One of the key requirements for gaining admission to any educational institute in Canada is an English Language Test score.

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Canada has Designated Learning Institutes (DLI) which include Colleges, Universities and other institutes that are allowed to accept International Students.  Each DLI is allowed by the government to set their own admission criteria. 

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Language skills is one of the criteria that institutes use in addition to the applicant's transcripts, professional background, motivation letter and academic and professional recommendations.

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If you are looking to apply for admission to a Canadian institute, below are some of the testing options which are accepted by the DLI's.

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1.  CAEL

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The Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) test is operated by Paragon Testing Enterprises. It is accepted by over 180 universities and colleges across Canada, including all English-speaking universities and 82 per cent of English-speaking colleges. This test is currently offered in Chandigarh and Ahmedabad on weekends.  The test results are available within 8 business days.  

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2. CAMBRIDGE ASSESSMENT ENGLISH

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C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency exams offered by Cambridge Assessment English  are accepted by over 200 schools in Canada including nearly all public universities. Test results are available within 2-3 weeks for computer-based tests, and 4-6 weeks for paper-based tests (both of which must be completed at a Cambridge test centre).  The C1 Advanced Test is not available in India but the C2 Proficiency Test is available through British Council across India.

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These exams are generally taken after students have completed English language courses. As such, tests are more in-depth to prepare students to be able to put their English language skills to good use in real-life contexts, including higher education. C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency certificates are valid for life, which means that some institutions in Canada accept results that are older than 2 years. Cambridge is reopening its global test centres as local regulations allow and advises students to contact their local test centres for the latest information.

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3. DUOLINGO ENGLISH TEST

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The Duolingo English Test is accepted by almost 140 Canadian post-secondary institutions. It can be completed in just 1 hour and results are available in 2 days. The test is administered online.

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4.  IELTS ACADEMIC

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The IELTS Academic test is operated by three partners: IDP Education, the British Council, and Cambridge Assessment English. This test is accepted by close to 400 Canadian universities and colleges. It is currently available in over 30 countries but is usually administered in more than 140 countries. In India, the test is conducted by the British Council and IDP Education across India.  

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The results are available after 13 days for paper-based tests and within 5-7 days for computer-based tests. In response to the pandemic, the three partners recently introduced the IELTS Indicator as a temporary measure to help international students complete their English test online. IELTS Indicator is taken online from the candidate’s home.

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The IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training (both of which can only be completed in person at an IELTS test centre) are the only English tests approved by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for students that want to fast-track their study permit application.

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Under IRCC’s Student Direct Stream (SDS), residents of India can get their study permit processed within 20 calendar days, so long as they meet certain criteria, including obtaining an overall score of at least 6.0 Band.  (This has been revised with effect from August 2023).

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IRCC accepts both paper-based as well as computer-delivered IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training test results.

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5. PEARSON TEST OF ENGLISH (PTE)

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The Pearson Test of English (PTE) is accepted by 90 per cent of Canada’s universities and colleges. Normally available in over 50 countries, PTE is currently available in over 10 countries, including in many Indian cities.

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Test results are available for most people within 2 days.  Pearson is also offering its Versant test online during the Coronavirus period so that international students can get their English assessed at home. Versant test results are available immediately after the test has been completed.

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6. TOEFL

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The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is accepted by over 400 Canadian universities and colleges including 100 per cent of universities.Results are available within 6 days.

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The TOEFL iBT (“Internet-based Test”) is usually available in over 150 countries but the administrator of the test, Education Testing Service (“ETS”) has had to scale-back operations just like every other tester. Test dates are becoming more available for students in locations around the world in the coming weeks.

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In the meantime, ETS is temporarily offering the TOEFL Special Home Edition iBT to international students in every country where it runs tests except for mainland China and Iran. Results are available after 6-10 days.

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Some of the individual institutions like McGill University and University of Toronto offer their own English Language Tests as well.  Before registering for an English Language Test, students must check with the DLI's that they are applying to  if they accept the particular test.

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