Preparation Classes
IELTS Figures revealing IELTS has cemented its position as the world’s most popular high stakes English language test with latest a record 1.5 million tests were taken around the world in 2010. Representing over 15 consecutive years of global growth, the number of tests taken has increased year-on-year annually since 1995. North America followed by the Philippines and Hong Kong experienced the largest growth over the year, whilst China, Australia and India continue to retain their positions as the largest markets for IELTS. IELTS provides a reliable measure of a candidate’s ability across the four skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking. Candidates cited the number one reason for taking the test in 2010 was in pursuit of entry into an academic institution, followed by migration purposes. “IELTS continues to help change people’s lives as they look for opportunities around the world – whether that be in education, for migration or employment. That’s why IELTS is a high stakes test and also why it’s so critical that the test continue to be a robust and rigorous measure of English language proficiency. -IELTS is internationally available, internationally accessible, internationally recognized and internationally focused... -The IELTS test has four parts – listening, reading, writing and speaking. Candidates must do all four parts to receive an IELTS result. The total test time is 2 hours and 45 minutes... -IELTS is available in two formats – Academic and General Training ... -There is no pass or fail in IELTS. Candidates are graded on their performance, using scores from 1 to 9 for each part of the test – listening, reading, writing and speaking. The results from the four parts then produce an Overall Band Score..TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
The TOEFL iBT test, administered in an internet-based format, is an important part of your journey to study in an English-speaking country. In addition to the test, the ETS TOEFL Program provides tools and guides to help you prepare for the test and improve your English-language skills. The TOEFL iBT test measures your ability to use and understand English at the university level. And it evaluates how well you combine your listening, reading, speaking and writing skills to perform academic tasks. There are two formats for the TOEFL test. The format you take depends on the location of your test center. Most test takers take the Internet-based Test (iBT). Test centers that do not have Internet access offer the Paper-based Test (PBT).More than 7,500 colleges, agencies and other institutions in over 130 countries accept TOEFL scores. Other organizations rely on TOEFL scores as well: # Immigration departments use them to issue residential and work visas # Medical and licensing agencies use them for professional certification purposes # Individuals use them to measure their progress in learning English Your scores are based on your performance on the questions in the test. You must answer at least one question each in the Reading and Listening sections, write at least one essay, and complete at least one Speaking task to receive an official score. For the Internet-based test, you will receive four scaled section scores and a total score: # Reading Section (Score of: 0 – 30) # Listening Section (Score of: 0 – 30) # Speaking Section (Score of: 0 – 30) # Writing Section (Score of: 0 – 30) # Total Score (0 – 120)SAT (scholastic Aptitude Test)
The College Board states that the SAT measures literacy and writing skills that are needed for academic success in college. They state that the SAT assesses how well the test takers analyze and solve problems—skills they learned in school that they will need in college. The SAT is typically taken by high school sophomores, juniors and seniors.[3] Specifically, the College Board states that use of the SAT in combination with high school grade point average (GPA) provides a better indicator of success in college than high school grades alone, as measured by college freshman GPA. Various studies conducted over the lifetime of the SAT show a statistically significant increase in correlation of high school grades and freshman grades when the SAT is factored in. There are substantial differences in funding, curricula, grading, and difficulty among U.S. secondary schools due to American federalism, local control, and the prevalence of private, distance, and home schooled students. SAT (and ACT) scores are intended to supplement the secondary school record and help admission officers put local data—such as course work, grades, and class rank—in a national perspective.[5] Historically, the SAT has been more popular among colleges on the coasts and the ACT more popular in the Midwest and South. There are some colleges that require the ACT to be taken for college course placement, and a few schools that formerly did not accept the SAT at all. Nearly all colleges accept the test.[6] Certain high IQ societies, like Mensa, the Prometheus Society and the Triple Nine Society, use scores from certain years as one of their admission tests. For instance, the Triple Nine Society accepts scores of 1450 on tests taken before April 1995, and scores of at least 1520 on tests taken between April 1995 and February 2005. The SAT is sometimes given to students younger than 13 by organizations such as the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth, who use the results to select, study and mentor students of exceptional ability. The SAT is an aptitude test. Like all aptitude tests, it must choose a medium in which to measure intellectual ability. The SAT has chosen math and English. The question is -- does it measure aptitude for college? The SAT's ability to predict performance in college is only a little better than chance. No test can measure all aspects of intelligence. Thus, any admission test, no matter how well written, is inherently inadequate. Nevertheless, some form of admission testing is necessary. It would be unfair to base acceptance to college solely on grades; they can be misleading. For instance, would it be fair to admit a student with an A average earned in easy classes over a student with a B average earned in difficult classes? A school's reputation is too broad a measure to use as admission criteria. Many students seek out easy classes and generous instructors in hopes of inflating their GPA. Furthermore, a system that would monitor the academic standards of every class would be cost prohibitive and stifling. So, until a better system is proposed, the admission test is here to stay.
