What Are the Different Entrance Exams to Study Abroad? | Top 15

Studying abroad is the goal of many students to continue their higher education. Ample of scholars move from their home country to other destinations to pursue bachelor's or master's degrees from top universities. Students should take entrance exams to study abroad. So, having knowledge about these tests is necessary for scholars. However, there are various entrance examinations that lead learners to think about which is the best.

Passing the entrance exams for studying abroad is necessary for students. Scholars should get the minimum scores on these tests and submit them to the desired university before the validity expires. These scores are essential to pass and take entrance to the top institutes. Although, there are various exams that you can take, but you must consider the guidelines before choosing one. Moreover, in this post, you can get knowledge about the best entrance study abroad exams. It will be valuable to ease the process of achieving the dreams.

What Are the Different Entrance Exams to Study Abroad ?

There are several entrance exams that students should take to achieve their dreams. To get admission into the desired university, scholars should take their English test. So, read below listed crucial exam to go abroad that students must take to secure admission in the desired course and country.

1) TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language):

TOEFL is one of the top English proficiency tests that is accepted by study-abroad countries. More than 11,000 Universities and 150 nations, involving the US, UK, Australia and Canada, acknowledge TOEFL scores of Indian students. 

In this exam, students have to take a 4-hour computerized test. Also, it assesses scholars' English skills- reading, writing, speaking and listening. TOEFL scores are valid for two years after the result declaration when giving such exams for abroad studies. It is evaluated through 0-30 scores for each section, making it a total of 0-120 scores. In every section, a score of 24-30 is considered to be the best. 

2) IELTS (International English Language Testing System):

IELTS is known as the number one English proficiency test, which is accepted by most countries. This exam is taken by more than 5 million people every year. It is jointly owned by IDP and the British Council and assesses communication skills in four major areas- reading, speaking, listening, and writing. 

The test is measured on 0 to 9 scores, and students with an average band of 6 are accepted globally. The IELTS exam to study abroad is held multiple times a year. Also, this test is held in both computer and paper format. IELTS score validity is for two years after the result declaration. 

3) PTE (Pearson Test of English):

Pearson Test of English is accepted by major institutes and colleges in the United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand, and Canada. It is an assessment of reading, writing, speaking and listening ability. Also, the test scores validation is for two years against the global scale of English. The PTE abroad exam is also held multiple times in a year for 3-hour duration.

The types of questions asked in PTE are something that sets it apart from other entrance tests. These are based on the real-life scenario that tests a candidate on multiple skills. Moreover, PTE is evaluated on a scale of 10-90. Where 85-90 makes C1, which is the best score. 

4) SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test):

The scholastic assessment test is conducted for undergraduate programs in Canada and the United States. It is a written test that assesses students' English and mathematics skills. This exam to study abroad has two types of formats with an essay; each duration is 3hours and 3hours 50 minutes. Apart from this, SAT scores are also accepted by various UK universities.

SAT includes multiple-choice questions for reading, writing and math. In this, math is further classified into two parts; with and without calculator. Moreover, this abroad exam has a perfect score of 1600, which is made from two sections with 200-800 each.

5) ACT (American College Testing):

American College Testing is a standardized test for universities and college admission for undergraduate programs in the United States. It assesses the college academic readiness of native and International students. Apart from this, ACT scores are also accepted in Canadian universities. American College Testing exams to go abroad lasts for three hours. Also, it solely depends on which college scholars are planning to apply and have to choose between SAT and ACT.

ACT has four sections; English, Reading, Math and Science. Moreover, it is scored between a 1 to 36 point scale for each of the section. Besides the four sections, ACT has an option of writing that is essay, which comes with addition 40 minutes. 

6) GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test):

The Graduate Management Admission Test is recommended as the best exams for MBA abroad. It is the entrance exam for the top business and management schools globally. This test assesses the candidate's skill of analytical, writing, quantitative reasoning, reading and verbal skills. 

It is conducted and managed by the Graduate Management Admission Council. The GMAT exams to study abroad duration of the GMAT is 2 hours 45 minutes and its scores are valid in Canada, the USA, and Germany. 

7) MCAT (Medical College Admission Test):

It is managed and conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). MCAT is an entrance test into medical schools in Canada, Australia, the United States, and the Caribbean Islands. This exam is held 25 times across 21 countries in a year. It is primarily used to assess students' skills of analysis, reasoning, psychology and biological system knowledge. Thus, the MCAT is one of the exams for foreign studies in the medical field. 

This exam has four sections: Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems, Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior and Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills. 

8) LSAT (Law School Admission Test):

LSAT is managed and administered by the Law Admission Council. This exam to study abroad is of two types: LSAT Indian and LSAT Abroad. The abroad one is for entry to the leading law schools in the USA, Australia and Canada. This test is conducted 6 times every year for 3 hours 30 minutes duration.

There are three scored sections of the LSAT; Reading Comprehension, Logic Games, Logical Reasoning. Besides this, there is one unscored Writing Sample in the entire exam. 

9) GRE (Graduate Record Examination):

The GRE exam is managed by ETS, and it is for graduate school admission. These study abroad entrance tests scores are accepted by all the countries like the US, Canada and Australia. On the other hand, most European countries do not require a GRE. Apart from this, more than 1200 business universities accepted the GRE. Also, this exam is held online and assesses scholars' ability of quantitative and verbal reasoning with writing as well.

GRE is constituted from Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning. Moreover, this test is scored on the scale of 130-173 where 160s is considered as the best scores.

10) CAEL (Canadian Academic English Language Assessment):

CAEL is the most trusted English language test for studies in Canada. These study abroad admission tests are accepted by more than 180 post-secondary institutes and used by employers, schools, universities, and colleges as proof of English language ability. The exam duration is for 3.5 hours and it assesses the ability of speaking, listening, reading and academic units. Also, there are only 2 CAEL centres in India.

CAEL has four components; Speaking, Reading, Listening, and Writing. Moreover, through these exams for study abroad with scholarship, finance management becomes easy for the aspirants.

11) CAE (Cambridge English Advanced):

CAE (Cambridge English Advanced) is conducted by Cambridge ESOL. It is proof of the candidate's English skills. CAE scores are accepted by most UK universities for admission. Apart from this, institutes in Canada, the USA, and Spain also accept the CAE score for admission. 

This English test to study abroad has 4 sections containing: reading, listening, speaking and writing.

12) CPE (Cambridge English Proficiency Exam):

CPE is also known as a certificate of proficiency in English. Also, this test is handled by Cambridge ESOL. This exam is conducted in more than 2700 centres around the world. The countries accept this are: the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, China, Japan, Russia etc. Even these scores of this exam to study abroad are accepted by 2500 known universities.

CPE has four sections; Reading & Use of English, Writing, Listening and Speaking. Moreover,  the highest attainable score for this test by a candidate is 210. 

13) ECCE (Examination for the Certificate of Competency in English):

The exam for general English language competency is conducted by the University of Michigan. It is one of the best exams for studying abroad as achieving its certificate shows the fluency of students and can be used to show their skills to other people. The ECCE certificate is accepted by various top-known institutes in the US, New Zealand, Australia, the UK and France.

ECCE has four sections; (Speaking, Listening, Grammar-Vocabulary-Reading, Writing) where if the candidate fails in two or more sections, they will fail exam too.

14) Advanced Placement Exam (AP):

The advanced placement test is managed by the College Board. This exams for foreign studies is a college entry-level exam for students which provides placement to known universities around the world. The scores of AP exams are accepted by more than 700 universities and institutes in 70 countries.

Advanced Placement is an entrance test which is scored on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 is considered as extremely well-qualified candidate. 

15) Duolingo Test:

Currently, the Duolingo test is one of the exams to study in USA and other countries, as its scores are accepted by over 1000 known universities and colleges in the US, UK, Australia and many more. This test duration is 60 minutes. These college scores are accepted by most universities of study abroad.

Duolingo test is divided into three segments that are: 
Introduction and setup, Adaptive test and Video interview. Moreover, this test is scored from 10-160 where an aspirant with 160 scores is the one having an advanced knowledge over the English language.

Till now, you must have got an idea of what exams are required to study abroad. Thus, the students have to pass any of the exams as per the university requirements to achieve the desire for foreign learning. It can be valuable for them to achieve such a goal without facing problems. To understand the distinction of exams, read the upcoming section.

Classification of Entrance Exams by Purpose

There are several types of these English exam for abroad as all the above-discussed ones are designed distinctly. Therefore, they are classified as: English, standardize, entrance and entrance with scholarships. Although this is the broader classification that separates the tests, but to have a more clearer vision, look at the table below:

These are the sub-divisions of these study abroad test options that study aspirants have to prepare for as per the university requirement. Moreover, it taking help from experts is the best decision. As Gradding.com consultants know the tactics to crack these tests on the 1st chance. Moreover, you can also know the reasons from the below section about how they can help scholars.

Take Guidance from Gradding’s Consultants to Crack Exams in 1st Attempt

Various students tend to go abroad for their higher education. It seems to be too exciting and thrilling goal which offers better career prospects. Although, the complex process with the exams for studying abroad makes the way challenging for scholars. In that case, taking help from Gradding.com experts can be valuable to achieve the dream smoothly. The reason behind that is the experts help throughout the process and ease for students. Also, study abroad consultants guide for the exams and consult for scholarships. It can be easier for learners to achieve the desired university without facing problems.

Why are you still waiting and confused due to the different exams? Take study abroad help from Gradding.com and make your dream come true without complexes.