In order to be admitted to a university in the USA, international students are required to take an English proficiency test. Anyone who has not attended bilingual schools or is not a native English speaker must take one of the following official language tests.
Tests to be taken
The SAT and the ACT
How to be admitted
DUOLINGO
The
Duolingo test
is a recently introduced test that has had an increasing diffusion in recent years and is recognized by an increasing number of American colleges and universities every year.
It has been developed with the idea of being shorter, easier to book and carry out and cheaper than other English proficiency tests.
It consists of four sections:
- Literacy, which determines the candidate’s ability to read and write;
- Comprehension, which determines the candidate’s ability to read and listen;
- Conversation, which determines the candidate’s ability to listen and speak;
- Production, which determines the candidate’s ability to write and speak.
Proficiency in the Duolingo test is reported as a holistic score on a scale of 10 to 160 in 5-point increments. Certified scores are valid for two years. On this
LINK
you can find all the information you need and the conversion of scores with the other most popular language tests, the TOEFL and the IELTS.
Why Choose Duolingo Testing:
Convenient, you can take the test online from your computer at any time, anywhere in the world.
Fast, you can complete the test in less than 1 hour and receive your results in 2 days.
Cost, only $59 and you can share your results with an unlimited number of institutions at no extra cost.
TOEFL
Test of English as a Foreign Language
The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is the most well-known and most accepted test by US universities.
TIP: If you have the possibility, it is preferable to take the exam IN PRESENCE at a test center to avoid delays in the delivery of the result, invalidation of the test due to lack of network or error in carrying out at home.
HOW IS THE TOEFL EXAM DEVELOPED?
The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is an exam required by most universities and junior colleges in the United States. The exam measures the candidate’s ability to listen, read, speak, and write in English at the university level.
Currently, in Italy, the TOEFL iBT (Internet Based Test) is administered, which is developed entirely in front of a computer connected to the internet and has a score scale from 0-120; Each section (reading, listening, speaking and writing) is scored on a scale of 0-30.
TEST SECTIONS
| Section | Time Limit | Questions | Activity |
| Reading | 35 minutes | 20 questions | Read academic texts and answer questions |
| Listening | 36 minutes | 28 questions | Listen to lectures, classroom discussions, and conversations, and answer questions |
| Break | 10 minutes | – | – |
| Speaking | 16 minutes | All 4 things to do | Express opinions on familiar topics; Talk about topics or activities in the Reading or Listening sections |
| Writing | 29 minutes | All 2 things to do | Write free answers on topics or activities in the reading or listening sections; express an opinion in writing |
IELTS
The International English Language Testing System or IELTS is an exam that assesses the level of English of those who intend to study or work in contexts where English is used as the reference language. Unlike the TOEFL, IELTS has two versions: an academic one and a general one. The exam is divided like the TOEFL into 4 sections (listening, reading, speaking and writing), listening and speaking are the same for both versions while reading and writing differ.
IELTS is a best-known and most widely used test in the UK and Europe, while TOEFL is the American test par excellence. If you have already taken IELTS and want to know how it compares to your TOEFL results, you can check out this approximate table.
| TOEFL SCORE | IELTS SCORE |
| 0-31 | 0-4 |
| 32-34 | 4.5 |
| 35-45 | 5 |
| 46-59 | 5.5 |
| 60-78 | 6 |
| 79-93 | 6.5 |
| 94-101 | 7 |
| 102-109 | 7.5 |
| 110-114 | 8 |
| 115-117 | 8.5 |
| 118-120 | 9 |
SAT and ACT
The SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test or Scholastic Assessment Test)
or the ACT (American College Testing)
They have long been the official admission tests to American colleges and universities. As a result of the pandemic, most universities no longer require them on a mandatory basis, but they use and accept them in the overall evaluation of applicants for admission and as a metric for awarding academic scholarships.
SAT
The SAT exam documents each candidate’s reading, writing, and math skills. It is divided into four sections:
- The section called Reading Comprehension includes reading texts and answering related questions, but also filling sentences with the appropriate words.
- The Writing and Language section contains questions about the correct use of grammar rules and sentence structure in the English language
- The Mathematics section contains questions on arithmetic operations, algebra, geometry, statistics and probability without the use of a calculator and followed by a series of questions in which the use of a calculator is allowed.
ACT
The ACT has the same value as the SAT and is equally recognized and accepted by American universities. Some institutions prefer one over the other, and that preference is specified on their website or in the procedures required for admission. The ACT includes these four sections:
- The English section measures the standard level of writing of the English language and assesses rhetorical skills.
- The Mathematics section is similar to that of the SAT and is limited to basic math knowledge acquired during high school, and the use of the calculator is allowed for all questions.
- The Reading section assesses the ability to read and understand texts. The answers to the questions are always multiple-choice.
- The Science section measures the aptitude to interpret, analyze, evaluate and solve problems, skills necessary to deal with the world of scientific subjects.
