Entrance Exams to study in the USA

Are you finishing school and aiming to study in the USA?

But wondering how admissions in the USA work?

Well, you’ve come to just the right place!

Students wanting to study in the USA need to go through entrance exams in the USA. There are multiple exams in the USA like SAT, GMAT, GRE, MCAT, LSAT that are applicable to different programmes like law, management, and medicine. These entrance exams are open for both domestic and international students wanting to study in the USA.

American colleges have a general exam called the ACT (American College Test). ACT scores are accepted by all colleges in the USA. Apart from the ACT, there are programme-specific entrance exams such as the SAT, GMAT, GRE, MCAT, and LSAT. These exams are designed with the specific eligibility and requirements of different programmes in mind. Students who take these exams will be eligible to apply for relevant programmes in the USA.

However, it is important to note that each exam has its own minimum score requirements. Depending on your score, you can apply to colleges that accept admissions within your score bracket.

Entrance exams to study in the USA are:

• ACT
• SAT
• GMAT
• GRE
• MCAT
• LSAT
• TOEFL
• IELTS
• PTE

The American College Test is a multiple-choice test in four areas: English, mathematics, reading, and science. Writing a test is an optional choice for applicants. Students should ideally take the test two months before the closing of college applications.

GMAT is the management entrance test in the United States. The test is designed to measure the problem-solving, critical thinking, and data analysis skills that are most relevant to graduate business programmes.

It is believed that 9 out of 10 B-schools use GMAT scores to make admissions decisions.

The GRE is a general objective test that applies to a broad range of graduate and professional programmes, including law and business. Many students prefer to take the GRE as it gives them multiple options for programmes with a single score. As per an insider guide to the GRE, there are multiple unscored sections throughout the test, so it is important to take each section carefully.

The International English Language Testing System is a renowned language proficiency test for international students coming to the USA to study or work. Colleges and universities would ask international students to apply with IELTS test scores to check applicants' English-speaking and learning abilities.

IELTS is conducted both on computer and paper across 82 centres. Students wanting to apply to US colleges will have to go through IELTS Academic while people moving to the US for migration purposes will have to go through IELTS General.

MCAT is an entrance exam in the USA for medical aspirants aiming to apply to medical schools. MCAT is held multiple times between January'24 and March’24 and all through September'24 across 100’s test centres in the United States.

The format of MCAT is designed to examine applicants' knowledge of natural and social science concepts, critical thinking and scientific reasoning.

The Pearson English Proficiency Test is yet another language proficiency test predominantly used for Australian, UK, Canadian, and New Zealand universities. However, few nursing colleges in the USA also accept PTE scores.

Duolingo is a fast-paced online English proficiency test that is only 1 hour long and gives results in 2 days. It is a perfect pick for US education aspirants, as it is accepted by major US universities. This test is ranked as very convenient and affordable by the test-takers.

TOEFL is yet another widely accepted English proficiency test that has stood the test of time for students wanting to study abroad. In North America over 7000 universities accept TOEFL scores making it the largest accepting English proficiency test for the US.

The LSAT is an integral part of admission to law school in America. Law aspirants can accelerate their chances of admission to US law schools with their LSAT scores. It is again a multiple-choice test along with a written essay section known as LSAT Writing.