Pearson Test of English (PTE) like TOEFL and IELTS to study Abroad

The education arm of Pearson Group, PTE Academic, has developed English language proficiency test for students who aspire to study abroad at institutions where English is the primary language of instruction.

Pearson Test of English (PTE) is an assessment of international English and measures the reading, writing, listening and speaking ability of the candidates.

Leading business schools such as Stanford, Yale, INSEAD and ISB, Hyderabad are accepting PTE academic scores. Just like TOEFL and IELTS, PTE is also computer-based test. The test costs candidates a total of USD 160. As on date, there are 15 test centers across country. The test is for three hours and registration can be done a day’s notice, says Philip.

A score of 58 out of 90 in PTE is equivalent to 6.5 of IELTS. The validity of the test is for two years.

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IELTS: International English Language Testing System

The IELTS test is taken by students who are interested in furthering their academic careers. The competitiveness of college admissions dictates a good IELTS score as a minimum to even be considered by some colleges. The IELTS test requires that you understand the underlying concepts of the English language. The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), the British Council and IDP Education Australia jointly manage the IELTS. Most universities in UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand accept an IELTS overall band score of 6.0 or 6.5 for entering academic programmes.

• The IELTS test covers 4 content areas:
  
  • Writing- 60 minutes
  • Reading- 60 minutes
  • Listening – 28-30 minutes
  • Speaking- 12-14minutes
  
• The maximum amount of time allowed to take the IELTS test - 2 hours and 45 minutes.
  
• The key IELTS testing tips are stated as follows
  1. Improve your writing skills.
  2. Review reading passages that frequently occur on the IELTS test.
  3. Improve your vocabulary.
  4. Be familiar with the format of the IELTS test.
  5. Practice intensely for the listening and speaking tests on the IELTS test.
  
• Select one answer per question. Do not leave questions blank.
  
  
• Website:www.ielts.org or www.idp.com
  
• Books for preparation: Cambridge IELTS, Ace The IELTS.
  
• Test Fees: 7200 INR.

ETS- TOEFL in India

1. ETS introduced a TOEFL India Call Centre Number 000-800-100-3780. Students can call 9 am-5 pm. An Indian representative answers and responds to queries, thus making students feel comfortable.
2. Students can also Email queries to support4India@ets.org
3. The TOEFL India Scholarship was successfully launched last year. 7 scholarships were given worth $ 50,000 (3 for $ 10,000 and 3 for $ 5,000). This year too, the TOEFL Scholarship Program has just closed with 9 awards (3 for $ 10,000 and 6 for $ 5,000) worth $ 60,000 in total. TOEFL Scholarship Press Brief was held in Mumbai on July 07
4. ETS is conducting the TOEFL Propell Teachers Training Workshops in four cities for the second year in a row. An ETS expert travels to India to conduct these. She is responsible for creating and assessing (a section of) the Test, therefore she can impart vital information to counselors, who in turn, can help students better. This year’s cities are Mumbai, Bangalore, Visakhapatnam and New Delhi. Last year the workshops were conducted in Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi
5. Students can purchase Vouchers for TOEFL and pay in INR over the counter at various designated Centers across India. This was introduced because Online payment in USD proved problematic for many students.
6. ETS connects with students 1:1 via the FB Page TOEFLGoAnywhere/India. Regular updates are posted and queries are responded to by ETS representative on a daily basis
7. A special website detailing every update aiming to assist students all over the world, was introduced a while ago: The TOEFL Go Anywhere website: http://www.toeflgoanywhere.org/
8. ETS has conducted several Counselor workshops and student road shows in the past three years to initiate conversations with the target audience.
9. ETS participates in regular Live Chats to communicate with students
10. Poster and leaflet campaigns have been conducted to spread the word on TOEFL.
11. 6 -minute “Welcome to the TOEFL iBT™ Testing Site” video to help students with the test procedure
12. Important Information:
    • The TOEFL Test is 45 years old and is the most credible Test of English
    • The TOEFL Test has recently been accepted by Australia for student visas
    • The TOEFL Test has also been approved by the UK Border agency
    • Over 8000 universities accept TOEFL worldwide
    • ETS has introduced The TOEFL Journey program to help students on their journey abroad for further studies
    • 25 million test takers have taken the test since its inception

TOEFL: Test of English As A Foreign Language

The TOEFL- IBT (Internet Based Test) is taken by students who are interested in furthering their academic careers and want to demonstrate a proficiency in North American English.

The TOEFL test covers 4 areas:

1. Speaking
   
2. Listening
   
3. Reading, and
   
4. Writing
   

The key TOEFL testing tips are stated as follows:
1. Improve your writing skills.
2. Review reading passages that frequently occur on the TOEFL test.
3. Improve your vocabulary.
4. Be familiar with the format of the TOEFL test.
5. Practice intensely for the listening test on the TOEFL test.

The maximum amount of time allowed to take the TOEFL test - 4 hours.

Select one answer per question. Do not leave questions blank.

Scores are reported online fifteen business days after the test.

Website: www.toefl.org> or www.ets.org/toefl
Books for preparation: Kaplan TOEFL iBT, Cambridge preparation for the TOEFL TEST.
Test Fees: US $165.

GRE: Graduate Record Examination

GRE General Exam Overview
The General GRE Exam consists of 3 sections, the
• Verbal
• Quantitative
• Analytical writing sections.

Verbal Reasoning : This section contains 30 questions to be attempted in 30 minutes. The verbal section requires a good vocabulary level, and basic skills of grammatically correct English coupled with reasoning and analysis. The questions consist of four types : Antonyms, Analogies, Sentence Completion, and Reading Comprehension. The four types are intermingled, with no fixed number for each type.

The skills measured include the test taker|s ability to
• analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it
• analyze relationships among component parts of sentences
• recognize relationships between words and concepts

Quantitative Reasoning : This section contains 28 questions on Mathematics that are to be completed in 45 minutes. This difficulty level of questions is comparable to Class X. Major topics include Number Systems, Percentages, Fractions & Decimals, Algebra (including Quadratic Equations), Geometry (including Basic Coordinate Geometry), Ratio & Proportion, Area & Volume of 2-D and 3-D figures, and Probability.
The skills measured include the test taker|s ability to

• understand basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis
• reason quantitatively

• solve problems in a quantitative setting

Analytical Writing : The writing assessment section requires you to write two short essays. The first is the Issue task, in which you need to analyze the issue presented and explain your views on it. For the Issue task, you will be able to choose 1 of 2 essay topics selected by the computer from the pool of topics. The time allotted is 45 minutes.
The second essay is Analysis of an Argument, in which a given argument has to be critically analyzed and evaluated. The Argument task does not offer a choice of topics; the computer will present you with a single topic selected from the topic pool. The time allotted is 30 minutes.

The skills measured include the test taker|s ability to
• articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively
• examine claims and accompanying evidence
• support ideas with relevant reasons and examples
• sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion
• control the elements of standard written English.

Test Fees: US $160.

Books: Kaplan GRE, Princeton Review, Barron’s GRE.

GRE Subject Tests Overview:
The GRE Subject Tests gauge undergraduate achievement in the eight disciplines listed below. Each Subject Test is intended for students who have majored in or have extensive background in that specific area.
• Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Literature in English
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Psychology
The Subject Tests are given at paper-based test centers worldwide three times a year in:
• October
• November
• April

Test Fees: US $170.

Books: Kaplan GRE, Princeton Review, Barron’s GRE.

SAT: Scholastic Aptitude 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. High school juniors and seniors take the SAT exam. The 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 as a way of assessing students coming from schools using different grade, class and division system. Nearly every college in USA accepts SAT score to admit students.

Books:
The official SAT Guide- The College Board, Princeton Review – Cracking the SAT, Kaplan SAT.

• Website: www.collegeboard.com

LSAT: Law School Admission Test

LSAT 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.

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.

Books: LSAT Prep Tests, Master The LSAT by Jeff Kolby and Scott Thornburg.

Website: http://www.lsac.org