There are different kinds of college admission tests that are taken throughout the United States as part of the school admission process. These tests mainly determine the readiness of a student for college across several core knowledge areas such as math, science, and English language. In recent years, students and parents have been spending more time and resources on test preparation, as colleges have required these tests, and the admission into many colleges became more competitive. According to the market research report released by Technavio, the test preparation market in the US is forecast to grow at an annual rate of almost 6% and bring $7.56 billion incremental growth during the 2017-2021 period,, with the university exams segment accounting for 32% of the global market.
There are different university admissions tests for undergraduate and graduate studies. Below are some of the most commonly used tests in each category.
Undergraduate Admission Tests
PSAT
Preliminary SAT (PSAT)/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) is a standardized test that has been administered since 1971. It is administered by the College Board and cosponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). This test is taken by millions of high school juniors and sophomores every year. The test has four sections and includes two math sections, one critical reading section, and a writing skills section. A student can score up to 760 points for each section to reach a maximum score of 1520. Students can register through their high schools or can look up registration information through the College Board website. This is not used formally for college admissions, but scores are reported to colleges for recruiting purposes. Top performing students may be selected for national merit scholarships, which stands out in the college admission process.
SAT
The SAT initially used to stand for Scholastic Aptitude test but is now called just SAT. This is developed by the College Board but is administered by ETS (Education Test Service) on behalf of College Board. SAT or ACT (also covered in this article) is required for admissions into many colleges in the US, however recently some colleges have made these tests optional or require alternatives to these tests. It is important for each student to take a look at the college-specific requirements for these tests. The test is offered seven times a year in the US and only four times a year outside the US.
The test helps colleges to better understand the students’ readiness for college and to measure, numeracy, literacy, and writing skills. The test has four sections that include reading, writing and language, math without calculator, and math with calculator. There is also an optional fifth section for writing an essay. The total score ranges from 400-1600 and it takes three hours to finish. The optional essay takes 50 minutes.
SAT Subject Tests
These tests were initiated in 1937 and were formerly called Achievement Tests. There are currently 20 different tests, 12 of which are in foreign languages. Colleges can require or use these tests to make decisions about Admission and to help students with course placements. Some schools require these along with ACT or SAT. Students are advised to review the requirements for specific colleges they are applying to.
Each test takes one hour and students can take up to three subjects on the same day as the SAT test with the exception of the March SAT test date. The test score range is from 200-800.
ACT
ACT (formerly abbreviated for American College Testing) is a standardized test and is administered by ACT nonprofit organization. It was first started in 1959 by a University of Iowa professor as a competitor to SAT. It is used for admission to colleges and universities in the US as well as many outside the US. The number of students taking ACT has been increasing over the years and in 2012 there were more students who took the ACT than the SAT.
The test includes four skill areas of Math, English, Reading, and Science Reasoning. In 2005, a writing test was added which is optional. Each test section is scored in the range of 1-36 and there is a composite score for all the four sections, which is a rounded whole number average. The test time allowed for each section varies from 35 minutes to 60 minutes for Math.
Advanced Placement (AP)
Similar to SAT subject tests, AP exams are offered in a range of fields (38 subjects at present). They have been administered by the College Board since 1955 and are used by colleges to assess whether to award college credits for high school coursework (or waive required classes). Unlike SAT subject tests, they are administered at the end of a formal AP course given by your high school using an approved curriculum. As with the SAT subject tests, these are not required by colleges, but are helpful in demonstrating an applicant’s academic potential to admissions offices in addition to the possibility of gaining course credit. AP scores range from 1 to 5, with many schools offering college credit for scores of 4 or 5.
Graduate Admission Tests
There are many types of graduate admissions tests that focus on the specialty a student is pursuing. Below are a few of the more popular tests.
GRE
Graduate Record Examinations is a standardized test that is owned and administered by ETS (Education Testing Service). It is used in many graduate programs, with the notable exceptions of business, law and medicine (see below). The test was first released in 1936. This is the most common admissions test for admissions to graduate schools in the US. In 2011, the test was modified to improve the test design. The score range was changed from 200-800 to a 130 to 170 scale.
Both the paper-based and computer-based general test consists of six sections but the paper-based test does not include the experimental section. The paper-based version can only be taken when the computer-based option is not available. There are also six GRE Subject Tests in order to test one’s academic strength in a particular subject such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, psychology, biology, or literature in English. The fee for this test is higher than undergraduate tests, but students may explore financial aid ETS provides for those who can prove economic hardship.
GMAT
The Graduate Management Admission Test is a computer-based test and was introduced in 1953 by the Graduate Management Admission Council, which continues to administer it. This test is used for admission to graduate management programs such as MBA, Master of Finance, and Master of Accountancy. Many graduate schools in the US as well as other countries accept it including more than 100 test centers around the world.
The GMAT consists of four sections of analytical writing, verbal, quantitative, and integrated reasoning. Total test time is three hours and seven minutes. The Test scores range from 200-800.
LSAT
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is a standardized test administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). The test was first created in 1948 to help colleges in admissions decision to law school. It is used by law schools in the US, Canada (for common law programs), the University of Melbourne in Australia, and a number of other countries.
The LSAT consists of six sections. There are four scored multiple-choice questions, an unscored writing section, and an unscored experimental section. The scored sections are converted to a scaled score in the range of 120-180. There are some new restrictions starting in 2019 on the number of times students can take the test. For example, prior to 2017, students were allowed to take the exam only three times in a two-year period but as of September 2019, students can take the LSAT up to three times in a single LSAC year (June 1-May 31), up to five times in the past five years including current year, and up to seven times over a lifetime. Students will need to do their research regarding the law school requirements for the test scores. There are many sources to check out such as the Khan Academy, Kaplan and advice from Leonard regarding preparation for this test.
MCAT
The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a standardized test for admission to medical schools in US, Canada, Australia, and Caribbean Islands. It is used to assess students’ abilities in scientific concepts and principles. The test is administered by Pearson VUE and is offered 25 times a year. It was first conceived as a result of significant increase in dropout rates for medical students in the 1920s in order to assess their readiness for medical school programs.
The test takes 7.5 hours and consists of four sections with the total score in the range of 472 to 528. The sections include: 1) Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems 2) Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills 3) Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems 4) Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior.
