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Standardized
Tests
Standardized tests are used to assess the
abilities of individuals for purposes ranging from college admissions and
professional licensing to monitoring the learning of children or the knowledge
of adults. These tests are designed to be administered in multiple test
centers at different times but under the same conditions. Results from
different versions of the same standardized tests must be similar over a long
period of time since a specific score must always have the same meaning. Such
tests are particularly valuable as a common measure of the skills and
abilities of people from different educational backgrounds.
Standardized Admission Tests
Most U.S. colleges, universities and graduate
programs will require that you take one or more standardized admissions tests.
Admissions tests like the SAT and GRE are intended to provide a common measure
for comparing the developed abilities of students who come from a variety of
educational institutions with different standards. Scores from these tests
will be used along with college applications, essays, interviews, references,
transcripts of your grades, work experience and other available information
you prepare for their consideration.
Universities generally determine the ability of
an international student after reviewing all the criteria above, including
whether English skills are sufficient to successfully complete their academic
program. Officials responsible for admission at each institution must
determine the significance they will place on these standardized test scores
for each applicant. Various factors complicate the interpretation of
standardized test scores for international students. For example, the degree
of English proficiency may affect test performance. More over, since most of
these tests are developed for students who have been educated in the United
States, the cultural and educational backgrounds of international students
must be considered as well.
Every standardized admission test is designed
to measure a set of skills, knowledge, or abilities that colleges or graduate
schools believe will impact your readiness to successfully perform
academic work at their institution. While each test is different, most
admissions tests focus on measuring skills such as your analytic,
problem-solving, verbal, or mathematical ability, not retention of facts or
specific content (such as history or science).
The level of skills required for success in
undergraduate or graduate studies varies by field or department. Institutions
often look at scores on separate measures (e.g., verbal, quantitative (math),
analytical) within tests like SAT, GRE, and GMAT, etc. because there may be
significant differences between them. For example, one student might score low
on a verbal measure and score high on a math measure, while another student
might score the opposite. An English department and an engineering department
would consider these students differently. Institutions might also look at
separate measures on English proficiency tests such as listening, speaking,
grammar, reading, and writing. Some departments might consider it crucial to
have high scores in listening and speaking. others might feel it is important
to have high scores in reading and writing. Since many graduate students serve
as teaching assistants, some departments expect applicants to have high verbal
scores.
Most U.S. educational institutions have a
Website on the Internet that describes the admission criteria and identifies
the required admissions tests. you may also call the educational institution's
admissions office directly to request this information. USIS offices,
educational advising and bi-national centers, as well as some U.S. embassies,
may also have this information available locally.
Admission Tests
For undergraduate admissions, required tests
usually include:
- Scholastic
Assessment Test
- Test
of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
For graduate and professional admissions,
required tests usually include:
- Dental Admission Testing Program (DAT- for
dental school)
- Graduate
Record Examinations (GRE- for liberal arts, science, math)
- Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT -
for business schools/MBA [master's in business administration] programs)
- Law
School Admission Testing Program (LSAT test - for law schools)
- Medical
College Admission Test (MCAT test- for medical school)
- Optometry Admission Testing Program (OAT)
- Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT)
- Test
of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
- Test of
Spoken English (TSE)
- Veterinary College Admission Test (VCAT)
Most undergraduate or graduate programs will
require the TOEFL exam for all international students to ensure they have
adequate proficiency in English to succeed in U.S. colleges. All standardized
tests listed here are given in English.
Some institutions may also require additional
admission tests not listed above, placement tests to determine where to place
you (introductory or advanced) in the program of study or test they have
developed locally for their institutions. Be sure to check with the admissions
office for a complete listing of required tests
Once you know which tests you have to take, it
is important to find out when and where they are offered in your country.
Telephone numbers for each of these programs and Website addresses can be
found in the Test
Application Information section.
Millions of students are tested each year, so
it is important to register for your tests as soon as your know which are
required. This will ensure that you get a testing appointment and that your
scores will arrive in time to meet your application deadlines.
Test Fees
Each testing company charges a fee to take the
test. In most cases, payment of the fee allows you to send your test scores to
a limited number of schools. For an additional fee, you may have extra copies
of your reports sent to other institutions. Test fees vary by program. Fees
usually range from US$22.50 to US$160 but are subject to change each year.
Test Preparation
Regardless of which tests you are required to
take it is essential that you become familiar with the test itself:
- how long is it (hours)
- format -paper or computer
- test directions
- number of questions
- types of questions
- whether calculators are permitted
Free publications and sample practice tests are
available to help you become familiar with the questions used on the tests. It
is recommended that you first used the practice material included in most test
bulletins before you determine what additional test preparation you may need.
Sample questions are also available on test program Websites, including:
- TOEFL (www.toefl.org)
- GRE (www.gre.org)
- GMAT (www.gmat.org)
- SAT (www.collegeboard.org)
- MCAT (www.aamc.org/stuapps/admiss/mcat)
In addition to the practice material included
in most test bulletins, a variety of test preparation materials are available
for purchase directly from the testing companies during registration, on the
Websites, at local bookstores, participating USIS offices, and educational
advising and bi-national centers. Test preparation materials produced by
commercial publishers are also available at bookstores. Additionally, many
local educational institutions, American schools, and English-language schools
offer test preparation courses, ad do commercial test preparation companies.
Self-study materials come in books, audio
cassette, computer diskette or CD-ROM versions. Courses usually involve a book
and practice tests as well as classroom instruction. For some computerized
tests, like GMAT, you can make an appointment to visit a testing site and take
a practice test for a fee.
If you score poorly on a test, you can take the
test again. Some tests send out all previous scores on a score report to an
institution, but some do not. You can find out the score reporting policy for
the test you are taking and if it is possible to cancel a poor score. Some
schools average all your scores, some look at just the highest score, and some
look at the most recent. Contact the university directly to determine their
policy.
Computer-based Testing
Computer-based testing is now available for
several admissions tests throughout the United States, Canada, and in most
locations around the world. Computer-based assessment is a significant
advancement for the test industry because it can measure different skills and
knowledge in order to provide new and better information about your abilities.
The educational institutions that use the scores from these tests fro
admission decisions have requested these changes in order to improve their
decision-making. These institutions receive your scores faster and can make
decisions more quickly.
Computer-based testing provides you with
several important benefits:
- year-round testing in most locations
- test scheduling on a first-come,
first-served basis
- a more comfortable, more
individualized testing environment
- use a word processor for writing essays
(optional for TOEFL and GRE)
- immediate viewing of unofficial scores on
the computer screen (except for essays)
You can take a computer-based test even if you
have minimal or no previous computer experience. Instructions provided in a
basic computer skills tutorial before the test will give you the experience
you need to take the test on a computer using a mouse. You may spend as much
time as you need on the tutorial to ensure you are comfortable with the
computer and with the test before starting the official, timed exam. Visit the
testing program Websites to learn more about the tutorials.
Types of Computer-based Tests
There are two different kinds of
computer-based: linear and adaptive. A linear computer-based test is a
full-length test (scored in the same way as a paper-based test) in which the
computer selects different questions for you without consideration of your
performance level. A linear test consists of a full range of test questions -
from easiest to the most difficult - but not always in order.
Instead of selecting a full range of test
questions, a computer adaptive test is one in which the computer selects the
range of questions appropriate to your performance level. The questions are
chosen from a very large pool of possible questions categorized by
content and difficulty. (The content and types of questions are similar to
those found in comparable paper-based tests.)
In a paper-based test, all test takers answer
questions ranging from easy to hard. In a computer-adaptive test, each test
taker receives questions that are at the right level of difficulty for his or
her ability. Computer-adaptive tests begin with a question that is of medium
difficulty level for most test takers. After each question is answered, the
computer uses the answer and all previous answers to determine which question
will be presented next. The next question is one that best follows the
previous performance. This means that different test takers - even in the same
room on the same day -will receive different questions.
Since the test questions are selected according
to performance on previous questions, you spend less time than on a paper
based test on questions that are either too easy or too hard. If you make a
careless error and answer incorrectly or answer correctly due to a lucky
guess, answers given to later questions will lead the computer-adaptive test
back to the appropriate level of difficulty. Because the answers to previous
questions determine the next question to be asked, you cannot skip ahead or go
backward like a paper-based test. This may make you uneasy because you are
accustomed to reviewing the entire test (or section) before starting and then
returning to answer questions you find difficult. The best way to become
comfortable with computer adaptive testing is to practice with a test
preparation software program that simulates the test.
General Test Strategies
It is important that you understand the
appropriate strategies for each test. This information is available in testing
bulletins and on the testing Websites. When taking either a paper - or
computer-based test, however, the following general strategies apply:
1) Prior to the test, familiarize yourself with
how the test works and the kinds of materials, questions, and directions in
the test. Become familiar with the formats and requirements of each section of
the test.
2) Read all test directions carefully. The
directions explain exactly what is required in order to answer each question
type.
3) Read each question carefully and thoroughly.
Before answering a question, determine exactly what is being asked. Never
glance over a question or the possible answers; superficial reading may cause
you to miss important information.
4) Time management is key. Pay attention to the
number of questions and the amount of time remaining during the test session.
You will obtain the best score possible if you consider each question
carefully before answering. If you are running out of time at the end of a
section and there are still unanswered questions, eliminate as many answer
choices as possible for easy question and then select the answer you think is
the best.
5) Be sure to read the test bulletin to
determine whether to guess when you don't know the answer to a question
A Reminder About Score Reports
Most U.S. colleges and universities have
admissions deadlines for the fall semester that run from November until
February. Paper tests are given on set days at set locations. Sending test
scores to the institutions for paper tests may take 2 to 8 weeks depending
upon the test. Computer-based tests are given year round by appointment in
most metropolitan locations worldwide and in temporary sites elsewhere. Score
reporting for computer-based tests can take 10 days to 3 weeks depending upon
the test.
* Many test takers mistakenly wait until
"the last minute" to sign up for their tests and risk not having
their scores in time for the application deadlines. Don't make that mistake -
register early!
For
More
Information
InternationalStudent.com
contains a wealth of information and is a necessary resources for any one
considering applying to school in the US
IEFA.org
maintains the most comprehensive listing of grants, scholarships, loan
programs, and other information to assist students in their pursuit to study
abroad.
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©2000 by InternationalStudent.com, All Rights Reserved.
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