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In this post let us discuss about the Test pattern's and little description of GRE/TOEFL/IELTS
ABOUT GRE:

Every year, from India, thousands of aspirants move to different countries in pursuit of higher education. They may have to take different tests to apply to the universities they wish to get admission into.

To pursue a master's programme in engineering/management, these aspirants are required to take tests like the GRE^® test (GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATIONS^® test) or the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test). Apart from this they may also be required to take TOEFL^® iBT (TEST OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE^TM).

Of all countries, the most sought after and popular is The United States of America - The land of unlimited opportunities. Securing admission into a good university of one's choice for an MS here is certainly not an easy task.

What is the GRE test ? 

GRE^® test stands for GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATIONS. There are two types of GRE tests:
(1) GRE General test, and
(2) GRE Subject test.

The GRE^® General Test is required by many graduate and professional schools in the U.S and is an important criterion for admission to their graduate programmes. Applicants must submit their GRE^® scores together with certain other records/requirements as part of the process of admission to graduate schools.

The GRE^® is administered by Educational Testing Services (ETS). ETS is responsible for conducting the GRE^® test under the guidance of the college education board of the U.S.
What is a GRE^® - CAT (Computer Adaptive Test)?

The GRE^® Test is a CAT (Computer Adaptive Test). This means that the computer adapts the level of the questions to the test-taker's ability. Initially questions of medium difficulty level are administered to test – taker. If he / she answers these questions correctly, a more difficult question is given. Otherwise, an easier question is administered. So, at every stage, the computer tailors the test to the examinee's level. In this examination, the score depends both on the number of questions attempted and the number of correct responses.
Test pattern of GRE:
The GRE^® general test comprises an analytical writing section, one verbal ability section and one quantitative ability section. Besides these, there could be an additional experimental section which may be either a verbal or a quantitative section. Sometimes, ETS may also give an identifiable research section.
Analytical Writing Section

In this section, a candidate has to respond to two types of essays:
(i) Issue task
(ii) ArgumentTask

One Issue essay has to be typed in 45 minutes. As of now ETS gives two issue topics and a candidate has to type out his response to one of these two topics. In an Issue Essay a topic of general intellectual interest is given and a candidate has to respond by expressing his opinion on the given issue and back it up with valid reasons.
Sample Issue topic :- The application of sciences has proved to be more often a curse than a boon, and it is a threat to a good standard of living. 

Besides this, one Argument essay has to be typed in 30 minutes. ETS gives only one argument topic and the candidate has no choice for this type of essay. In an Argument essay, a candidate will examine the logical soundness of an argument and critique it.
Sample Argument topic:-The chairman of the Baleroti car manufacturing company asserted the following in his memo. 
"An analysis of our past performance reveals that we did not fare as well as our competitors because we have stuck to outdated designs. However, the encouraging news is that many people across the country would be getting driving licenses very soon and we should be able to increase our market share by selling to these people. Hence, we should stop manufacturing our old-fashioned cars and focus on manufacturing trendy cars. To add teeth to our marketing effort we should now switchover to the Juvenile Ad agency, which successfully marketed a leading cola." 

Please note that the ISSUE and the ARGUMENT topics given here as sample topics are not an exact replica of what ETS stipulates in its pool of topics. However, these sample topics are on the lines of ETS topics. For the actual ETS pool of topics please refer to the ETS website.

Verbal Section

Number of Questions = 30
Time allowed = 30 minutes 

Question Types	No. of questions
Sentence Completion	5-7 questions
Analogies	6-8 questions
Reading Comprehension	6-10 questions
Antonyms	8-10 questions

All the questions are standard, multiple- choice questions with 5 choices.
Quantitative Section

Number of Questions = 28
Time allowed = 45 minutes

Question Types	No. of questions
Quantitative Comparison	13-15 questions
Problem Solving	8-10 questions
Data Interpretation	4-6 questions

Elementary knowledge of arithmetic, algebra and geometry is required to answer the questions. Almost all the questions can be answered by application of high school level concepts.
ABOUT TOEFL TEST:

What is the TOEFL^® test ? 

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL^®) measures the ability of non-native speakers of English to use and understand North American English as it is spoken and written in college and university settings. Most people who take the TOEFL^® test are planning to study at colleges and universities where the medium of instruction is English. In addition, many government agencies, scholarship programs, and licensing / certification agencies use TOEFL^®scores to evaluate English proficiency.

Currently more than 6,000 colleges and universities, professional schools, and sponsoring institutions accept TOEFL^® scores.

The TOEFL^® test measures English language proficiency in reading, listening and writing and is offered on computer in most regions of the world. In areas where access to computer-based testing is limited, a paper-and-pencil version of the test is administered.
About TOEFL^® iBT
Salient Features of the new Pattern of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL^®) iBT

Educational Testing Service (ETS) has introduced a new version of the TOEFL^® Test. The most important change in the exam, now better known as the TOEFL^® iBT, is that the test would be conducted via the Internet. The major advantages of this are:

• The test can now be administered in a standardized manner
• There would be more centers available for students to take the test in keeping with the demand.

The TOEFL^® iBT is an exam that is aimed at testing the students on their skills in English usage. The test is structured in such a manner so as to ensure that there is a match between the actual environment the test taker would face and the students’ skills. The new test pattern focuses on all round communication skills.

Exam Pattern
Writing:

• The writing section has been modified to include an integrated task in addition to the independent one.
• The new task requires test takers to listen to a short conversation and read a short passage (of about 250 words). The test taker would then be required to write a summary of what was read and heard.
• Test takers can make notes and use them to respond to the questions.
• The topics are such that the students may be tempted to take up a strong position either for or against the topic. The trick to performing well in this section lies in striking a balance and constructing the argument logically in simple and direct language.

Reading:

• The number of questions in the Reading section is not fixed and could vary.
• The questions are asked in a multiple choice format. There are about three to five passages with a total of 50 questions for the section.
• The passages would be of a length of 600 to 750 words and are sourced from diverse fields like Natural Sciences (Botany, Zoology), Social Sciences (History - especially American History), Geography, Physical sciences and so on.
• The paragraphs have line numbers for easy reference.
• A glossary feature which helps define uncommon words has been introduced. A new review tool has also been included. These two features help the test taker manage his/her time better. A review of answers is possible and students can check any questions they may have missed out.
• There are various types of questions including questions dealing with implications and inferences, overall theme of the passage, the central idea or flow of the passage, how the author has developed the essay, and others. The ability to identify paraphrasing, summarize main points, and identify various elements of the author’s arguments would also be tested. Vocabulary based questions with reference to a meanings of words in the given context could be asked.
• The reading speed expected would be about 200 words per minute.
• Answer choices can be changed as long as one is answering questions related to a particular passage but shifting between passages is not possible.
• 
  

Listening:

• The emphasis in the Listening section is on the test taker’s ability to comprehend and analyse what is being said.
• There would be conversations and talks (lectures).
• The conversations would recreate a social scenario in about 10-15 sentences and would typically last for 3 – 5 minutes. Social scenarios include situations like a party or a purchase in a super market etc.
• The lectures are of similar length and are on diverse themes where no predefined knowledge is required. Two of them would have comments of students interspersed and two of the talks would be sans the comments.
• The section includes integrated as well as independent tasks.

Speaking:

• The major areas that a test taker needs to focus on to do well in this section would be: accent, dialect, pronunciation, syllabification (long and short vowels).
• The ability to speak the language well enough to get across one’s message clearly and effectively is tested in this section.
• There is a pre-defined time limit for responses in this section.
• In the speaking section the test taker would have to speak into a microphone and the responses would be digitally recorded and sent to the ETS Online Scoring Network.
• There are two independent and four integrated tasks in the section.
• The first independent task requires the test taker to draw upon his / her existing base of knowledge, experience and preferences and answer the question. The test taker gets 15 seconds to prepare his /her response and 45 seconds to present it.
• The second task requires the test taker to choose one of two alternatives and support his / her choice.
• Two of the integrated tasks test ability to read, listen and speak. The test taker is given material to read and would then be asked to listen to a one to two minute conversation on the same topic. Following this, the test taker is asked to summarize what was read and heard into a microphone. 30 seconds are given for the preparation of the response and 45 seconds to speak.
• In the next task the test taker is given a 150 word academic passage to read and is then required to listen to a one and a half minute talk on the same. The candidate is then required to present his opinion on what was read and heard. The test taker has 30 seconds to develop his response and 45 seconds to speak.
• The fifth task requires the candidate to listen to a conversation (of about 60-90 seconds) between two students on a student related problem and two possible solutions to the same. Having heard the talk, the test taker now needs to speak on the solution that he / she feels is appropriate. The candidate is given 20 seconds to develop a response and 60 seconds to speak.
• The last of the speaking tasks involves listening to an excerpt from a lecture for about 90-120 seconds. Having heard the lecture, the candidate is required to articulate the main ideas that were discussed. This lecture could be on a concept with examples to explain the same.

ETS offers practice versions of the test along with related learning tools on their website, www.toefl.org. The practice test scores are also reported to the test taker.

ABOUT IELTS TEST:  The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a test administered to evaluate the English language skills of non-English speaking candidates seeking to pursue education programmes or immigration to English speaking countries. The test is designed to assess the candidate's ability to understand spoken and written English in academic and social contexts and also use the language to communicate in the spoken and written forms.

The IELTS test is conducted by the following educational bodies in partnership: 1. University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate (UCLES) 2. The British Council 3. IDP Educational Body, Australia (it's subsidiary is IELTS Australia Pvt. Ltd.) IELTS scores are accepted by educational institutes, professional bodies, government undertakings and for immigration processing in Australia, New Zealand, U.K., Canada and certain American universities (like Princeton and Duke), where the IELTS scores are accepted in lieu of TOEFL scores. What Does the IELTS Test: The objective of the test is to assess a candidate's ability to understand and communicate in English in academic and social contexts. To make this assessment, the following skills are specifically tested. 1. The ability to read and comprehend written, academic or training language. 2. The ability to write assignments in a style that is appropriate for university study or within a training context. 3. The ability to understand spoken language in both lecture format as well as formal and informal conversational styles. 4. The ability to speak on general and given topics in formal and informal situations. A Description of the Test: The IELTS test has two versions: 1. The Academic Module - This module is intended for candidates seeking entry to a university or institution of higher education offering degree and diploma courses (i.e. those seeking undergraduate or postgraduate courses). 2. The General Training Module - This module is intended for students seeking entry to a secondary school or to vocational training courses. This module is also meant for candidates seeking immigration to an English speaking country. The two versions do not carry the same weight and are not interchangeable. All candidates are tested on reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Whereas the speaking and listening sections are common for the Academic and General versions of the test, the Reading and Writing sections are different. Test Format: The IELTS has four parts: 1. Listening Section - This consists of 4 parts with approximately 40 questions. Total time allotted to this section is 30 minutes, and another 10 minutes as transfer time (to transfer your answers to the answer sheet). 2. (Academic or General) Reading Section -This section will consist of 3 parts with approximately 40 questions. Total time allotted is 60 minutes. 3.(Academic or General) Writing Section -This section will consist of two writing tasks. Total time allotted is 60 minutes. 4. Speaking Section - Total time allotted to this section is 11 to 14 minutes. The total duration of the test is 2 hours 45 minutes. Scoring:  The result will consist of a score in each of the four skills (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking) which is then arranged to give the Overall Band Score or final mark. Performance is rated in each skill on a scale of 9 to 1. The nine overall Bands are as follows:

9 Expert user 4 Limited User 8 Very good user 3 Extremely limited user 7 Good user 2 Intermittent user 6 Competent user 1 Non user 5 Modest user 0 Did not attempt the test

Pass Mark: 

There is no fixed pass mark in IELTS. The acceptability of a score is totally at the discretion of the institute-applied or govt. body (immigration). However, as a general rule, scores below Band 5 are considered to be too low and above Band 6 are deemed to be adequate to good. Band 5 to Band 6 scores are borderline. An overall score of Band 6.5 is mostly accepted as a good score. The individual module's Band score is considered as per the requirement.

For example, an Engineering Institute will emphasise on a good Band Score (6.5 or above) in Listening Module, as the institute's mode of teaching is lecture-oriented, whereas if a person is seeking a job in public - relations, then more weightage is given for a good Band Score (6.5 or more) in the Speaking Module.

In the Listening module and the Reading module, each question carries one mark and there is no negative marking for incorrect answers. Then the overall score is converted into a Band score from 9 to 1. The other two modules (Writing and Speaking) are rated as per the effectiveness, language skills, communication ability, clarity, fluency and spontaneity of the candidate. The same in these two modules can be developed by referring to the assessments made in various books. The candidate must gauge and try to comply with the examiner's assessment method.