Can someone explain to me what Cambridge ESOL exams are?

You would need to look at the admissions requirements of each school you would like to apply to, and find out what they are for non-native English speakers. Generally, US universities do require some type of test of English as a foreign language.

It is a test taken usually twice a year that comprises of 5 parts:
1. Reading comprehension: you are given various texts and then have to answer multiple-choice questions (on a separate sheet)
2. Composition: depending on the level, it could be a letter or essay or story. You have to write 2 different compositions. Pretty tough.
3. Use of English: various grammar questions depending on level. You have to fill in the gap with the correct word, or change the syntax of a sentence and keep the same meaning, and so on. It’s fun if you’re really good at english, but a nightmare if you’re not.
4. Listening comprehension: you listen to a CD of 3–4 recordings and have to answer questions based on what you heard. Generally easy if you’ve practiced with native speakers before. Except for part 2 in CAE, you get to hear the recordings twice, so you can check your answers.
5. Oral examination: You speak directly with the examiner. It used to be 2 students at a time, but I think this year they’ve changed it to 1 on 1. Not sure. Fairly easy though, the examiners are very nice and as long as you can keep talking, they’re not strict about mistakes.

Now, there are various levels for this exam, including KET and PET, but the useful ones are:

First Certificate (FCE) which corresponds to EU level B2 (are you in Europe?)
CAE which corresponds to C1
CPE (Proficiency) which corresponds to C2

Alternatively, you could apply for the Michigan test. Now the exams are far easier per level (except for the vocabulary section) but there’s a catch, or rather two catches:
1. The passing grade for Cambridge is 12/20 (so 60%) whereas for Michigan it’s 65%
2. If you fail one of the papers in Michigan you fail the whole exam, whereas Cambridge calculates the average and rounds up the result. The questions themselves are tougher though so I’d say if your english is good go for Cambridge and if it’s not and you just want a long shot, go for Michigan.

Alternatively if you lifve within the EU you could take the local EU exams (each state prepares them separately). The exams are held in the local language (ie the explanations to the questions if you take them in Spain would be in Spanish, but the exam itself measures your level of English). These exams are the easiest of all, but I doubt MIT or Princeton would accept them.

There are also other options such as IELTS, TOEFL or other exams that might be accepted in certain cases (London etc).

@Jack79 Did you took this?

A couple of those yes. Also for German. But I know all about this because I teach and prepare students for these particular exams. I can tell you anything you want about them actually. Which country are you in and what is your native language? And have you thought about what you want to study specifically (or even which uni)?

I’m from Romania and I speak romanian and I want to study physics particulary astrophysics

Ok, so I’m not sure about the Council of Europe exams there, because Romania just joined the EU recently. If you can find the Romanian ministry of education website, there should be information there about these exams. They are called something like “state exams to prove knowledge of English/German etc” whatever the Romanian translation is. They are accepted everywhere and are typically much easier than ESOL.

If Romania doesn’t have them yet, you could try either Cambridge or Michigan, as I explained earlier. If you have been going to a private language school, they probably have all the local info (exam dates etc) and can enroll you as their student, otherwise you can of course enter on your own.

The next exams will be in early December (for both institutions) so the deadline is now (usually end of September) and you’d better hurry.

I do not know which universities are best at astrophysics, so I can’t help you there. But I’m pretty sure they’ll accept all three certificates I mentioned (most unis around the world do). Some may also accept others, but I wouldn’t risk it unless you know where you are going beforehand.

Do you already have one of these, eg FCE? How good is your English? Getting a C2 will make your life much easier, not just in finding a university. But of course it’s not that simple, so maybe you should start with a B2 or C1. Would you like me to send you a test so you can see your level?

yes,I’d really like to send me a test to see my level(I couldn’t find any on internet) ,thank you very much,you really helped me a lot.