GRE, IELTS, WES and other external exams -explained in detail.

 

If you're an international student planning to travel abroad, it's no doubt that you must have come across these words most often. Aside from the aforementioned three, there are many other forms of external exams/tests international students are expected to write or submit during application.

However, these three are invariably the most popular. And many students have asked a lot of questions about them. So, I will do my best to explain each of them as precisely as I can.

The purpose of this article is for you to know whether you need any of these exams or not and how to find out if you need to write them or not.

Let's start with GRE

GRE means Graduate Record Examination, it is a multiple-choice, computer-based, standardized exam that is often required for admission to graduate programs and graduate business programs (MBA) globally. GRE scores are reportable for 5 years following your test date.

Before now, the GRE was one of the most important exams you must take before applying to schools abroad. But in the past few years, many universities (if not all) have stopped demanding a GRE score as one of the compulsory documents to submit before admission, even for a Ph.D. program. Only a few programs still require a GRE Score. So it is safe to say, as it stands now, you DO NOT need a GRE to study abroad.

IELTS

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is designed to help you work, study or migrate to a country where English is the native language. IELTS is a language test that is mandatory for every non-native student and the test is valid for 2 years.

However, students who have obtained a bachelor's degree in a country where English is the official language of communication and their university education was taught and assessed in English are exempted from writing an IELTS. 

Many African countries that are not francophone are not required to write IELTS. Therefore, it is safe to say that, you DO NOT need an IELTS to study abroad. While this may be argued, it is strictly based on individual schools and the applicant's background.

WES

World Education Services (WES) is a nonprofit organization that provides credential evaluations for international students and immigrants planning to study or work in the U.S. and Canada. They provide Educational Credential Assessments to students who studied outside the US or Canada. This is to make sure the educational credentials march with that of the country's educational evaluation.

WES is mostly not required by several schools abroad -the majority. And remember, it applies to schools only in the US, Canada, or Australia. However, the few schools that still require you to have your credentials evaluated by WES make it very open on their website. So it is your choice to apply to these schools or not.

However, from experience, WES is highly recommended for international students who do not have an outstanding CGPA (that is very low 2:2 or third class). The evaluation helps boost your academic transcripts to a higher CGPA and also boosts your chances of getting admission and scholarships.

In summary, it is safe to say again that you DO NOT need a WES to study abroad until you do. What do I mean?

If WES applies to schools in the US, Canada, or Australia, and only a few schools in these countries require it, why not choose from thousands of schools that do not require it? In other words, you only go for a WES when it is necessary, like in the case of a low CGPA.

Mind you, schools in the UK do not accept or require WES whether your CGPA is low or not. Likewise many other countries. This simply means that you can decide to avoid schools, programs, and countries that require a certain special test and focus on those that do not require them. Your absolute choice.

GRE, IELTS, WES, and every other external test and exam international students glamour about may not be relatively applicable to them if only they do their research well enough. I hope this article has given you a clue about what is and what is not required. You should also do your research based on your choice of country and program.

For more detail on traveling abroad through the study route and what is required, visit our FREE webinar session here.