TOEFL, or Test of English as a Foreign Language, is a standardized international proficiency exam. It measures the English language skills of people whose native language is not English. It is designed for students who want to enroll in universities in countries where English is the language of education and communication. In this content you can find answers to questions such as the dates and fees of the TOEFL exam. You can also contact Dream Uni Overseas University Counseling.
More than 11,500 educational institutions in over 160 countries accept the TOEFL. Alongside other exams like IELTS and Cambridge Assessment English, it is one of the most widely recognized English proficiency exams worldwide.
The Educational Testing Service (ETS), a non-profit organization, develops and administers the TOEFL exam. A national council of representatives from government and private organizations created it in 1962. The purpose was to address issues related to ensuring the English language proficiency of individuals whose native language was not English. These individuals sought higher education at universities in the United States.
The first TOEFL exam was held in 1964. Over time it gained international validity and became a proficiency exam accepted by many educational institutions and organizations in many different countries.
The exam is divided into two: TOEFL iBT, the computer-based exam, and TOEFL PBT, the written exam. Today the TOEFL iBT, taken digitally on a computer, is the more popular one. In countries where computer technology is not sufficient, you can also take it on paper.
Universities in the United States, France, and Germany, along with graduate programs in Canada, mostly prefer the TOEFL as the English proficiency exam. Compared with other English proficiency exams, universities in the United States, Canada, Germany, and France receive more TOEFL score reports.
More than 35 million students around the world take the TOEFL to show their English language skills. According to a study on the exam, 90% of the students who take it can get into their 1st or 2nd choice university.
The TOEFL iBT exam evaluates test participants' 4 language skills in English: reading, listening, speaking and writing. It is administered in three different formats:
- TOEFL iBT Test: You take it on a computer at an authorized TOEFL iBT test center.
- TOEFL iBT Home Edition: Test takers sit the exam in their own homes, with a proctor present.
- TOEFL iBT Paper Edition: Reading, Listening and Writing are held in two sessions: at an authorized testing center, and the Speaking test at home on a computer.
Structure of the TOEFL iBT Exam
The TOEFL iBT Exam consists of 4 parts: Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. Test participants are asked to use skills that combine these 4 communication skills in English. For instance:
- Reading, listening and then speaking in response to a question.
- Listening and then speaking in response to a question.
- Reading, listening and then writing in response to a question.
