List of International Entrance Exams, Pattern and Score Validity

Education from universities abroad is gaining popularity as various countries like Canada, USA, UK, Australia, Singapore and others have made their visa policies more lenient. With goals to pursue masters and other programmes in a global and diverse environment, students these days are more willing to apply to universities abroad.

Almost all overseas universities , especially the top b-schools in the world and research institutes, require students to appear for at least one of the international exams. Therefore, CollegeDekho has prepared a list of international entrance exams and their details to help you carve a career path for yourself.

Some of the most popular exams for admission to universities abroad are GRE and GMAT . Although both these exams are globally accepted, there is a lot of difference between GRE and GMAT . Apart from these, there are other English proficiency and field-oriented tests for students planning to pursue their education overseas.

List of International Entrance Exams:

Also Read: Common Questions Asked in Personal Interview for Admission to MBA Programmes

International Exams Pattern and Score:

Graduate Record Exam (GRE):

GRE is possibly one of the most popular entrance exams conducted in online mode in India for admission to master’s courses in universities abroad. The exam comprises 2 Quantitative Analysis sections, 2 Verbal Ability sections of 340 marks and a section of Analytical Writing that is scored on a scale of 6. The exam is a basic requirement in order to apply for almost all the universities abroad.

Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT):

Candidates seeking admission in MBA programmes offered by universities abroad have to appear for GMAT exam. It is computer adaptive test and comprises four sections. These include Integrated Reasoning scored that is evaluated on a scale of 8 and Analytical Writing evaluated on a scale of 6. The other two sections are Quantitative Analysis and Verbal Ability with a total score of 800.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS):

IELTS is a test designed to test the English ability of students applying to universities abroad. The exam comprises four sections, namely, Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. All the four sections are evaluated on a 9-point scale and the final score is the average of scores in all four sections. The test scores are globally accepted

Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL):

This test is also conducted to check the level of English aptitude of students seeking admission in universities abroad. Like IELTS, there are four sections in this exam i.e. Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. Each section is of 30 marks and the total score is 120 to form the cumulative total of the students. TOEFL scores are accepted mostly by US Universities, however, some other countries also accept the score, to view complete list check ETS official website.

Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT):

Universities in the US accept this test for admission to undergraduate courses. The test comprises Writing Analysis, Quantitative Analysis and Verbal Ability sections. The total score of the exam is 1600 (i.e. 800 for verbal and quants each) and writing analysis is evaluated on a 12-point score.

Law School Admission Test (LSAT):

The LSAT exam is a requirement for candidates seeking admission in law courses in USA. The exam comprises two sections of logical reasoning, one section each of analytical reasoning and reading comprehension. The score of LSAT is evaluated between a range of 120 to 180. The exam also comprises of two unscored sections i.e. the variable section and the writing section.

Medical College Admission Test (MCAT):

Candidates seeking admission in medical courses offered by universities in US have to appear for MCAT in order to apply. The exam comprises four sections including Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems (59 questions), Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (53 questions), Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems (59 questions) and Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior (59 questions). The total seating time of the exam is 7 hours, 33 minutes approximately.

ACT:

ACT is a subject test that is mandatory for all students who seek admission in undergraduate courses offered by the US universities. It is conducted for Mathematics, English and Science. The exam comprises a total of 215 section. The exam pattern varies according to the subject that you intend to take in ACT.

Pearson Test of English (PTE):

PTE test was designed on the similar lines of TOEFL and IELTS. The exam tests the aptitude of students in English on the basis of their reading, speaking, listening and writing skills. Each section comprises of a different set of questions based on images, audios and text to test the English proficiency of applicants.

United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE):

This is an 8-hour long exam comprising 310 multiple choice questions conducted for admission to medicine courses offered by universities abroad. The exam is conducted for 8 medicine disciplines including Anatomy, Physiology, Behavioral Sciences, Pharmacology, Biochemistry, Pathology, Microbiology, Biostatistics and Epidemiology. It also comprises 5 inter-disciplines including Genetics, Immunology, Molecular and Cell Biology, Aging and Nutrition.

Also Read: Top 50 B-Schools Accepting GMAT Score

If you are targeting universities abroad in order to pursue undergraduate or graduate programmes , you must check the exam requirement of the universities. Universities in different countries ask for different requirements, therefore it is important to check the official website of the university before applying for either of the international entrance exams mentioned above.