What international certificates are needed when studying abroad?

In addition to educational programs in schools, courses for training a certain profession, there are also different exams that are managed and designed by international educational organizations around the world. The following article will provide you with brief and useful information about some of the most popular international academic certificates and international English certificates today.

1. What is an international certificate?

An international certificate is a certificate issued by international educational institutions around the world. In order to receive an international certificate, candidates must pass standardized tests designed specifically for different types of certification.

2. International Academic Certificate

2.1. SSAT certificate

SSAT (short for Secondary School Admission Test) is a standardized test for students between the ages of 3 and 11 who want to apply to high schools in the US. SSAT exam has 3 levels corresponding to 3 different groups of students:

• • Elementary Level: For students in grades 3-4 who want to apply for grades 4-5.
  • Middle Level: For students in grades 5-7 who want to apply for grades 6-8.
  • Upper Level: For students in grades 8-11 who want to apply for grades 9-12.

SSAT exam consists of a writing sample and a test of 3 skills in the form of multiple choice: Quantitative, Reading, and Verbal.

See also: SSAT certificate

2.2. SAT certificate

SAT (short for Scholastic Assessment Test) is a standardized test administered by College Board. SAT is for applicants who want to apply to universities in the US. The knowledge tested in the SAT consists of two main sections, Evidence-Based Reading and Writing as well as Math. In addition, candidates will write an essay with a time limit of 50 minutes.

2.3. ACT certificate

ACT (short for American College Testing) is also a standardized test for applicants who want to apply to universities in the US and Canada. ACT consists of 4 main test sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science. In addition, candidates will also write an essay with a time limit of 40 minutes.

2.4. GMAT certificate

GMAT (short for Graduate Management Admission Test) is an exam administered by GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council) for candidates who want to apply for graduate programs (usually business-oriented majors), such as MBA. GMAT test is standardized based on a computer-based test format and the questions are presented in multiple-choice format. The knowledge that candidates must have when taking the test includes math, writing skills, reading comprehension, language analysis, critical thinking, problem analytical thinking…

See also: GMAT certificate

2.5. GRE certificate

GRE (short for Graduate Record Examinations) is a standardized test for applicants who want to apply to graduate programs in the US, Canada and a few other countries around the world (including programs in Business and Law). GRE test is administered by ETS (Educational Testing Service), which is divided into two types: GRE General Test and GRE Subject Test.

• • GRE General Test assesses candidates’ skills and understanding of Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Critical Thinking, and Analytical Writing.
  • GRE Subject Test assesses candidate’s ability in each specific subject, requiring specialized knowledge or extensive knowledge in each area in which the candidate applies. There are 4 subjects that candidates can register for the exam, which are Chemistry, Math, Physics and Psychology, only 2 subjects Biology and Literature in English has been on hiatus after April 2021.

3. International English Certificate

3.1. IELTS certificate

IELTS (short for International English Language Testing System) is a standardized test to assess the ability to use English of people from non-native English speaking countries, managed by British Council, IDP Education and Cambridge Assessment English.

ELTS tests 4 skills: Listening (40 minutes), Speaking (11-14 minutes), Reading (60 minutes), and Writing (60 minutes). The total time is 2 hours 55 minutes and scale is from 0 to 9 (in increments of 0.5).

3.2. TOEFL certificate

TOEFL (short for Test of English as a Foreign Language) is a standardized test to assess the ability to use English of candidates who want to apply to universities in native English-speaking countries, managed by ETS (Educational Testing Service).

Like IELTS, TOEFL also tests 4 skills: Listening (41-57 minutes), Speaking (17 minutes), Reading (54-72 minutes), and Writing (50 minutes). Candidates can take the TOEFL test in two forms: Internet-based Test (iBT) or Paper-based Test (PBT).

3.3. TOEIC certificate

TOEIC (short for Test of English for International Communication) is also a standardized test for people not from native English-speaking countries, managed by ETS (Educational Testing Service).

TOEIC test has two test formats: Listening and Reading Test as well as Speaking and Writing Test.

• The scale of the listening-reading test is from 0 to 990 points. The total time is 2 hours (45 minutes for Listening section and 75 minutes for Reading section).
• The scale of the speaking-writing test is from 0 to 200 points for each section. The time of Speaking section is nearly 20 minutes and the time of Writing section is nearly 60 minutes.

4. Other international language certificates

In addition to popular foreign language certificates such as IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, there are many other certificates used to assess candidates’ ability to use English, such as Cambridge’s foreign language certification exams: PET (Preliminary English Test), FCE (Cambridge First Certificate in English), CAE (Certificate in Advanced English), CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English)…

In addition, there are also relatively popular English speaking tests such as OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) or OPIC (Oral Proficiency Interview – Computer)…

Depending on their own purposes, candidates can choose the exam that is right for them to test their English ability, apply to universities, add to their resume or study abroad application…

See also: SAT certificate

Intertu Education is currently enrolling students for SSAT exam preparation, SAT exam preparation, ACT exam preparation, GMAT exam preparation, GRE exam preparation, GED exam preparation. If you have any questions about what international certificates are, please contact us directly, via email or hotline for a free consultation.