An applicant should create a separate test-requirement record for each U.S. college or university and copy the relevant wording from that institution’s admissions or testing materials. Each record should separate confirmed information from unanswered questions and preserve the exact test name, any stated result condition or deadline, the source, and the date checked. EducationUSA says undergraduate testing policies vary by institution and U.S. application requirements can differ greatly, so a requirement recorded for one application should not be carried over to another.
What Should Each Record Contain?
| Field | Recording rule |
|---|---|
| Institution and application | Enter the full institution name and identify the specific application being planned. |
| Test requirement | Copy the exact test name and requirement wording. If the materials do not identify a test, write “not stated” rather than “none.” |
| Research status | Mark each item as confirmed, not stated, or unclear. These are recordkeeping labels, not representations of the institution’s official policy categories. |
| Score or result condition | Copy any score or result condition explicitly stated by the institution; do not estimate or infer one. |
| Testing and application deadlines | Record each stated deadline separately and preserve its original wording. If no deadline is provided, mark it “not stated.” |
| Source and date checked | Record the page or document title, its address, and the date checked. |
| Unresolved points | List every remaining question that requires confirmation from the institution. |
How Should the Requirement Be Checked?
The applicant should begin with admissions or testing instructions published for that particular institution, rather than with a general testing guide. Exact wording matters because EducationUSA specifically advises confirming which tests are required with the college or university to which the application will be sent.
The applicant should then compare the testing statement with the relevant application information. Missing, ambiguous, or conflicting information should remain visibly unresolved in the record. It should not be completed using an answer intended for another institution or another applicant.
Before treating the record as complete, the applicant should recheck the institution-specific materials and document any unanswered question. EducationUSA’s guidance supports direct confirmation with the relevant college or university when the required test or tests are not clear.
What Must Still Be Confirmed?
The cited statements establish that requirements vary between institutions; they do not supply a test name, score threshold, testing deadline, application deadline, fee, or refund term for any named institution. Those details cannot be inferred from the variation guidance and must remain unconfirmed until institution-specific evidence provides them.
In particular, “not stated” does not mean “not required.” A complete record therefore contains either source-backed wording for each field or a clearly marked unresolved question with a next confirmation step.