IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, OET, German, French, Japanese, GRE, GMAT and SAT. We help you choose the test your university, employer or regulator accepts, then prepare for the score it asks for.
Every university, employer, licensing body and visa office names the tests it accepts and the score it wants. Those two facts decide what you should study, and for how long.
Many students begin the other way round. They join the class a friend joined and sit the test, and only then learn that their university wanted a different version, or a higher score in one section.
We begin with the requirement. Once we know where you are applying and by when, the test and the target score usually settle themselves.
Fill in one bubble on each line. The sheet shows the tests most often asked for, and each name opens its full details.
Many programmes have made the GRE optional. A good score can still help with admission and funding.
This is a first guide to what is most often asked for. Universities, employers and regulators set their own lists and scores, and we confirm them for your case before you book a test.
You will rarely need all three. Most students sit one language test, and some add an admission test. Each one measures on its own scale.
Proof that you can study or work in English. Almost every destination asks for one.
Can you study and work in English?
Needed when the course, the job or the visa runs in German, French or Japanese.
Can you live and work in the language of the country?
Reasoning and maths, measured on top of your school or degree marks. Asked for mainly by universities in the USA and by business schools.
Are you ready for the course?
The most expensive mistake is to prepare for, and pay for, the wrong version. These are the ones most often confused.
Academic is for degrees and professional registration. General Training is for migration and some work visas. IELTS for UKVI is the same test taken at a centre approved by the UK government, and some UK visas insist on it.
PTE Academic is for study, and for Australian and New Zealand visas. PTE Academic UKVI is the version for UK visas. PTE Core is a separate test made for Canadian immigration.
TOEFL iBT is the one universities mean. It can be taken at a test centre or as the Home Edition. Check that your university and your visa route both accept the home version.
One test in twelve versions. Writing and Speaking are set for your own profession, such as nursing, medicine, pharmacy or physiotherapy. Book the one that matches your registration.
The General Test is what almost every programme means. Subject Tests in mathematics, physics and psychology are separate, and only a few programmes ask for them.
Goethe-Zertifikat, telc and ÖSD certify a level from A1 to C2, and are what employers and visa offices ask for. TestDaF and DSH are for entry to German-taught degrees.
DELF and DALF are diplomas that do not expire. TCF and TEF are tests valid for two years. For Canada, only TCF Canada and TEF Canada count.
JLPT is held twice a year, in July and December, so plan around the dates. JFT-Basic is taken on computer, held more often, and used for the Specified Skilled Worker visa.
Five steps, in this order. Your mock test scores decide when you book, not the calendar.
A full practice test under exam conditions, before any teaching. It shows your starting score in every section.
We take the score your university or regulator asks for, count back from your deadline, and plan the weeks in between.
Each section in turn: what it tests, how it is marked and how to manage the clock. Your weakest section gets the most time.
Writing and speaking are marked against the test's own published criteria, with comments you can act on in the next attempt.
Complete, timed tests in the real format. When two mocks in a row reach your target, you book the test.
Each band shows when most students are ready to sit the test, counted in months from the first class, with regular study alongside college or work.
These are usual ranges for a student who starts with good school-level English. Add a month if you may need a retake, and more if you are starting a language from the alphabet.
Most students who miss their score are not short of English or maths. They have fallen into one of these six habits.
Practising only the section you already like
The diagnostic sets the order of work. Your lowest section gets the first and the longest slot each week.
Doing test after test without marking them
Every practice piece is marked, and then you rewrite it. One corrected essay teaches more than three new ones.
Memorising model answers
Examiners and scoring software are trained to spot them, and they cost marks. We teach a structure you can adapt to any question.
Running out of time
Timed work begins in the first week, one section at a time, so that pace is a habit before the mock tests start.
Booking a date to force yourself to study
A date set too early usually means paying the fee twice. Book when your mock scores are steady at the target.
Watching only the overall score
Many universities and most regulators set a minimum for each section. We track every section, every week.
Test preparation at Revamp Consultancy is part of your application, handled by the same team, so the two never pull in different directions.
Talk to a counsellorNot always. Many universities issue a conditional offer and wait for your score. The visa stage usually needs it, so plan to have your result before you pay a deposit.
Sometimes. Many universities accept another test, such as TOEFL, PTE or Duolingo, and some waive the test if your earlier education was in English. The visa office may still ask for a test, so check both before you rely on a waiver.
None is easier for everyone. They measure the same ability in different ways. IELTS has a live interview, PTE and TOEFL are spoken into a microphone, and Duolingo is taken at home. First check which ones your university accepts, then choose the format that suits you. A diagnostic test helps you decide.
English test scores are valid for two years, and GRE and GMAT scores for five. German, DELF, DALF and JLPT certificates do not expire, though offices often ask for one issued recently.
For an English test, two to three months before you need the score. For the GRE, GMAT or SAT, four to six months. For German, French or Japanese from the beginning, about a year. The timeline above shows the usual ranges.
You do, on the test owner's official website, with your own passport details. The test fee goes directly to the test owner and is separate from any coaching fee. We show you how to book, and check the version, date and centre before you pay.
Almost all are now on computer. TOEFL, PTE, Duolingo, GRE, GMAT and SAT are computer-only, and IELTS in India moved to computer delivery during 2026. OET offers both. Goethe, DELF and JLPT exams are still mostly on paper.
No, and nobody honestly can. We can tell you your starting level, how far it is from your target, and what it will take to close the gap.
Important: Test formats, fees, dates and score scales are set by the organisations that own each test, and the scores required are set by each university, employer, regulator and visa office. All of these change. The information on this page is a general guide. Confirm the current details on the test's official website and with the institution concerned before you book. Test names are trademarks of their respective owners, who are not connected with this page and do not endorse it. Revamp Consultancy provides counselling and preparation guidance and does not guarantee test scores, admissions, job offers or visas.
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