ACT is a college readiness assessment standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board’s Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test.
ASVAB or Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery is a multiple choice test, administered by the United States Military Entrance Processing Command, used to determine qualification for enlistment in the United States Armed Forces. It is often offered to American high school students when they are in the 10th, 11th and 12th grade, though anyone eligible for enlistment may take it.
GED or General Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills. Although GED is frequently mistaken as meaning “general education degree” or “general education diploma,” the American Council on Education, which owns the GED® trademark, coined GED to identify “tests of general educational development” that measure proficiency in science, mathematics, social studies, reading, and writing.
GMAT or Graduate Management Admission Test is a computer adaptive test which assesses a person’s analytical, writing, quantitative, verbal, and reading skills in standard written English in preparation for being admitted into a graduate management program, such as an MBA. More than 5,400 programs offered by more than 1,500 universities and institutions in 83 countries use the GMAT exam as part of the selection criteria for their programs site. Business schools use the test as a criterion for admission into a wide range of graduate management programs, including MBA, Master of Accountancy, and Master of Finance programs.
GRE or Graduate Record Examinations is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for many graduate schools in the United States, in other English-speaking countries, and for English-taught graduate and business programs world-wide. Created and administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS) in 1949, the exam measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing, and critical thinking skills acquired over a long period of time, but are not related to any specific field of study.
PRAXIS I is one of a series of American teacher certification exams written and administered by the Educational Testing Service required before, during, and after teacher training courses in the U.S. The Praxis I, or Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST), consists of three exams: reading, writing, and mathematics. In most colleges and universities, a passing score must be earned for admission to teacher education. In most states, a passing score must be earned before the teacher education graduate can apply for his or her teaching license or certificate.
PRAXIS II is one of a series of American teacher certification exams written and administered by the Educational Testing Service required before, during, and after teacher training courses in the U.S. The Praxis II assessments cover many different subject areas. Each education major requires a different combination of Praxis II exams. In many states, these include a content knowledge and curriculum and instruction exam. In some states, students must pass these exams before being accepted into the student teaching component of the program. Many states use the Praxis II tests as a way to determine highly qualified status under the No Child Left Behind Act. The Praxis II School Counseling specialty exam is used by some states as a licensure requirement to practice professional school counseling.
SAT is a standardized test for most college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service, which still administers the exam. The test is intended to assess a student’s readiness for college.