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The
Test Of English as a Foreign
Language (TOEFL)
Test Of English as a Foreign
Language (TOEFL) evaluates the potential
success of an individual to use and understand
Standard AMERICAN English
at a college level. It is required for non-native applicants at
many English-speaking
colleges and universities.
TOEFL score is valid for 2
years, and then is deleted from the official database. The
TOEFL is administered worldwide by
Educational Testing Service
(ETS).
Note: Candidate can
give exam either Paper Based or CBT (Computer Based
TOEFL) Paper-Based TOEFL
Internet-based
Since its introduction in late 2005, the
Internet-based test (iBT) has progressively replaced both the computer-based (CBT)
and paper-based (PBT) tests. The iBT has been introduced in phases, with the
United States, Canada, France, Germany, and SINGAPORE in 2005 and the rest of the
world in 2006, with test centers added regularly.
The demand for test seats remains very
high even after almost a year after the introduction of the test: Candidates
have to wait for months since short-term test dates are fully booked. The
four-hour test consists of four sections, each measuring mainly one of the basic
language skills (although some tasks may require multiple skills) and focusing
on language used in an academic, higher-education environment. Note-taking is
allowed during the iBT.
1. Reading
After each academic reading passage (out of 3–5), questions are posed about
content, intent of the author, and ideas inferred from the passage. New types of
questions in the iBT require paraphrasing, filling out tables, or completing
summaries. Generally prior knowledge of the subject under discussion is not
necessary to come to the correct answer, though a priori knowledge may help.
2. Listening
Questions refer to the content and intent of the phrases, as well as to the
speakers' attitude and meaning, either in short conversations or in lectures.
3. Speaking
New to the iBT, this section contains questions relating to personal experiences
or preferences, as well as tasks that also involve reading passages and
listening to short conversations and lectures. Test takers are expected to
convey information, explain ideas, and defend opinions clearly, coherently, and
accurately.
4. Writing
One task requires test takers to defend a position relative to a specified
general topic. In the other task, a reading passage and a lecture are presented,
and test takers must answer a question relating the main points of both the
passage and the lecture.
Computer-based
The computer-based test (CBT) was abolished on September 30, 2006. It was
divided into four sections, measuring language proficiency in listening,
structure (grammar), reading and writing. Note-taking was not allowed.
1. Listening
Comprehension (45–70 minutes)
* Type of Questions: «Conversations between two or more people in academic
environments. Short conversations between students and lectures may be possible
conversations.» Questions were basically of the who said what type.
2. Structure (grammar)
(15–20 minutes)
* Type of Questions: «Identify the erroneous word(s) in the sentence. Fill in
the blanks using the appropriate word.»
3. Reading Comprehension
and Vocabulary (70-90 minutes)
* Type of Question: Questions were posed about content, intent of the author,
and ideas inferred from each of the 3–4 passages given.
4. Essay Writing (30
minutes)
* Type of Question: «Write an essay on a given general topic and take a position
toward it, e.g., "Is stem cell research necessary? Explain your stance."»
The Listening and Structure sections were computer-adaptive, meaning that the
difficulty level of each question depended on the correctness of previous
responses.
Three sub scores were obtained, each of which were given on a 0–30 scale:
Listening, Structure/Writing (combined), and Reading. These sub scores were
averaged to obtain the final score, which was on a 0–300 scale. The Writing
score was reported separately, on a 0–6 scale.
Paper-based
In areas where the iBT and CBT are not available, a paper-based test (PBT) is
given. The PBT tests essentially the same skills as the CBT, albeit with some
differences, noticeably the number of questions (which is higher in the PBT) and
the score scales. The final PBT score ranges between 310 and 677 and is based on
three subscores: Listening (31–68), Structure (31–68), and Reading (31–67).
Unlike the CBT, the score of the Writing section (referred to as the Test of
Written English, TWE) is not part of the final score; instead, it is reported
separately on a scale of 0–6. |
