What is GMAT / GRE / SAT?

GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test)  stands to offer courses in Business and Management programs all around the world.

GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is administered for courses which deal in Humanities, Science and Engineering field.

SAT test basically measures verbal ability, and student’s’ in depth knowledge of the subject sought.

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language™)

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Versions & Format
About Test
Conducting Authority
Cost of Test
Score accepted by 7,500  institutions & agencies in over 130 countries; nearly 1 million individuals appear annually at 4,500 test centres in 165 countries; 30-40 test dates; 73 test centres in India, usually held on Saturdays & Sundays.

For more info visit:www.ets.org/toefl

Two formats: TOEFL iBT (Internet-based test) and TOEFL PBT (paper-based test)
iBT test has four sections, all given  in one day and takes about 4 ½ hours; you can retake the test as many times as you wish
ETS (a private non-profit organization also administering TOEIC® tests, GRE® General and Subject Tests and Praxis Series™ assessments
iBT fee in India ranges from US$160 to US$250 which includes examinee score report and up to 4 official score reports
Test Support
Test Scores
Validity
Remarks
ETS offers a variety of free preparation materials to help you get ready for the TOEFL test No pass/fail test score. Score  requirements set by each  education institution; for iBT: total score is between 0–120. Scores posted online within 2-weeks of the test date ETS reports scores for two years after the test date; one can request a rescore up to 3-months after your test date. Most most widely available test; most commonly used test among American institutions; uses
American English for academic environment simulation

IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

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About Test
Conducting Authority
Cost of Test
Score accepted by 6000+ institutions in over 135 countries; over 1.4 million candidates appear every year at more than 500 test centres; available on 48 fixed dates a year–up to 4 times a month; 39 test centres in India, held usually on Saturdays & Thursdays.

For more info visit:www.ielts.org

Two versions: The Academic module and The General Training module
Four parts that takes 2 hours 45 minutes. Listening, Reading & Writing tests are done in one sitting while Speaking test may be on the same day or in 7 days. No limit on sitting in the tests. Usually paper-based but more centres have started the computer-based test (CB IELTS)
IELTS is jointly managed by British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL)
Academic and General Training tests cost the same: around Rs. 7600 in India. It will increase to  Rs 8000 from October 1,2011
 Test Support  Test Scores  Validity  Remarks
The Official IELTS
Practice Materials explain the test format in detail and gives you practice tests and answers
There is no pass or fail. IELTS uses a 9-point scoring system-the Overall Band Score (OBS) where total score varies between 0-9. Candidates
receive their Test Report Form in
13 days after the test date
Scores are valid for two years. One can apply for an enquiry on results procedure within 6 weeks of the test date. You pay an enquiry fee, which is fully refunded if your band score changes More common in countries with strong connections to the UK: Australia & Canada, has lately moved into the US; uses British English for academic environment simulation

 Pearson Test of English

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About Test
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Recognised by 1780 programs in 719 institutions but largely in UK (323 institutions), USA (232) & Australia. Has 155 Test centres in 44 countries, 15 in India; exam can be scheduled.

For more info:www.pearsonpte.com/

Two formats: PTE Academic and PTE General
Computer-based test held in a single 3-hour session. Has 4-parts, Introduction is not timed but Part 1 is on Speaking & Writing (77–93 minutes); Part-2 on Reading (32-41 min); Part 3 on Listening (45-57 min) with an optional schedule break of 10 minutes
PTE is part of Pearson and endorsed by Graduate Management Admission Council
PTE Academic costs Rs. 8000 in India; one can send free score reports to unlimited number of institutions.
 Test Support  Test Scores  Validity  Remarks
PTE Academic Test
Tutorial is a free resource that gives an overview  of test. PTE Academic Practice Tests enable you to practice all skills
Overall Score Range is 10-90 points. One also knows scores in Communicative (Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing) & Enabling Skills (Grammar, Oral Fluency, Vocabulary etc). Results within 5 business days, scores are notified by email to the test taker and available online PTE Academic scores are valid for two years. You may request a rescore within 14 days. Only spoken responses and open-ended written responses are rescored Can be scheduled on short notice, promises scores within 5 days; scores sent to unlimited institutions; uses so called ‘international English’ for academic environment simulation; claims a superior
security protocol

GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test)

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About Test
Conducting Authority
Available in almost 100 countries, it is the most widely used assessment for graduate management admissions, by over 1900 graduate business schools around the world.

For more inforemation please visit: www.mba.com/

Computer-based test.
GMAT consists of four separately timed sections namely Analytical Writing Assessment, Quantitative section and the Verbal section. Quantatitive & Verbal sections are in the Computer-Adaptive Format. Total time limit is 3½ hours.

For more info:www.mba.com/

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is an organization comprising leading graduate business schools around the world and is the owner and administrator of the GMAT® exam.
 Cost of Test
Test Support 
 Test Scores  Validity
Fee for GMAT exam is US$250 globally and up to five (5) GMAT Programs to receive your Official Score Report.
GMATPrep test-preparation software is available to help you prepare for the Computer-Adaptive GMAT® exam.
For each of your scores on the GMAT test (Verbal, Quantitative, Total, and Analytical Writing Assessment) you will receive a percentile rank. Total GMAT scores range from 200 to 800. Two-thirds of test takers score between 400 and 600.
GMAT score is valid for five years. Requests for GMAT rescoring must be made within six months of your test date.

GRE (Graduate Record Exam)

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About Test
Conducting Authority
More than 600,000 prospective graduate school applicants from approximately 130 countries take the GRE General Test. For information about institutions pleasevisit: www.ets.org/gre
Computer-based test. It is offered at paper-based test centres in areas where computer-based testing is not available.
The computer-based GRE General Test was revised in August 2011.
All the three sections of Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning and  Quantitative Reasoning sections will be revised. Use of calculators would be allowed. Grading scale would be from 130 to 170. Total testing time is three hours, not including the research section.
ETS (a private non-profit organization also administering TOEIC® tests, GRE® General and Subject Tests and Praxis Series™ assessments
 Cost of Test  Test Support  Test Scores  Validity
For the revisedGRE General Test forma, the fees in India is $190 which includes Evaluation Report and up to 4 official score reports  ETS offers a variety of free preparation materials to help you get ready for the GRE test Like POWERPREP, General Test Practice Book (PDF) & Math Review (PDF). Three scores are reported on the GRE General Test: a Verbal Reasoning score reported on a 200 – 800 score scale, in 10-point increments, a Quantitative Reasoning score reported on a 200 – 800 score scale, in 10-point increments, an Analytical Writing score reported on a 0 – 6 score scale, in half-point increments
GRE scores are valid for 5 years. One can request a rescore up to 3 months after your test date.

SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test)

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About Test
Conducting Authority
Each year, SAT conducted by the College Board serves seven million students, 23,000 high schools, and 3,800 colleges.

For more info:www.sat.collegeboard.com/

Computer-based test.
The SAT tests the skills you’re learning in school: reading, writing and Math. Reading 200-800 points (70 Minutes), Math 200-800 points (70 Minutes), Writing 200-800 points (60 Minutes). Total test time: 3 hours and 45 minutes.
The College Board founded in 1900, is composed of more than 5,700 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations.
 Cost of Test  Test Support  Test Scores  Validity
The SAT Reasoning Test costs $47, whereas the SAT Subject Tests cost $21 as a base price with additional cost depending on which type of test one takes. College Board offers free question of the day, sample practice questions & free practice tests. Visit: http://sat.collegeboard.com/practice Each section of your SAT (Critical Reading, Mathematics and Writing) will be scored on a 200 – to 800 point scale, for a possible total of 2400. You’ll also get two “subscores” on the writing section: a multiple-choice score from 20 to 80, and an essay score from 2 to 12.
SAT scores are valid for 5 years. One can request a Question-and-Answer Service up to five months after your test date.

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