Introduction to TOEFL:Test of English as a foreign language

27 August, 2010

TOEFL stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language. It is administered by the world’s largest non-profit educational testing and measurement organization: ETS- Educational Testing Service. It assesses the proficiency of English language of a person in an academic setting. Various institutions, scholarship programs require this test as a trusted and valid indicator of a person’s ability to communicate in English.

TOEFL is available in CBT-Computer based Technology, PBT-Paper based Technology and iBT-Internet based Test formats to assess the proficiency of English Language. iBT TOEFL is a four hours test comprises of sections namely Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. In areas where internet based test is not available, a paper-based test (PBT) is given. PBT is a 3 hours long test comprises of four sections: Listening, Structure and Written Expression, Reading Comprehension and Writing.

Taking TOEFL test open many doors to get admission in foreign universities, more than 7500 colleges, universities and agencies in more than 130 countries rely on TOEFL test scores to check proficiency for English Language. It is very convenient to take this test and it is available in 165 countries world wide.

It measures your academic skills that whether you are ready to study or train at under graduate or post graduate level in foreign universities or not. In the test candidates are provided with a passage from text books and questions based on lecture, and you can be ask to speak or write in response related to that passage.

As the test composed of 100 % academic questions, so many universities consider it the most appropriate test, while taking any admission. To take TOEFL test you should:

-Improve your writing skills;

-Improve your vocabulary;

-Practice other reading passages on the TOEFL Test;

-Be familiar with the format of the test;

-Practice for listening test on the TOEFL test.

To take admission in World’s famous Harvard University, the minimum TOEFL score required is 587 on the paper-based test, 240 on the computer-based test, or 94-95 on the Internet-based TOEFL