Its official! After months of speculating whether or not a standardized test would be implemented, NASSCOM announced that the official test would be given on November 18, 2006.

The standardized test would be based from the Test of English as a Foreign language and the U.S. Graduate Record Examinations. It aims to measure the following skills:
a. verbal reasoning
b. quantitative reasoning
c. critical thinking
d. analytical writing skills

People who have passed the said test would be considered as people who have the "basic skills" required to work in the outsourcing industry. I think that this kind of method in assessing applicants is a good way to ensure that the outsourcing industry would be able to employ quality and skilled workers.