International Student Admissions

After deciding what university an international student wants to attend, they should figure out what (if any) graduate school entrance exams need to be taken.

Here is a list of the usual graduate school exams. Note: testing requirement vary widely among programs and universities. This means students must do their own due diligence and check what the exact testing requirements are for the particular school/program they are applying to -

TOEFL – We have already gone into considerable detail regarding the TOEFL exam in previous posts. Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

GRE - In order to enroll in an American grad school, you will most likely have to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which is a computer-adaptive test. The general GRE measures your verbal, quantitative and analytical skills, while the GRE subject tests measure your knowledge in specific subject areas such as biology, biochemistry, English literature, mathematics, psychology or physics.

GMAT – The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a computer-adaptive test that assesses your qualifications for advanced study in business and management (most commonly used for applications to MBA programs).

LSAT – If you are considering law school, you will almost certainly have to take the LSAT. The Law School Admission Test is required for all ABA-approved law schools, most Canadian law schools, and many others as well.

MCAT – The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is astandardized, multiple-choice examination that is a required component for application to most medicalschools in the United States as well as many in Canada. The test was designed by the Association of AmericanMedical Colleges (AAMC) to assess problem solving, critical thinking, and writing skills as well as the test-taker’s knowledge of scienceconcepts that are necessary pre-requisites to study medicine.

This is the final segment in our introduction to the TOEFL exam.

In areas where the internet-based test is not available, a paper-based test (PBT) is given. Test takers must register in advance either online or by using the registration form provided in the Supplemental Paper TOEFL Bulletin. Tests are administered on fixed dates 6 times each year.

The test is 3 hours long and all test sections can be taken on the same day. Students can take the test as many times as they wish. However, colleges and universities usually consider only the most recent score.

Listening (30–40 minutes)

The Listening section consists of 3 parts. The first one contains 30 questions about short conversations. The second part has 8 questions about longer conversations. The last part asks 12 questions about lectures or talks.

Structure and Written Expression (25 minutes)

The Structure and Written Expression section has 15 exercises of completing sentences correctly and 25 exercises of identifying errors.

Reading Comprehension (55 minutes)

The Reading Comprehension section has 50 questions about reading passages.

Writing (30 minutes)

The Writing section is one essay with 250–300 words in average.

Scoring – Internet based Test

The iBT version of the TOEFL test is scored on a scale of 0 to 120 points.
 
Each of the four sections (Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing) receives a scaled score from 0 to 30. The scaled scores from the four sections are added together to determine the total score. Each speaking question is initially given a score of 0 to 4, and each writing question is initially given a score of 0 to 5. These scores are converted to scaled scores of 0 to 30.

Scoring – Paper based Test

The final PBT score ranges between 310 and 677 and is based on three subscores: Listening (31–68), Structure (31–68), and Reading (31–67). Unlike the CBT, the score of the Writing section (referred to as the Test of Written English, TWE) is not part of the final score; instead, it is reported separately on a scale of 0–6.

The score test takers receive on the Listening, Structure and Reading parts of the TOEFL test is not the percentage of correct answers. The score is converted to take into account the fact that some tests are more difficult than others. The converted scores correct these differences. Therefore, the converted score is a more accurate reflection of the ability than the correct answer score is.

Most colleges use TOEFL scores as only one factor in their admission process. A sampling of required TOEFL admissions scores shows that a total score of 74.2 for undergraduate admissions and 82.6 for graduate admissions may be required. It is recommended that students check with their prospective institutions directly to understand TOEFL admissions requirements.

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19 that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide.

The IBDP was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by a group of international educators. By the end of the decade a pilot programme had been established; and by the end of the 1970s a bilingual diploma was established. Generally the IBDP has been well-received.

Administered by the International Baccalaureate, the IBDP is taught in one of three languages (English, French or Spanish). In order to participate in the IBDP, students must attend an IB school. IBDP students complete assessments in six subjects and satisfy three core requirements. More to come on this excellent program…

This video is a great resource! The production is a bit on the sloppy side but the advice is golden. The questions that are addressed in the video are ones I often hear from students that are looking to get into more selective colleges. Here you can get the answers to these questions straight from the the Admissions Director at Penn! Many thanks to the District Communication Services of Collier County Public Schools.

The TOEFL exam can be taken either online (also known as the ‘iBT’ – Internet Based TOEFL) or on paper (also know as the ‘PBT’ – Paper Based TOEFL). Today we will examine the more common IBT.

Since its introduction in late 2005, the Internet-based Test (iBT) has progressively replaced the paper-based (PBT) tests, although paper-based testing is still used in select areas.

The four-hour test consists of four sections, each measuring one of the basic language skills (while some tasks require integrating multiple skills) and all tasks focus on language used in an academic, higher-education environment. Note-taking is allowed during the iBT. The test cannot be taken more than once a week.

Reading

The Reading section consists of 3–5 passages, each approximately 700 words in length and questions about the passages. The passages are on academic topics; they are the kind of material that might be found in an undergraduate university textbook. Passages require understanding of rhetorical functions such as cause-effect, compare-contrast and argumentation. Students answer questions about main ideas, details, inferences, essential information, sentence insertion, vocabulary, rhetorical purpose and overall ideas. New types of questions in the iBT require filling out tables or completing summaries. Prior knowledge of the subject under discussion is not necessary to come to the correct answer.

Listening
 
The Listening section consists of 6 passages, 3–5 minutes in length and questions about the passages. These passages include 2 student conversations and 4 academic lectures or discussions. A conversation involves 2 speakers, a student and either a professor or a campus service provider. A lecture is a self-contained portion of an academic lecture, which may involve student participation and does not assume specialized background knowledge in the subject area. Each conversation and lecture stimulus is heard only once. Test takers may take notes while they listen and they may refer to their notes when they answer the questions. Each conversation is associated with 5 questions and each lecture with 6. The questions are meant to measure the ability to understand main ideas, important details, implications, relationships between ideas, organization of information, speaker purpose and speaker attitude.

Speaking
 
The Speaking section consists of 6 tasks, 2 independent tasks and 4 integrated tasks. In the 2 independent tasks, test takers answer opinion questions on familiar topics. They are evaluated on their ability to speak spontaneously and convey their ideas clearly and coherently. In 2 of the integrated tasks, test takers read a short passage, listen to an academic course lecture or a conversation about campus life and answer a question by combining appropriate information from the text and the talk. In the 2 remaining integrated tasks, test takers listen to an academic course lecture or a conversation about campus life and then respond to a question about what they heard. In the integrated tasks, test takers are evaluated on their ability to appropriately synthesize and effectively convey information from the reading and listening material. Test takers may take notes as they read and listen and may use their notes to help prepare their responses. Test takers are given a short preparation time before they have to begin speaking.

Writing

The Writing section measures a test taker’s ability to write in an academic setting and consists of 2 tasks, 1 integrated task and 1 independent task. In the integrated task, test takers read a passage on an academic topic and then listen to a speaker discuss the same topic. The test taker will then write a summary about the important points in the listening passage and explain how these relate to the key points of the reading passage. In the independent task, test takers must write an essay that states, explains and supports their opinion on an issue, supporting their opinions or choices, rather than simply listing personal preferences or choices.

It should be noted that one of the sections of the test will include extra, uncounted material. Educational Testing Service includes extra material in order to pilot test questions for future test forms. When test-takers are given a longer section, they should give equal effort to all of the questions because they do not know which question will count and which will be considered extra. For example, if there are four reading passages instead of three, then three of those passages will count and one of the passages will not be counted. Any of the four passages could be the uncounted one.

Following on from our description of Choate is their chief rival – Deerfield Academy.  

Founded in 1797, Deerfield is known for its high academic standards and cohesive school spirit.  Deerfield nurtures its students’ intellectual curiosity with a rigorous curriculum, as well as encourages responsible citizenship.  The 280-acre campus provides extraordinary facilities including the Boyden Library, housing a broad-based collection of more than 75,000 items, an Arts Center, and the new 80,000-square foot Koch Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology.  Students, 37% supported by over $6.2 million in financial aid, are selected on the basis of academic promise, leadership potential, diversity of background, and the willingness to contribute to the school community.

Foreign students for whom English is not their first language may take the TOEFL in place of the SSAT or SAT. In most cases, Deerfield requires a minimum paper-based TOEFL score of 600, or a minimum computer-based score of 100. To meet the application deadline, a candidate should take the TOEFL in November or December. Since the TOEFL is designed for college-bound students, younger students may therefore be better off taking the SSAT rather than the TOEFL. Students can take both the SSAT and the TOEFL if they want.

Cornell University’s Johnson School is known for for its close-knit community. Student’s and graduates are proud of the fact that teamwork is an important part of the school’s culture. So says Randall Sawyer, assistant dean of admissions and financial aid, during a recent chat event. He fielded questions from the audience and Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Francesca Di Meglio about everything from the recruiting outlook to the chances for international applicants. I have selected a few portions that may be of interest to international students -

Ansho: I have a 650 [GMAT score] and a degree in engineering from India plus five years of work experience in business development. What are my chances of getting an interview invite?

RandallAtCornell: We like your five years work experience, but your GMAT is a bit lower than what we would like to see. Our median this year will be 700, and our average is in the 690 space. However, there are more than 20 different things we look at in your file, and while the numbers are good benchmarks, we really look at you as a person and professional.

lakshya: What is the average GMAT score required for the Johnson School?

RandallAtCornell: There is no minimum GMAT score required for Cornell. Most of our students score in the 640 to 750 range, and last year more than half the class scored 710 or better.

MFaulkner: Please explain the emphasis that is placed on an applicant’s GMAT score when the admissions committee is evaluating an individual’s application. Furthermore, how close to the school’s published GMAT score mean would you recommend an applicant approach to feel confident with that aspect of his application? (For example, 10, 20, or 30 points below or above the mean?)

RandallAtCornell: The GMAT score is important, with the quant end of it being most important because we have seen a correlation between quant scores and success in our core courses. I would urge students to score in the 680 and up range.

MFaulkner: What is the most critical aspect of an applicant’s application?

RandallAtCornell: The most critical aspect of the application is the essay. We have [applicants write] three, and we read them closely. They tell us a lot about you. However, should you get an interview, then the interview becomes even more important than the essays because of personal interaction.

This is just a taste, be sure to read it all!

This video is an opportunity to hear directly from admissions directors on the process of reviewing college applications. Deans of admission from eight colleges discuss the admissions process -

This is a followup to a previous post so I’d suggest you read that first if you missed it. [When talking about the "UC System", I am referring to the University of California group of colleges].

In California, the UC system has used test scores and HGPA as a preliminary admissions filter for many years. The application also includes areas for extracurricular activities and requires an essay, but the majority of students have always been screened based on a number system. The system is as follows -

HSGPA is multiplied by 1000 and then added to the SAT score and two required SAT Subject Test test scores.

The SAT has a maximum of 2400 possible points. Each SAT Subject Test test has a maximum of 800 possible points. So the three test scores have a maximum of 4000 possible points.

HGPA is typically on a 0–4 scale, which implies a maximum of 4000 possible points. (Depending on the number of honors and AP courses, the HGPA could exceed 4.0.)

So 8000 points is considered the maximum index number under the UC system, (although it is possible to exceed this number).

Notice the 50–50 weighting in this system between HGPA and test scores.

Imagine a student had a HSGPA of 3.8, an SAT score of 1950, and two SAT Subject Test scores of 680 and 700. This student’s UC index number will be 7130, (3800 + 1950 + 680 + 700).

Now imagine another student has the same HGPA of 3.8 but his SAT score is only 1550 and his SAT Subject Test scores are 580 and 600. This student’s UC index number will be 6530, (3800 + 1550 + 580 + 600). His index number is obviously negatively impacted by his test scores.

Obviously, it’s in the best interests of the applicant to find out how HSGPA and SAT are used at each college. The public universities in the state of Washington, for example, weigh HSGPA and test scores at 75% and 25%, respectively, which implies that the SAT’s weight is only 20%, given the use of the SAT Subject Test scores in the mix. Although some schools may prefer not to reveal their weighing systems, it is probably safe to say that HSGPA is usually weighted more heavily than test scores.

Here’s a Yale admissions quote: “A very strong performance in a demanding college preparatory program may compensate for modest standardized test scores, but it is unlikely that high standardized test scores will persuade the admissions committee to disregard an undistinguished secondary-school record.”

SAT Subject Tests is the collective name for 20 multiple-choice standardized tests given on individual subjects, usually taken to improve a student’s credentials for admission to colleges in the United States. Students typically choose which tests to take depending upon college entrance requirements for the schools to which they are planning to apply. Until January 2005 they were known as SAT IIs and are still commonly known by this name. Every test is a one-hour timed test.

A student may take up to three SAT Subject Tests on any given date. Most SAT subject tests are offered on the same day as the regular SAT. The language tests with listening are generally available only once a year in November. A calendar of test dates and registration deadlines can be found on The College Board’s official website.

Each test is scored on a scale of 200 to 800. Prior to the first administration of the new SAT (which includes the writing section) in March 2005, some highly selective colleges required applicants to take three SAT Subject tests, including the writing test and two other tests of the applicant’s choosing, in addition to the SAT. However, with writing now a standard component of the SAT I, most selective colleges recommend applicants to submit scores for any two SAT Subject tests. Engineering schools typically require Chemistry or Physics and prefer Math Level 2. A handful of the most competitive schools, such as Georgetown University, still require three Subject tests in addition to the three sections of the SAT. It is important for students to consult the school’s website to find out more information about Subject test requirements.

Schools also vary with regard to their SAT Subject test requirements of students submitting scores for the ACT in place of the SAT: some schools consider the ACT an alternative to both the SAT and some SAT Subject tests, whereas others accept the ACT but require SAT Subject tests as well. Information about a school’s specific test requirements can typically be found on its official website.