Scores that matter

These tests aim to engage your skill, aptitude rather than your rote learning knowledge.

Standardised tests are becoming increasingly common, mostly because of the growing number of students going abroad to study. A few examples that come to mind are Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), Graduate Record Examination (GRE), Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Increased globalisation has resulted in the need to create a universal system of judging verbal and mathematical skills together with Intelligence Quotient (IQ). Each school/college has a different grading criterion based on its location and education board and this variation makes judging students coming from different parts of the world very difficult. Such standardised tests were introduced by international universities in order to maintain a standard and to ensure complete impartiality.

"Obviously, you cannot compare the A grade of our local boards to a straight A result in O/A levels to a 4.0 GPA. All three imply varying degrees of academic competence. If there are three students, each with a different one of these results, it is virtually impossible to compare them," explains Shiraz Siddiqi, a student who completed his Basic/ Intermediate education in Karachi and is now doing his undergrad from New York with an exceptional GPA. He says, "If a counsellor, on the other hand, has the SAT scores of these students, he can easily compare their competency and aptitude."

These tests aim to engage your skill and aptitude rather than your rote learning knowledge. They seldom expect you to remember important dates or events from history. Instead, they target to assess your analytical and problem solving skills. As international students, Pakistanis are typically required to take one or more, usually a combination of these standardised tests. IELTS or TOEFL for English competency along with a SAT or GRE as an aptitude test, if applying for an undergraduate programme (Bachelors) are necessary. There are also many schools that do not require SAT score. Similarly, in most cases, graduate students applying to an arts, engineering or science programme will be required to take the TOEFL and the GRE. Graduate students for business degrees will generally be required to take the TOEFL and the GMAT.

However, there are some exceptions as well. Most universities in the UK, Australia and even some in Canada do not ask for a GRE, even for Master programmes, except for schools such as the London School of Business (LBS), University of Manchester, Melbourne Business School, University of Toronto, which may require students to submit GMAT or any other scores. IELTS or TOEFL again, are mandatory to prove proficiency in English, although a good grade in High School/Intermediate/O-A Levels might get you an exemption/waiver from it as well. In various cases, a good TOEFL or IELTS might be required for a student visa in some countries. For example, Australia asks for at least a 5.5 band in IELTS, even though the university might waive your requirement for the test.

Hurdles to cross

It might seem like a walk in the park, but it isn’t particularly for Pakistani students. According to Asad Janjua, a student applying for an undergrad programme abroad, there are certain problems associated with the process. “I was shocked to see that even in our own country, our passport is given no value,” says Janjua relating to his experience giving the TOEFL. "We were made to wait for quite some time, whereas all students with foreign passports, some even arriving late, were escorted into the examination halls like VIPs. Another problem he points out arose when we moved to the spoken test, where the computers are placed side by side and everyone takes the test at the same time. The room turns into a bustling marketplace where everyone starts struggling to keep their focus by speaking louder. And people next to you, probably with funny answers and funnier accents tend to throw you off track and into fits of laughter if you're not careful. “I was personally distracted by such an individual and that ultimately affected my scores,” explains Janjua, who scored above 80 in the test.

Getting prepared

As far as preparation for these exams are concerned, one can do it quite easily themselves. There is ample help, guidance and material available on the internet. Besides that there are a number of tuition centres across Pakistan and numerous language centres for TOEFL and IELTS that one can attend. However, preparing yourself is a viable option.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2011.