“TOEFL stands for ‘ Test of English as a Foreign Language’.That’s fine but what is the test based on! What are its merits! Who can give this test and more questions may have arisen in your mind. Then this is a perfect article to get full information regarding TOEFL Exam.”
Basically, a TOEFL Exam is a test that is conducted to get admission in English speaking country. The purpose of this test is to measure your English skills and it helps to determine how well you can use English in academics. The scores obtained at TOEFL Exam are used to get admission to many universities. This test is especially given by those students who want to study abroad.
And it is given by also those students who want to have mastery in English. The language used in TOEFL Exam tests is formal, academic language, and higher-level vocabulary than casual language.
Purpose of TOEFL Exam
As a student if you want to get admission abroad where the primary language is English, then giving the TOEFL test helps you to get more opportunities as compared to others. If you have more scores in TOEFL then you will be preferred more as compared to others who didn’t give the test. In application, if you have more scores in TOEFL then it would have a greater impact on you than on others. Who should apply for TOEFL Exam:
- Students want to study abroad especially in English-speaking countries.
- Students who want to have mastery of the English language.
- Students who want to be certified in that field.
TOEFL Exam vs TOEIC
TOEFL is not the only test to get admission abroad; there are some other tests too. As a student, TOEFL is the best test for students to get admission. But if you are applying for a work visa, the TOEFL is not the right choice. In that case TOEIC ( Test of English for International Communication).
Eligibility Criteria
TOEFL – IBT and TOEFL -PBT is open to all. In order to take the TOEFL test you need to pass (10+2) . Score which is obtained in TOEFL is valid for 2 years. The TOEFL test can be given as many times as you want.
TOEFL Types
There are two types of TOEFL test:
- TOEFL IBT
- TOEFL PBT
TOEFL IBT
Nearly 97% of the exams are internet-based. In which exams are conducted on the computer in the center.
TOEFL PBT
Nearly 3 % of the exams are paper-based. It doesn’t test the speaking skill of students. And it is used where internet facility is not available.
The test has four sections and will typically take a total of 4.5 hours to complete. These four sections are: reading, listening, speaking, writing
Each section is scored out of 30. These section scores are then added together for a final, total score of 120 points.
SECTION 1: READING:
The TOEFL reading section is completely multiple choice. Each reading section will have three or four written passages with 12-14 questions for each passage. (Typically, tests with three written passages will have more questions per passage than tests with four written passages.) Reading passages can be on any academic topic, including science, history, or literature.
SECTION 2: LISTENING:
The TOEFL listening section is also completely multiple choice. Each listening section will include four to six lectures with six questions each and two or three conversations with five questions each.
SECTION 3: SPEAKING :
The TOEFL speaking section is a little more complicated than the reading or listening section. But, luckily, each speaking section will always follow the same pattern, so you can prepare yourself for it.
In the speaking section, you will get six speaking prompts, or “tasks.” The first two tasks will be independent and ask you to talk about your own thoughts and experiences. The final four tasks will be integrated tasks, where you must answer questions based on a given conversation or piece of text.
Let’s break down each speaking task one-by-one :
- Independent Speaking Tasks:
Task 1 :
Will ask about your interests or your thoughts on a particular topic.
Task 2:
Will ask you to give your opinion and choose between two given options.
- Integrated Speaking Tasks:
Task 3 :
Asks you to read a short text and then listen to a dialogue between two speakers discussing that same topic (usually, them agreeing or disagreeing about parts of the article). You’ll then summarize what the speaker’s opinions are and compare that to the text.
Task 4 :
Gives you two lectures on the same topic–one spoken and one written. You’ll then summarize the information from each lecture or answer a more specific question.
Task 5 :
Have you listened to a conversation between two people who are discussing a problem with two possible solutions? You’ll then summarize the content and give your opinion (no text to read). (Note that Task 5 is often the most difficult listening task because you must discuss three things: what the student said, the student’s suggested solutions to a problem, and what solution you prefer and why.)
Task 6 :
Asks you to listen to a monologue and then summarize or answer a more specific question about the information (no text to read).
SECTION 4: WRITING :
There are two parts to the TOEFL writing section: one integrated task and one independent task.
1.Integrated Writing Task :
For this section, you must both read a short passage and listen to a lecture. You will then respond to/summarize the discussion.
2.Independent Writing Task :
For this section, you’ll usually be asked to choose between two options and give your reasons and examples of why you chose the way you did.
Key Highlights
Exam name | TOEFL |
TOEFL full form | Test if English as a Foreign Language |
Conducting body | ETS |
Widely popular as | English Language Proficiency Test |
Generally accepted by | Universities in the USA and Canada |
Mode of exam | Internet-based and paper-based |
Score range | Reading 0-30
Listening 0-30 Speaking 0-30 Writing 0-30 |