Testing

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

SAT

As of March 2016, the SAT has two sections – Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math. Each section is scored on a scale of 200-800, and the total score is the sum of the two sections. The SAT is three hours, plus an optional 50-minute Essay section, which is scored separately. All colleges accept the SAT.

ACT

The ACT has four sections – English, Reading, Math, and Science Reasoning – and an optional Writing section that some, but not all, colleges require. Each section is scored on a scale of 1-36, and the Composite score is calculated by taking the average of all four mandatory sections. The ACT is two hours, 55 minutes long, plus a 40-minute optional Writing section. All colleges accept the ACT.

SAT Subject Tests

The College Board offers Subject Tests in several areas, including biology, chemistry, physics, U.S. history, world history, literature, mathematics (two levels), and many foreign languages. The test content is meant to correlate with the curriculum of advanced high school classes, particularly AP classes. Subject Tests are scored on a scale of 200-800, and students can take up to three different Subject Tests in a single sitting. Relatively few colleges require Subject Tests, and those requirements can vary depending on whether an applicant takes the SAT or ACT. Please note, however, that many of the most selective schools do require Subject Tests. In addition, some colleges will use Subject Tests for placement and/or awarding course credit.

TOEFL and IELTS

TOEFL and IELTS are English proficiency tests. Many colleges require that applicants take an English proficiency test if they were educated outside the United States, if their primary language of instruction in high school was not English, or if English is not their first language. These exams gauge if a student is capable of being a successful student in an English-speaking academic environment.

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

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.

Test-Optional and Test-Flexible

Some colleges are test-optional, which means applicants don’t have to submit any standardized test scores at all, while other colleges have adopted test-flexible policies. At a test-flexible school, applicants can submit a combination of test scores and academic information instead of just the traditional SAT or ACT. Each college has its own policy regarding testing, so it’s important to check with each school.

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.

Testing

Boarding and High School Entrance Examinations

Undergraduate Entrance Examinations

Graduate School Entrance Examinations

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