Iranian students will be able to sit English proficiency exams for overseas college applications at ten new test centres soon to roll out in the country's two major cities.

The number of US private high schools using the iTEP’s SLATE exam for admissions has increased by 300% in a year, its owners claim with the test apparently filling a “vacuum” left by the now retired ETS SLEP exam. 135 schools now recognise the SLATE, which is used to assess how international students will integrate in their classes.

The iTEP (International Test of English Proficiency), a relatively new player in the EFL test market, is to deliver 15,000 exams this year with the Saudi Arabian government in a sign of its growing presence in the region.