TOEFL stands for Test Of English as a Foreign Language. The TOEFL was introduced in the 1960ies by ETS — Educational Testing Services. Now, almost 800,000 people take the TOEFL exam every year worldwide.
You probably know that a growing number of universities and colleges offer courses and academic study programs in English so if you want to enrol in one of them you must have a good command of the English language. This is where the TOEFLcomes into play. It is the most widely used academic English proficiency test in the world. Thousands of colleges and universities use the TOEFL to test and evaluate the English language competency of their students and academic personnel.
In addition, many government agencies, sponsoring institutions and other authorities require TOEFL scores.
The TOEFL test measures English language proficiency in these three disciplines: reading, listening and writing. In most regions of the world you can take the TOEFL on a computer (CBT: Computer-Based Test) somewhere near your home. In areas with limited access to computer-based testing facilities you can take a paper-and-pencil version of the test.
What Is TOEFL?
The TOEFL is the product of the Educational Testing Service (ETS). TOEFL, pronounced "toe-full", evaluates the potential success of an individual to use and understand standard American English at a college level.
TOEFL is required for non-native applicants at many US and other English-speaking colleges and universities. It is a standardized test of English for academic purposes, and is commonly used in university programs as a benchmark of proficiency in English for entrance requirements.
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is widely used by colleges and universities, scholarship agencies, and professional licensing organizations to assess English language proficiency.
Four skills are tested in TOEFL: Listening, Structure, Reading, and Writing. In the near future, Speaking will be added and Structure dispensed with. The test itself takes approximately four hours including the (required) computer tutorial.
Why TOEFL?
The main reason behind TOEFL is that you can complete your Education in English successfully.The TOEFL is now only available as a computer-adaptive test.
Universities in America, Eruope and Australia require international students whose mother tongue is not English to complete an English proficiency test called the TOEFL (Test Of English as a Foreign Language) to determine if they can function in an English teaching environment.
Taking the TOEFL is a necessary step for any non US or Canadian educated student who wants to study at a American or Eruopean university. It is also increasingly required from other educational institutions throughout the world, as well as a desired or mandatory job qualification.
This is how TOEFL works:
Instead of having a pre-determined mixture of easy, medium, and hard questions, the computer will select questions for you based on how well you are doing.
The first question will be of medium difficulty; if you get it right, the second question will be selected from a large group of questions that are a little harder; if you get the first question wrong, the second will be a little easier. The result is that the test automatically adjusts to your skill level. But the Reading Comprehension is not computer adaptive. The Tough questions have more credit than easier ones.
• TOEFL score is valid for two years.
• You can take TOEFL once in a month.
• 213(CBT) is equivalent to 550(Paper based) and 250 to 600.
• TOEFL may not be required by students of those countries whose native language is English.
Formats and Sections Of TOEFL
The paper-based TOEFL (PBT) test consists of three sections, similar to the first three sections of the computer-based TOEFL test. The TOEFL PBT contains only multiple-choice questions.
Listening Section of TOEFL
The Listening Section of TOEFL test is made up of three parts. In the first part you will hear short conversations usually containing two sentences which are followed by a single question. In the second part you will hear a longer dialogue between two people. After the dialogue you will hear four of five questions. Each of those questions is followed by four answers (A, B, C and D). Only one of those four answers is correct. You have to select the correct answer.
In the final part of the Listening Section you will hear longer pieces of spoken communication such as lectures, radio talks, TV announcements or other broadcasts. Each of those talks lasts between one to two minutes and it is delivered by a single speaker. After every piece of information you have listened to, you must answer four to five questions.
Most of the questions in the Listening Section use the traditional multiple-choice format, this means you have to choose the correct answer out of three or more options. However, some questions involve visual elements you have to recognize and somtimes two out of four possible answers are correct. There are also some questions that require you to re-arrange or match objects, phrases or words.
Structure Section of TOEFL
In the Structure Section of TOEFL you have to demonstrate your knowledge and skills in vocabulary, grammar and proper usage of standard North American written English. You will have to recognize vocabulary items of an academic nature, this means, there will be subjects related to science, the arts, literature, culture and history. To answer the questions correctly it will be sufficient if you have an average level of knowledge of those subjects
You will find two types of questions in the Structure Section of the TOEFL test. The first question type is a sentence containing a gap. You must select a word or phrase that fills in the gap appropriately.
The second question type can be called "Errors in Sentences". Those questions consist of complete sentences with four separate underlined words. You must select which of the four underlinded words or word combinations contains an error in grammar or usage.
Reading Section of TOEFL
In the Reading Section of TOEFL you will find short passages similar to the sort of texts used for academic purposes in the US, Canada or other internationally recognized universities. For example there will be texts about the arts, literature, biography of important people, science and scientific research as well as history related to North America. Even if you know a lot about any of the subjects covered in the Reading Section of TOEFL test, it will not necessarily be to your advantage in answering the questions correctly because theTOEFL measures your English language proficiency rather than your knowledge of a specific area. After all, you take the TOEFL test before you actually start your study program at university.
So, your success on the TOEFL Reading Section depends on how well you understand the text passages and the attached questions. The Reading Section tests and evaluates your comprehension of main ideas and vocabulary as well as your ability to identify important facts and inferences. As is the case with the Listening Section the Reading Section too uses the traditional multiple-choice format. In addition there are also a number of computer-specific questions that either require you to match a particular word, phrase or paragraph from the text with a definition or to insert a sentence in the text where it is most appropriate.
Argumen :
Test of Home abbreviated as a Foreign Language TOEFL is a test of English language proficiency (an American accent) who is required to register go to college (college) or university in the United States or other countries in the world. This exam is required for applicants whose native language or the speaker is not English. TOEFL exam is organized by the office of ETS (Educational Testing Service) in the United States to test all participants throughout the world.
reference :
http://learningforex4world.blogspot.com/2010/09/test-of-english-as-foreign-language.html
http://www.4englishexams.com/english-test/toefl/what-is-toefl.htm
http://www.4englishexams.com/english-test/toefl/why-toefl.htm
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