Country edition: USA Beta
USA · Exams

Every U.S. exam, by stage

From grade 3 state tests to the SAT, ACT, AP, GED, English tests and the ASVAB, then graduate admission tests (GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT) and licensing exams (USMLE, NCLEX and more). Each exam page gives who takes it, the format, scoring, fees and fee waivers, this cycle's dates and official practice, copied from the exam owner's own pages.

Exam pages35Plus all 42 AP subjects
Stages9Grade 3 to licensing
SourcesExam ownersCollege Board, ACT, ETS, AAMC, NCSBN …
Checked21 Oct 2026
College admission tests Do colleges require tests?

Grades 3–8: state tests and national samples

Federal law makes every state test reading or language arts and math in each of grades 3 through 8 and once in grades 9 through 12, and science once in grades 3–5, 6–9 and 10–12. Each state writes or picks its own test; NAEP samples students to compare states.

20 U.S.C. 6311
20 U.S.C. § 6311(b)(2)(B)(v): state academic assessments, grades testedU.S. Code (Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by ESSA)
Checked
21 Oct 2026

uscode.house.gov did not render the section for our browser; the statute text was read on Cornell LII's copy of the U.S. Code.

View source

Each state picks its own test; the state pages give its name, grades and what the scores are used for.

Grades 8–11: practice and scholarship tests

Taken at school, usually on a school day. They preview the SAT or ACT, and the PSAT/NMSQT in grade 11 is the entry to the National Merit Scholarship Program.

College admission and college credit

Admission tests (SAT, ACT, CLT) and exams that can earn college credit or placement (AP, IB, CLEP). Each college sets its own rules.

High school equivalency

No diploma? A passing score on the GED or HiSET earns a state high school equivalency credential. Your state decides which test it offers.

English proficiency

For students whose first language is not English. Each college sets which tests and scores it accepts.

Military and career readiness

The ASVAB decides military enlistment and job placement (and is also given in high schools for career exploration); WorkKeys certifies workplace skills.

Graduate and professional school

Admission tests taken near the end of a bachelor's degree, for graduate, business, law, medical, dental and optometry school. Each school decides which tests it accepts.

Licensing exams

National exams that a state board requires before it grants a license. Passing is one step: the license itself always comes from the state board.

Government jobs

Federal jobs hire through USAJOBS assessments; police, fire and state civil service have their own exams.

Sources

Where these facts come from

Official and primary sources only, each checked on the date shown. Rules on testing, aid, licensing and immigration change, so confirm a detail with its source before you rely on it.