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TOEFL— |
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Test
of English as a Foreign Language |
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The
purpose of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is to measure
the examinee's ability to read and understand North American English.
The test includes four sections: listening comprehension, structure
and written expression, reading comprehension, and an essay. |
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More
than 2,300 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada
require their applicants who are not native speakers of English to take
the TOEFL. In addition, many other institutions, government agencies,
and scholarship programs use TOEFL scores. In some countries the TOEFL
is used to assess a person's knowledge of English for job purposes within
that country. Students must contact the institutions or programs that
interest them to find out if they require the TOEFL. |
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With
regard to scoring, a score of 600 or more is considered excellent and
a score of 400 or less is weak. The highest possible score anyone can
get is 677. Some universities require a score of 550 or higher for entrance.
Other schools may allow you in with a score of 450 or 500. In some schools
students are required to take classes in English if their score is below
a certain point. Students must contact the institutions or programs
that interest them to find out if they require a particular score. |
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The
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) measures the ability of
nonnative speakers of English to use and understand North American English
as it is used in college and university settings. Scores on the test
are required by more than 4,300 two- and four-year colleges and universities,
professional schools, and sponsoring institutions. |
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The
test is offered on computer throughout most regions of the world. In
areas where access to computer-based testing is limited, a supplemental
paper-and-pencil version of the test is administered. |
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Computer
Based TOEFL |
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The
test is designed in such a way that it would be unlike any other test
you would have taken at school or college. First, the test has no question
paper or answer sheets, nor does it have the same set of questions for
all the examinees. Further, it does not give you the option of not answering
a question (unless, of course, you run out of time at the end). All
this because the TOEFL is now an entirely Computer based test - the
keyboard and mouse do the work of a pen or pencil. The test is scored
out of 300, and most scores fall in the range of 500-600. |
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The
TOEFL is only to test your English proficiency. A high score alone does
not translate into an admission offer from a great school. But the test
is mandatory and cannot be overlooked. |
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Who
administers the TOEFL? |
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The
TOEFL is developed and administered by the US-based "Educational
Testing Service" (ETS). This implies that ETS sets the questions,
conducts the test, and sends each examinee the score report. For the
conduct of the test, ETS has appointed Testing Agencies in various countries,
which act as franchisee for ETS. In India, this agency is the "Sylvan
Testing Services Pvt Ltd" which administers the test at 9 centres
in the country: Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Chennai,
Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Trivandrum. |
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When
is the TOEFL held? |
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Computer
based TOEFL is held all-round-the-year. Unlike other exams, you can
choose your own date and time for taking the TOEFL! The test is administered
in the above cities five-days-a-week (Monday through Friday), twice-a-day.
September to December is the high season for TOEFL, so in case you intend
to take the test during this period, you need to register very early
(say 90 days in advance) to get a date of your choice. Otherwise, registering
at least three days in advance is mandatory. The test lasts roughly
four hours. |
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Eligibility
and Fees |
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Anyone
and everyone is eligible for taking the TOEFL - there are no restrictions
based on age or qualifications. The test scores are valid for two years,
i.e., most universities accept scores up to two years old. |
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Test
fees for TOEFL may vary according to the country in which you take the
test. In India, this fee is US $110 (approx Rs. 5060), payable at the
time of registration. You cannot pay in Indian Rupees. The fees has
to be paid through a US Dollar denominated draft, made out in favour
of "ETS - TOEFL" payable in the U.S. Such a draft is usually
available with the Main Branches of most banks (which have a foreign
exchange counter) in most of the big cities for a nominal charge (around
Rs. 200). Alternately, the payment can also be made through a credit
card which has global acceptance. The credit card need not necessarily
be yours - you can get your father to sign for you! |
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Content
and Format of the TOEFL |
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The
test has four sections : Listening, Structure, Reading and Writing. |
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The
number of questions and the time allocated to each question may vary.
Therefore, one student may get 35 questions in Listening section while
another may get 45. But, the additional questions are for research purposes
only and the scores of all test takers are based on the same number
of questions. |
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Reporting
the Scores |
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ETS
has the provision of reporting your TOEFL scores to a maximum of four
universities of your choice, the cost of which is built into the TOEFL
fee you pay. But the catch is : you have to select these four universities
which will receive copies of your score report BEFORE you begin to take
the test. This implies that even before taking the TOEFL, you need to
do some homework on which universities you’re finally going to
apply, based on the score that you expect to attain. For reporting to
each additional university, the ETS charges you $11 (approx. Rs. 506),
payable by an international credit card or a dollar denominated draft. |
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