TOE - What?
TOEFL stands for Test of English as Foreign Language and is used to measure one's English language proficiency. The test was developed by the ETS (Education Testing Services) and is currently used by more then 5,000 academic institutions in 90 countries world wide. If English is not your native language, schools are most likely to ask for your most recent TOEFL score so they can properly determine if you have the academic and language background necessary for your program of study. There are, of course, exceptions. If you are a non-native English speaker, but have spent the last 5 years studying at an institution where English is the main language of instruction, you are likely to be except from the TOEFL testing. Make sure to check the admissions requirements of your chosen school.
Over the decades the delivery format of the TOEFL test have changes. Originally the test was delivered of paper, and referred to as the Paper Based Test (PBT). Until late 2006 there was also a Comptuer Based Test (CBT), however this option is no longer available as it has been replaced by the Internet Based Test (iBT). The iBT is now the most common form of TOEFL, however in places where the iBT is not available, the PBT is offered.
You may
take the retake the TOEFL as many times as you would like, however
never more then once in any seven day period. For example, if you
take the test on July 1, 2008, you must wait until July 8, 2008,
otherwise your score will not be considered valid. As mentioned
above, schools only consider your most recent score.
The Breakdown:
Although this lesson offers a breakdown of the PBT and iBT, future TOEFL lessons will focus specifically on the iBT, as that is the most common form of testing.
Paper-Based
Test
The PBT lasts approximately 4 hours
and covers 4 sections.
Listening
Time alloted: 30-40 minutes
This section has 3 subsections: 30 questions about short
conversations; 8 questions about medium-length conversations; 12
questions about long lectures and talks.
In this section you are required to listen to a passage and then
answer questions based on what you have heard.
You are allowed to make notes, however these notes will be
collected from you and shredded when the test is
completed.
Structure and Written Expression
Time alloted: 25 minutes
This section has contains 40 questions: 15 involved completing
sentences correctly; 25 involved properly identifying grammatical
and structural errors.
Reading Comprehension
Time alloted: 55 minutes
This section contains a number of passages that you must read
followed by 50 questions you must answer based on what you have
read. These passages contain non-technical
writing.
Writing
Time alloted: 30 minutes
In this section you will be given 1 topic that you must write an
short essay on (250-300 words, approximately).
Scoring the
PBT
The score you will receive from your test is not a true reflection of how many questions you answered correctly. Due to the fact that some of the TOEFL tests and sections are more difficult then others the final score you received is based on a conversation of the percentage you received on your listening, structure and written expression, and reading sections. These three sections combine to give you a final score that will fall within the range of 310 to 677. The written (essay) section of the test receives a separate score that is rated from 0-6.
Internet Based Test
This
test is approximately 4 hours long. It covers 4 sections. There
is a mandatory 10 minute break between the listening and speaking
sections of the test.
Reading
Time alloted: 60-100 minutes
In this section you read 3-5 passages of assorted length and answer
12-14 questions on each passage.
Listening
Time alloted: 60 - 90 minutes
This section has 2 subsections. First,
listen to 2-3 short conversations and answer 5 questions on each
conversation. Second, listen to 4-6 lectures
and answers 6 questions on each lecture. Two
of these lectures will include student comments.
Notes can be taken in this section but will be taken from
you and shredded at the end of the test.
Speaking
Time alloted: 20 minutes
This sections as two subsections. First, you
will be asked to speak about 2 separate familiar experiences.
Second, you will read and/or listen to two
passages that you will then be summarize.
Writing
Time alloted: section 1, 20 minutes; section 2, 30 minutes
This section has two subsections. First, you
will be asked write an essay based on a reading and/or listening
passage. Second, you
will be asked to write an essay based on a single
prompt.
Scoring the iBT
Each section of the iBT TOEFL test is given a score from 0-30, then
the 4 sections are combined to give you a total score that will
range from 0-120. The new format of scoring
on the IBT allows test takers to see which areas they are strong in
and which areas they need to improve their skills in.
Post Comments
chandra_avinash said – Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:46:04 -0000 ( Flag Edit Link )
While speaking clarity differs, it is possible to work on communication so that people can understand without any problems what one is trying to communicate.
As an example – consider the speaking clarity by BBC’s newsreaders – people in Europe, UK, India, Australia and America can understand them. They tend to use “accent neutral” English.