The earliest evidence of standardized testing based on merit comes from China during the Han dynasty. The concept of a state ruled by men of ability and virtue was an outgrowth of Confucian philosophy. The imperial examinations covered the so-called Six Arts which included music, archery and horsemanship, arithmetic, writing, and knowledge of the rituals and ceremonies of both public and private parts. Later, the five studies were added to the testing (military strategies, civil law, revenue and taxation, agriculture and geography).
The first large-scale use of the IQ test in the US was during the World War I (circa 1914-18). The Educational Testing Service (ETS) established in 1948 is the world's largest private educational testing and measurement organization, operating on an annual budget of approximately $900 million.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1994 requires standardized testing in public schools. US Public Law 107-110, known as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 further ties public school funding to standardized testing.
The USA educational system judges the academic qualification of applicants on their test results of standardized tests, standardized college and graduate-school entrance tests:
ACT - American College Test
DAT - Dental Admission Test
GRE - Graduate Record Examination, for graduate school
GMAT - Graduate Management Admission Test for business school
HSPT - High School Placement Test for entrance into High School
IELTS - International English Language Testing System
LSAT - Law School Admission Test for law school
MAT - Miller Analogies Test
MCAT - Medical College Admission Test
MOAT - for medical school,
PCAT - Pharmacy College Admission Test
PSAT/NMSQT - Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test
SAT - Scholastic Aptitude Test, developed in 1926 for college
SSAT - Secondary School Admission Test for preparatory school
TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language
TOEIC - Test of English for International Communication
TSE - Test of Spoken English
TWE - Test of Written English