You will understand “what are the exams to study abroad?” in this blog. Read the complete blog to learn about the 6 most taken exams for studying abroad.
Studying abroad has become very popular among youngsters. But to study abroad, students must take the English language exam.
An English language test is necessary to prove your English language proficiency for admission. Without the English language test score, most universities won’t consider your application.
There are different tests you can take to prove your English language proficiency. Here in this blog, we will describe all the important English language exam options you can choose from.
But before discussing what are the exams to study abroad, you need to know why English language exams are necessary to study abroad.
Why Students Are Required To Take The English Language Test
Organizations, educational institutes, and authorities must verify that you can easily survive in the English environment. These tests are required by the authorities to check your English language skills.
English language test guarantees that students won’t face any issue while studying in an English atmosphere. And they can easily manage themselves in this environment.
After discussing the need for English language tests, let’s move to the list of the most taken English language exams.
What Are The Exams To Study Abroad
There are plenty of exams students take to prove their English language proficiency according to their requirements. Different students take different exams according to the demand of the program or institute they choose.
Let’s discuss the important and most taken English language exams and clear all your queries about “what are the exams to study abroad?”
IELTS
IELTS ( International English Language Testing System ) is the most taken English language exam by students. This exam is accepted by more than 11000 institutes in more than 140 countries.
This test measures students’ listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills in the English language.
IELTS test types:
- IELTS Academic
- IELTS General Training
There are modules in both IELTS tests:
- Listening
- Reading
- Writing
- Speaking
Note: The listening, reading, and writing modules of the test take place on the same day, while the speaking module is scheduled before or after the other three modules.
This exam is available in both computer-based and pen-paper-based formats.
To learn more about the IELTS exam, visit the official website of IELTS.
PTE
PTE ( Pearson Test for the English language ) is a computer-based exam for the English language. Pearson PLC Group conducts the Pearson Test for the English language.
Firstly, it was accepted by Australia, but now all the top chosen nations, like the USA, the UK, Canada, etc. started accepting the PTE exam as an English language proficiency test.
Like IELTS, this exam also measures students’ writing, reading, speaking, and listening skills in the English language.
Types of PTE exam:
There are four modules in the PTE exam:
- Listening
- Reading
- Writing
- Speaking
Note: The speaking and writing modules of the PTE exam are combined in one session. The listening and reading modules are divided into two different sessions.
To learn more about the PTE exam, visit the official website of PTE.
TOEFL
What is TOEFL? This is the question most students ask before taking the TOEFL exam. TOEFL ( Test of English as a Foreign Language ) is a test for the English language conducted by the ETS ( Educational Testing Service ).
Like the IELTS and PTE, this exam also measures students’ listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills in the English language.
More than 10000 institutes in more than 160 nations, including the USA, the UK, Canada, etc., accept the TOEFL test.
There are three types of the TOEFL exam:
- TOEFL iBT (Internet-based TOEFL)
- TOEFL CBT (Computer-based TOEFL)
- TOEFL PBT (Paper-based TOEFL)
Note: The TOEFL paper-based format is available only for areas where it is impossible to take the computer-based TOEFL test.
To learn more about the TOEFL exam, visit the official website of TOEFL.
Keep reading! To know more about what are the exams to study abroad.
Duolingo
Most students need to learn that Duolingo is also an English language test to measure language proficiency. When they hear the word Duolingo, the first question that pop-ups in their mind is, “what is Duolingo?”
Duolingo is the latest addition to the list of English language tests. This is a very affordable and little time-consuming test when compared to the other tests.
You will get the result of this exam within 48 hours of taking the test. This is a computer-based exam, and no pen-paper version of this exam is available.
Note: Students do not need to visit any center to take the exam, they can take it at home or any place they feel comfortable.
To learn more about the Duolingo exam, visit the official website of Duolingo.
Score Comparison IELTS vs PTE vs TOEFL vs Duolingo
| IELTS | PTE | TOEFL | Duolingo | User Level |
| 9 | 86 – 90 | 118 – 120 | 155 – 160 | Expert user |
| 8.5 | 83 – 85 | 115 – 117 | 145 – 150 | Very good user |
| 8 | 79 – 82 | 110 – 114 | 135 – 140 | |
| 7.5 | 73 – 78 | 102 – 109 | 125 – 130 | Good user |
| 7 | 65 – 72 | 94 – 101 | 115 – 120 | |
| 6.5 | 59 – 64 | 79 – 93 | 105 – 110 | Competent user |
| 6 | 51 – 58 | 60 – 78 | 95 – 100 | |
| 5.5 | 43 – 50 | 46 – 59 | 85 – 90 | Modest user |
| 5 | 35 – 42 | 35 – 45 | 75 – 80 | |
| 4.5 | 30 – 34 | 32 – 34 | 65 – 70 | Limited user |
| 0 – 4 | 0 – 29 | 0 – 31 | 0 – 60 | — |
GRE
GRE ( Graduate Record Examination ) is a test taken to check a student’s general academic ability for graduate programs. This exam is also conducted by the ETS. And ETS decides the GRE exam syllabus and pattern for the test takers.
This exam is mostly taken by graduate students to be admitted to top business institutes. This exam is widely accepted by business institutes all around the world.
The GRE exam is of two types:
- GRE General test
- GRE Subject test
There are a total of three sections in the GRE exam:
- GRE verbal reasoning
- GRE quantitative reasoning
- GRE analytical writing assessment
Note: There is no eligibility requirement of being an undergraduate to take this exam but as this exam is for admission in graduate programs, so it is mostly taken by the undergraduate students.
To learn more about the GRE exam, visit the official website of the GRE.
GMAT
The GMAT ( Graduate Management Admission Test ) is also taken by students to prove their language proficiency for graduate business programs in top business institutes.
GMAT is a computer-based test. This test measures students’ unique analytical, writing, quantitative, verbal, and reading skills in written English. This exam helps the college admission committee to find the student’s English language level to pursue a master’s in business.
This exam is conducted by GMAC ( Graduate Management Admission Council ). The GMAT syllabus, pattern, and important decisions related to GMAT are decided by the GMAC.
There are four sections in the GMAT exam:
- Analytical Writing
- Integrated Reasoning
- Quantitative
- Verbal
To learn more about the GMAT exam, visit the official website of the GMAT.
Conclusion
In this blog, we have discussed what are the exams to study abroad. We have described the 6 most taken English language tests to study abroad.
We have described the types, and the sections of the exams along with the other essential information students must know about the exams.
We also provided a table to help students to compare their scores in four different ( IELTS, PTE, TOEFL, and Duolingo ) exams.
We hope we have cleared all your queries about what are the exams to study abroad. For more content like this, keep visiting CourseMentor™.
FAQs
Does the USA accept IELTS?
Yes, the IELTS exam is accepted by American universities. Students can fulfill their English language requirements for the USA by taking the IELTS exam.
Can I study abroad for free?
Many countries provide free education to international students. So students can study there for free or at a very affordable price.
Here are top three countries where international students can study for free or at an affordable price:
1. Germany
2. Norway
3. Austria
