At Expert Admissions, we thoroughly understand the details and nuances of standardized testing as it relates to college admission. We help our students navigate the unique testing requirements at each of their colleges, including test-optional and test-flexible policies, and build a personalized testing plan for our students to help keep them on track. We also guide our students to high quality tutoring and test preparation programs to help them meet their testing goals.
Boarding and High School Entrance Examinations
In addition to the applicant’s school transcript, boarding and high schools will typically require taking the SSAT, a standardized test designed to assess the applicant’s basic verbal, math, and reading skills for high-school level coursework.
International applicants will usually need to submit EST testing scores such as the TOEFL or IELTS in addition to the SSAT.
Undergraduate Entrance Examinations
The TOEFL, formally known as the Test of English as a Foreign Language, is an admission requirement for non-native English speakers at many English-speaking colleges and universities. While the TOEFL tests a student’s ability to understand and use English in an academic setting, it also measures proficiency in the “everyday English” associated with university campus life.
Because the TOEFL tests all four English skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking), most universities prefer a TOEFL iBT (internet-based test) score over a TOEFL PBT (paper-based test) score. Accepted TOEFL iBT scores range from 61 to 100, and can change based on the requirements of the school.
Expert Admissions provides individualized tutoring to international students for the TOEFL iBT. Our TOEFL iBT tutorials are completely customizable and aim to meet individual student needs. Although students will be tutored in all four English skills, the pace and extent to which each skill is developed will depend on the student’s progress and preferences.
For official information about the TOEFL iBT, including test dates and centers, please visit the Educational Testing Service (ETS) website.
Graduate School Entrance Examinations
Graduate schools will typically require a special set of entrance examinations especially designed to gauge the applicant’s preparation for specific areas of study. Law schools look at the applicant’s LSAT score, medical schools require the MCAT, and most master’s and doctoral programs will require that the applicant submit his or her GRE or GMAT scores, as the case may be.
Please make sure to consult each program’s website for specific standardized testing requirements. International applicants will normally be asked to take an English proficiency test such as the TOEFl or IELTS in addition to any other required standardized tests.