Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
Nearly all international students whose native language is not English need to provide a TOEFL® score as proof of English proficiency for university study. In fact, a TOEFL score is accepted at over 9,000 colleges and universities in over 130 countries, including nearly every top university in the U.S., Canada and Australia. Most international students take the TOEFL test in addition to another admissions test such as the GMAT, GRE, MCAT, SAT or ACT. The TOEFL test measures receptive and expressive skills equally: half of the total score on the test is based on reading and listening abilities (how well students receive and understand English) and the other half is based on speaking and writing abilities (how well students express themselves). The exam, which recently transitioned to an Internet-based format, is approximately 3 to 4 hours long. Your TOEFL score is valid for two years.
To qualify for admission to most international colleges/universities and for a student visa at some Embassies, you may be required to prove your ability to effectively understand and communicate in the Standard English language. So to prove this you will need to visit an ETS-Authorized TOEFL testing center to book your TOEFL exam before admission to college or university level.
The TOEFL iBT test measures a candidate’s ability to use and understand English at the college/university level. And it evaluates how well the candidate combines listening, reading, speaking and writing skills to perform academic tasks.
TOEFL – What is this test about and why should you take it?
Universities want to ensure that students joining are able to communicate in English and as a way to evaluate non-native English speakers; the TOEFL Exam is used as a benchmark. This exams tests students’ ability to speak, listen, read, and write English. The TOEFL used to have two formats – the TOEFL iBT (Internet Based Test) and the TOEFL PBT (Paper Based Test). The Paper based
version of the exam was discontinued as of July 2017.
What is the scoring system on the TOEFL iBT?
The TOEFL iBT score ranges from 0 – 120. Each section (Writing, Speaking, Reading, and Listening) is graded independently and each section has a score ranging from 0 – 30. To find the overall (or composite) score, the four individual scores are added together to generate your score from 0 – 120.