and colleges will ask you to take an English language proficiency test before admitting you to a degree program. Almost all institutions require that this test be the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A few may accept scores from other examinations or admin ister their own tests. For further information, check each college's catalog or contact the admissions office to discuss your situation. As with many areas of U.S. education, each institution sets its own English language admission standard, but some general guidelines on requirements are given in the section on TOEFL scores below. Some institutions may grant conditional acceptance with the understanding that you must attend English language classes at their college prior to starting your degree program. Once you have reached the required English language level, you will be able to start your studies. Keep in mind, however, that in some cases it may be difficult for you to obtain a student visa in your country if you cannot prove sufficient command of the English language to begin study in the United States .

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

TOEFL is currently given in most countries around the world on computer, and the paper-based version is being phased out. The test is offered on many days in the month, but only at a limited number of computer-based testing centers. You may have to travel some distance to reach the nearest test center.

Test Registration:

Pre-registration is required, and it is NOT possible to go to the testing center and hope to find space available that same day. Computer-based testing registration deadlines vary. According to TOEFL instructions, mail-in registration deadlines are three weeks ahead of your desired test date, one week ahead of the test date for fax registrations, and two days ahead of the test date for registration by telephone. Note that a credit card is required to register by fax or telephone. You can indicate the days when you would prefer to take the test, and the test admin istrators will try to accommodate your request. However, at certain times of the year, or in certain cities, centers may be very busy. It is therefore advisable to register at least two to three months in advance of your desired test date. For those countries where paper-based testing is still offered, the test is given on certain dates during the year, and registration deadlines are approximately six weeks ahead of those dates.

TOEFL registration bulletins are available from either the test admin istrators in the United States, the regional registration center for your country (see the TOEFL Web site at http://www.toefl.org or the test registration bulletin for further details), or from a U.S. educational information or advising center. These centers may ask you to pay postage costs, and they may also have test preparation materials for the TOEFL available for reference use, loan, or purchase.

TOEFL Waivers:

If you are a non-U.S. citizen and non-native speaker of English who has been educated in English for most of your school life, your TOEFL requirement may be waived. Allow sufficient time in the application process to correspond with the U.S. university about this issue. American universities will probably not accept secondary school English language examination results as proof of your language ability.

Content:

The test uses a multiple choice and essay format to measure each examinee's ability to understand North American English. The test is divided into four sections: listening, structure, reading, and writing. The writing section requires the test taker to write an essay. TOEFL is a computer-adaptive test, which means that not all students answer exactly the same questions on the test. Instead, depending on how the student performs on each question, the computer determines whether the level of the next question should be harder or easier.

Scores:

The total number of questions you answer correctly and your score on the essay form the raw scores for each section. Raw scores are then converted to a scaled score for each section, which for the computer-based test ranges from 0 to 30. From these a total score is calculated, which ranges between 40 and 300 for the computer-based test. Each college decides for itself what score is acceptable. In general, colleges consider a total score of 250 or above to be excellent and a score below 97 as inadequate. Average scores range between 173 and 250 for undergraduate applicants.

Standardized Admissions Tests

As a part of the application process, most American colleges and universities require scores from one of the U.S. standardized admissions tests. However, some colleges and universities do not require international applicants to take admissions tests, and some schools do not ask for admissions test scores from any applicant. To find specific admissions test requirements, use U.S.-university directories such as the International Student Handbook of U.S. Colleges (The College Board, New York , NY ) and Applying to Colleges and Universities in the United States : A Handbook for International Students (Peterson's, Princeton , N.J. ). Also note that community colleges do not usually require applicants to take standardized admissions tests.

U.S. standardized admissions tests are primarily multiple-choice aptitude tests that are intended to measure the skills necessary for undergraduate study. American colleges and universities use admissions tests as a means of assessing all applicants (from the United States and other countries) against the same standard. Keep in mind that secondary school diplomas and examinations are not an equivalent to admissions tests, and that tests are only one part of the application ? good test scores alone do not guarantee admission to the schools of your choice.

Some universities may have their own in-house examinations or additional tests that applicants are required to take. For further information, make a list of the colleges you want to apply to, and then use general college directories or the colleges' own catalogs and websites to find out each institution's specific test requirements.

There are three main undergraduate admissions tests:

SAT

The SAT is given several times throughout the year at locations worldwide. Preregistration is required, and deadlines are usually six weeks prior to the exam. More specific information about dates, test centers, fees, and registration procedures is available in the SAT registration bulletin or on the SAT website at http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/about.html. You can get copies of the registration bulletin from the College Board in the United States or from your nearest EducationUSA advising center. You may be asked to pay postage costs for these bulletins. U.S. centers also usually have sample questions and other test preparation materials for the SAT tests available for reference use, loan, or purchase.

Content:

The SAT is a measure of the critical thinking skills you'll need for academic success in college. The SAT assesses how well you analyze and solve problems?skills you learned in school that you'll need in college. The SAT is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors. It is admin istered seven times a year in the U.S. , Puerto Rico , and U.S. Territories, and six times a year overseas.

SAT Subject Tests

SAT Subject Tests are also primarily multiple choice, but are only one hour long. They measure knowledge in specific subject areas. The subjects currently offered are:

Biology
Chemistry
Chinese with Listening
French
French with Listening
German
German with Listening
Italian
Japanese with Listening
Korean with Listening
Latin
Literature
Mathematics Level 1
Mathematics Level 2
Modern Hebrew
Physics
Spanish
Spanish with Listening
United States History
World History

Many U.S. colleges and universities, especially those that have more competitive admissions criteria, either require or recommend one or more SAT Subject Test scores for admission and/or placement purposes. Be sure to check each institution's requirements before registering for an SAT Subject Test. While some colleges specify which subject tests you must take, others leave the option up to you. In this case, it is advisable to take exams in your strongest areas of study.

Scores:

Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of 200-800, and the writing section will contain two subscores. Therefore, the highest possible combined score on the SAT would be 2,400. Scores are reported separately to colleges for the mathematical and verbal sections. Most college directories and catalogs quote average scaled scores for each institution to give some guidance on relative selectivity. SAT Subject Tests are also scored on a 200 to 800 scale.

The American College Testing Assessment (ACT)

The ACT is admin istered by the American College Testing Program and is given up to five times annually at testing locations around the world. Unlike the SAT, the number of times the test is offered varies from one test center to another. As an international student, you may not need to take the ACT. If it is required, however, plan ahead to make sure you do not miss the test date(s) at your nearest center. Preregistration is required, and deadlines are two to three weeks prior to the exam. Since the ACT is not as widely accepted as the SAT, check to see if the universities where you are applying will accept ACT scores in place of the SAT exam. More specific information about dates and test centers is available in the registration bulletin, which can be obtained from the test admin istrators and from many EducationUSA information and advising centers. Note that the centers may ask you to pay postage costs.

Content

The ACT Assessment is a multiple-choice test that measures English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning.

Scores:

For each of the four subject areas, you receive a raw score, which is the total number of correct responses. The score is then converted into a scaled score from 1 to 36. A composite score is then calculated by adding together the scaled scores and dividing the sum by four. The highest possible composite score is 36, and the lowest is 1. Scores take several weeks to reach universities.

Related Links

SAT

http://www.collegeboard.com
Direct link to the SAT web site, including on-line registration.

http://www.prepme.com/testprep/newsat.html
PrepMe Corporation: Materials and support for students preparing to take the SAT.

http://www.prepdoctor.com/index.html
Prep Doctor: Materials and support for students preparing to take the SAT.

ACT

http://www.act.org
Direct link to the ACT website, which includes test information, a financial aid need estimator, and a college search and online application service.

http://www.actstudent.org.
ACT website for student test-takers. Provides extensive information and services for the ACT assessment, including online registration and a score report ordering system.

Test Preparation

http://www.princetonreview.com/
The Princeton Review - test preparation organization website.

http://www.kaplan.com/
Kaplan Educational Centers - test preparation organization.

http://www.mba-center.net/
The MBA Center in Paris - advising and test preparation centers that help prospective MBA students enhance their chances of admission to business schools. Offers preparation for the TOEFL, GMAT, GRE, SAT, LSAT and TOEIC exams.

English as a Second Language

http://www.aaiep.org
American Association of Intensive English Programs

http://www.uciep.org
University and College admin istered Intensive English Programs (UCIEP) - hompage of an independent consortium of intensive English programs in the US . Includes a search option for the UCIEP database and a list, with links to websites, of UCIEP members.

Repeat After Us Online Library and Language
Created by a high school student, RepeatAfterUs is an award-winning online library with a collection of copyright-free English texts and scripted recordings. Free audio clips

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

http://www.toefl.org
Direct link to the TOEFL website.

http://www.prepdoctor.com/index.html
Prep Doctor: Materials and e-mail support for students preparing to take the TOEFL.

http://www.kaplan.com/
Kaplan Educational Centers - test preparation organization.