The term TOEFL is an acronym, which means that each letter stands for something. In this case, TOEFL stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language.
It is created by an organization called ETS (Educational Testing
Service), a professional test development organization, based in the
USA.
The TOEFL is an English proficiency test for non-native speakers of English.
It measures a person’s ability to read, write, speak and understand
English used in college or university. This means it concentrates on
the formal academic English used in lectures as well as the informal
English used in normal campus life by students, professors and other
college or university employees.
Most people take the
TOEFL to get admission into colleges and universities where English is
used or required. Some people take the TOEFL to fulfill the
requirements of a government department, licensing board, certification
agency, or scholarship program. In fact, today more than 6000 colleges,
universities, and licensing agencies in 110 countries accept TOEFL
scores.
Some career-minded students take the exam to
improve their professional prospects by demonstrating their English
language proficiency to future employers in their home countries.
Although
the TOEFL may seem like a difficult exam, preparing for it actually
helps you to improve your English in very powerful ways. That's because
studying at an English university is challenging – you have
to do lots of reading, complete many written assignments, papers, and
projects, and also deliver oral presentations. So all of the skills tested on the TOEFL iBT are real skills which you will need.
If
you keep that perspective in mind, it will help you feel more positive
about the whole experience and appreciate that these very skills will
be essential for you in university and later, on the job.
The TOEFL iBT is the newest version of the older TOEFL test. It stands for TOEFL Internet-based Test,
because this exam is delivered completely over the Internet in secure
testing centres worldwide. You work only on a computer and do not need
to meet or talk to a live examiner.
Some other terms you might also have heard are:
TOEFL CBt which stands for computer-based test
TOEFL PBt which stands for paper-based test.
These tests were used in the past, but today ETS is phasing out the
other tests and replacing them with the TOEFL iBT in most countries.
The TOEFL iBT differs from previous TOEFL exams in four important ways:
First, the new TOEFL includes integrated as well as independent
questions. The exam covers all four language skills – reading,
listening, speaking and writing. However, in the past, these four
sections were each tested independently. The new TOEFL test combines
the skill areas to ask integrated questions. For example, in the
writing section, test takers will have to read, listen, and then write
a short essay in response to a question. In the speaking section, they
must read, listen, and give a 60-second oral response to a question.
These integrated tasks are new features of the TOEFL iBT and are meant
to reflect how English speakers really use the language.
It is thus important to note that
you cannot study for the TOEFL iBT using the old TOEFL textbooks. Ideally, you should purchase at least one of the new TOEFL iBT textbooks --
Delta
,
Barron's
,
Longman
,
ETS
, or
Cambridge
-- and have access to the others.
Second, test takers now have to complete two writing responses, one of which is an integrated task. This demands additional academic skills such as notetaking, outlining, and summarizing in English.
Third, students are allowed to take notes at any time during the test.
Fourth, the TOEFL iBT has no separate grammar section, as in the past. However, grammar is tested indirectly through the writing and speaking sections of the test.
These are just a few of the critical points you need to be aware of to do well on the TOEFL iBT.
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