TOEFL
What is TOEFL?
What level of English is needed to prepare for TOEFL? How to prepare?
TOEFL or Cambridge exams?
TOEFL exam peculiarities
What variant of the exam to choose - computer-based or paper-based?
What is the difference between the computer-based and the paper-based test?
What is TOEFL structure?
What is TSE?
TOEFL difficulties
Appointment scheduling for the TOEFL test center
Some test-taking suggestions
Determination of the TOEFL score
WHAT IS TOEFL?
TOEFL, the Test of English as a foreign language, is an international exam
administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS). ETS is a private non-commercial
organization of Princeton, New Jersey. TOEFL is intended to evaluate English
proficiency of international students who want to study in the USA, Canada,
or certain educational institutions in Australia.
TOEFL appeared in 60s and since that time has been the leader among the like
exams. Since 1964 about 20 million students have taken the test in more than
165 countries.
Suffice it to say that nowadays TOEFL is administered by 470 centers in 170
countries. No wonder! TOEFL score are required for the purposes of admission
by more than 2400 colleges and universities of the USA, Canada and some other
countries. It is TOEFL score that is required from the students and graduate
students who have been studying in institutions with another language of instruction
and now want to enter the US universities. Besides, taking this test is needed
for many programs of short-term studies abroad at the institutions with English
language of teaching. Some scientific and professional certification programs
also require applicants to take TOEFL.
The TOEFL certificate is like the international passport. Most people want
to get it as soon as possible, even though they are not going abroad yet. This
test, as well as IELTS (International English Language Testing system), is the
most popular one in Ukraine, that's why we decided to inform the readers about
TOEFL and the problems that may appear while taking it.
TOEFL is a specific exam. Firstly, the exam is on American English, with all
its lexical and grammatical peculiarities. Secondly, TOEFL score has 2-year
validity. In other words, you are to apply for a university not later than 2
years after you took the exam. Moreover, most colleges prefer to have the latest
information on your level of English, that's why the administration can ask
you to submit the TOEFL score taken not more than 4-6 months ago. Thirdly, to
flunk TOEFL is impossible because it's more like attestation than exam - TOEFL
is presented in scores. You need not only to pass the test, but also to get
a certain score level in order to be admitted to a certain college. Therefore,
to pass TOEFL successfully means to get the score required by your college or
university. Every college and university requires a certain score (usually 190-200
for the computer-based test or 520-560 for the paper-based test).
One of the strong points is the mechanism of evaluation that excludes any injustice.
Only Educational Testing Service (ETS) has the right to determine the score.
All the tests are graded anonymously, thus there's no possibility of bribery
and any other forms of pressure on "judges".
The "Examinee's Score Records" are sent to the universities by ETS,
so nobody has ever managed to correct 5 into 6 by fraud.
HOW TO PREPARE? What level of English is sufficient to start
preparation for TOEFL?
Taking into consideration that TOEFL is a difficult test indeed, it would be
foolish
(and wasteful, for every attempt costs $110) to try to get a good score without
reaching the Upper Intermediate level at least.
Even if you know all the nuances of the exam, you'll not manage without excellent
knowledge of the language. No matter how diligently you have been studying on
your own, it would be better to attend specialized courses. You should pay your
attention to the following: if you don't know grammar, vocabulary, cannot use
words properly and freely, it's not time yet to sign up for TOEFL preparation
courses as it'll be of no use. Proceeding from experience, we can state that
the Upper-Intermediate level is needed to study with the help of TOEFL preparation
programs. Some courses of foreign languages or private teachers may promise
to prepare you for the exam in three months or less, though your level of English
has hardly reached the Intermediate level. Many people believe in such miracles
and forget that they can't fail the test, one person can get 200 and another
- 600 scores. The administration of the university you apply to or your boss
would sooner approve of the high score. Nowadays many schools of foreign languages
and special training centers offer TOEFL preparation programs, but you are to
be selective when you choose. Employees of a center you'll be speaking on the
phone to, must know firmly the structure of the test, how to resister for it
and use well-known and reliable books
(and not their own) while preparation.
The main object of such courses is to coach you for the test and reanimate the
grammar knowledge that is sleeping in the depths of your memory. Therefore only
learners with proper knowledge of the language (the Upper Intermediate or Advanced
level) are to be admitted to the courses. Besides, courses discipline the learners.
The success of studies depends on the independent work.
The period of preparation depends on your individual abilities. For one person
two months are enough, for the other two years will not suffice. Standard Pre-TOEFL
is planned for 14 weeks.
It's very important to understand that no preparation guide, no courses (even
the most expensive ones) will not help you to escape independent studying.
Miracles don't happen. Teachers of specialized Pre-TOEFL courses advise to
study independently not less than one hour a day.
TOEFL or Cambridge exams?
Taking into consideration TOEFL peculiarities, it becomes clear, what categories
of English language learners it's aimed at. As we've already noted, the test
is intended for those who are going to study in the US and Canadian higher educational
institutions or those employers who require your TOEFL score in order to be
taken on employment. If your objective is to get an internationally accepted
document that proves your knowledge of English, it's better to take Cambridge
exams. Firstly, Cambridge exams are more universal, they are either for the
students who want to study abroad or for the specialists, or simply for those
who want to prove their high level of knowledge. Secondly, Cambridge exams have
unlimited validity.
TOEFL exam peculiarities.
*TOEFL testing system is represented by the multiple choice questions of various
types.
*one and the same test is taken by a great number of applicants ( be it the
computer-based or paper-and-pencil test), but don't even think you'll manage
to cheat!
*the test is checked by the computer, therefore silly mistakes due to the lack
of attention will be equaled to blunders.
*the test has the time limit.
What variant of the exam to choose -
computer-based or paper-based?
The form of the test is being improved all the time, and the questions are
being changed. About 50 US and Canadian specialists are working over it. For
example, as a result of their efforts in 1998 the computer-based test replaced
the paper-based test. They had been preparing it for 5 years, during that time
10 000 people had taken it.
Questions similar to those found in the paper-based test as well as new question
types are included in the test. The computer-based test and the paper-based
test are absolutely equal and don't differ in the main essence, though they
are graded on the basis of different scales. Maximum score of the CBT is 300.
The key criterion for the choice of the test form is the TOEFL center location.
For instance, if you want to take TOEFL in Kyiv, you are not to prepare for
the paper-based test as there you'll be offered to take the CBT only. On the
contrary, in Kharkiv, Lviv, Odessa (Ukrainian cities where you can take TOEFL
as well) only the paper-based test can be taken.
A significant difference between the CBT and the paper-based test is that in
the CBT the tasks must be done only one after another. Until you choose and
confirm the answer, you'll not be able to move on to the next question. Moreover,
it's impossible to change the order of task sections. A certain period of time
is allotted for certain tasks. So be prepared to follow the set order.
What is the difference between the computer-based
and the paper-based test?
The paper-based test has only two types of questions: multiple choice and error
correction. The CBT includes many other types of questions: for instance, choose
two, graphics, matching, ordering, click on a word, click on a sentence, click
on a paragraph and insertion. Familiarizing yourself with the types of questions
that can be found in the CBT and knowing the kinds of skills they are targeted
to examine can make the transition from the familiar paper-and-pencil test
(if you've been preparing for it) to the CBT easier.
It's worth pointing out that the new types of questions are not evenly dispersed
among the CBT. In fact 50% of the test includes familiar types of questions,
namely the Structure section and short passages in the Listening section. It's
in the Reading section that the new types of questions appear.
One of the main distinctive features of the CBT is that the next question is
selected by the program according to the difficulty level depending on your
performance of the previous one. In other words, it is computer-adaptable test
version - you will receive test questions targeted to your performance level.
Let's consider common and distinctive features of the CBT and the paper-based
test in more detail:
"The old familiar questions"
The Structure section in the CBT doesn't differ much from that in the paper-based
TOEFL. The same two types of questions (multiple choice and error correction)
are used. The multiple choice questions are still aimed at examining your knowledge
of the sentence structure, and the error correction questions - for measuring
your ability to find grammar mistakes.
Short passages in the Listening section:
There are two types of the short passages for listening in computer-based TOEFL:
Short Dialogues and Casual Conversations. These two types of questions measure
the same ability as in the paper-based TOEFL.
A variety of new questions
Long passages in the Listening section:
There are two types of long passages for listening: Academic Discussion and
Academic Lectures. In these two types of long passages the new types of questions
in addition to the standard multiple choice questions can be found, namely choose
two, graphic, ordering and matching.
Choose two and graphic questions represent the new way of measuring the passage
details comprehension. Choose two is the multiple choice questions variation,
where two answers are correct and the other two are incorrect. The graphic questions
are also a variant of the multiple choice questions, where the answers to the
questions are given visually, not verbally.
Matching and ordering questions offer the new improved way of measuring general
ideas comprehension and the ability to put them in the right order (after listening
to the long passage). Ordering questions offer to put the ideas of the text
in the chronological order, or to put the steps of a process in consecutive
order. Matching questions may follow passages with classification where each
category is illustrated by an example. This type of question offers to match
the category and the corresponding example.
The Reading section
In the Reading section in addition to the traditional multiple choice questions
a number of new types of questions are present, namely click on a word, click
on a sentence, click on a paragraph, and insertion. The majority of these new
types of questions measure the same language ability as paper-based TOEFL does,
but the insertion questions measure something different.
Click on a word is used to measure knowledge of vocabulary; in the paper-based
test this language skill is examined by the multiple choice questions. For example,
in paper-and-pencil TOEFL four choices are offered to answer the question concerning
the meaning of the word, and in the CBT you are to click on the word with a
certain meaning or referring to a certain pronoun.
Click on a sentence measures ability to find certain information in the given
passage. The paper-based test uses the traditional type of the multiple choice
question, offering to choose the number of the line that contains the right
answer. In the CBT this very ability is measured by offering you to click on
the sentence that contains the answer, instead of choosing among the four lines.
Click on a paragraph measures ability to find a paragraph where a certain topic
or the main idea is discussed. And again, in the paper-and-pencil test this
ability is examined with the help of the traditional multiple choice questions.
In the CBT a topic or the main idea is offered, and you are to click on the
paragraph where this topic or idea is discussed.
An insertion question is a new type of question that offers you to determine
the place in the text where a certain sentence is to be inserted. In this type
of question you must realize the succession of ideas in the text, determine
the type of information in the sentence that is to be inserted and decide where
to insert it. The ability to realize the sequence of ideas in the text and to
decide whether a certain sentence correlates with it is not measured in paper-based
TOEFL.
What is TOEFL structure?
The test consists of four parts, or sections:
1. Listening Comprehension - listening to spoken English. First of all it measures
ability to understand the main idea, important details and to make conclusions
to the given passage. You will both see and hear the questions presented by
the program.
2. Structure and Written Expression. In this section your knowledge of grammar
is measured. The section consists of two types of questions: complete the sentence
and correct the mistake. The first type consists of incomplete sentences. Beneath
each sentence are four answer choices. Your task is to choose the one that best
completes the sentence. The second type of questions has four underlined parts
of sentence. The underlined parts are marked with letters A, B, C and D. You
are to choose the part that must be changed for the sentence to be correct.
Each sentence will have only one part that is to be changed.
3. Reading Comprehension. This section measures ability to understand scientific
texts. But don't be afraid, making a brilliant display of erudition will not
be required, you will only have to grasp the main idea. This section contains
two types of questions: vocabulary and reading comprehension. The first type
of questions has one underlined word or phrase. You will choose the answer that
best keeps the idea of the given sentence. The second type of questions consists
of 5 or 6 passages and questions about them.
4. TWE - Test of Written English. You will choose among 3 given writing topics.
You can either handwrite your essay or type it on the computer, but you will
have to manage without any technical support. Everything depends on your imagination
and knowledge of stylistics, and grammar of course.
What is TSE?
Actually your spoken English proficiency is measured in the Structure section
and Writing section. This was found not enough, that is why an additional section
was introduced - TSE - the Test of Spoken English, it is not obligatory though.
Often it is included in the paper-based TOEFL.
TWE and TSE don't replace, but just supplement the international TOEFL exam.
These tests measure how active your English is. The Test of Spoken English (TSE)
measures your ability to speak English. For this purpose you will be given questions
that require your answers (the questions will be either presented on the paper
or recorded on a tape).
TOEFL difficulties.
Most experts think that the main problems Ukrainian TOEFL-takes face are aroused
by the last section (essay). That's mainly because Russian "verbose"
style doesn't meet TOEFL requirements. Jessica Runy, Percicle ABLE Project teacher
says: "Russians usually write long sentences with lots of commas. Even
if there are a lot of clever ideas, still it will not be what is needed. The
essay is to be written following a certain formula, concretely and briefly.
Examiners are not eager to read 5 pages."
American essay is a very laconic text (about 700 words, i.e. 1.5 pages) with
rigid structure; the composition standard is not to be broken. There exist certain
rules (one paragraph - one idea, each idea must be supported by examples etc.)
that you should know. So make a close study of the essay requirements beforehand
and practice on the most traditional topics listed in the bulletin.
The experts consider Listening to be the most difficult section, as Russian
ear got used to British English. TOEFL is based on American English that differs
from it in pronunciation and even vocabulary. Therefore it is worth listening
to the American news program CNN, for instance, that is included in "NTV
plus" package.
Another successful method is to watch American films without translation. What
is even better is to listen to special cassettes. ELTS TOEFL Preparation Kit
has 215 minutes of tape-recorded dialogues similar to those included in the
exam sections. But to order it by phone will cost you a round sum.
If your level of English is not high enough and your ultimate aim is to pass
TOEFL, we would recommend you to sign up for the courses, where the general
course of spoken English is taught by American teachers. It would be helpful
if you had an opportunity to attend talk clubs in addition to classes in order
to get used to American pronunciation and develop your ability to speak English.
In Reading section the authors of TOEFL like to offer texts on various sciences,
especially biology. According to data collected by Kaplan textbook authors,
40% of topics are on natural and physical sciences, 30% on American history,
15% on biography of great Americans. The remaining 10% are taken from the field
of social sciences, 5% from general scientific sphere. You can get used to the
stylistic peculiarities of such texts while reading American press. We would
advice you to read National Geographic.
APOINTMENT SCHEDULING FOR THE TOEFL TEST CENTER.
In Kyiv there is the only permanent center - IREX; where
CBT (computer-based test) is administered. Its address: 3 Pecherskiy Uzviz str.
Phone: (044)234-05-92.
But! You must register for TOEFL at the regional Registration
Center. For all the former USSR countries the center is in Netherlands. To schedule
an appointment you can call, mail or fax. The test costs $ 110. The preferred
form or payment is a credit card.
It would be helpful to read the official information Bulletin
on http://www.ets.org/toefl/bulletin.html#download
and download it or order a free hard copy from here: http://www.ets.org/toefl/orderbulletin.html
You will be able to take the test only after you are given an appointment confirmation
number and a test date by the Registration Center.
Appointment Scheduling by phone:
To schedule an appointment by phone you will need a credit card for payment.
Call the RRC in Netherlands (tel. 31-26-352-15-77) at least three business days
before you would like to take the test. You will be asked to dictate all the
information from the International Test Schedule Form. (If you call, don`t mail
or fax the International Test Schedule Form, otherwise a test date will be assigned
twice and double payment will be taken off your credit card).
You will be given an appointment confirmation number, a test date, reporting
time, and Test center address. We recommend you to write them down not to forget
this information. You will get instructions about identification documents you
must take to the test center.
Scheduling an appointment by fax:
To schedule an appointment by fax you will need a credit card. Indicate five
test date choices (month and date) in the International Test Schedule Form.
It is desirable that the dates shouldn`t be in close succession, but within
the period not less than a month. Indicate the test center number.
Send the fax to the RRC in Netherlands (tel. 31-26-352-12-78). We recommend
you not to fax twice or to mail ITSF if you already sent the fax.
Otherwise the appointment will be scheduled twice and you will have to pay
double test fee.
The RRC must receive the ITSF and information on payment 7 days prior to your
choice date.
You will be assigned a test date and reporting time based on the information
you provide. If no appointments are available you will be assigned to a date
as close as possible to your choices. If your assigned test date does not meet
your needs, contact RRC within 24 hours by the above mentioned phone numbers
and inform of the receipt of the letter notifying you of your appointment. An
appointment confirmation number, test date reporting time, test center location
and instructions about identification documents will be faxed to you.
If you don`t get an appointment confirmation number, contact RRC or the test
center where you are going to take an exam over the phone at least three business
days prior to your first choice test date to confirm your appointment status.
It is very important, because if you miss your appointment, you will forfeit
your test fee.
Scheduling an appointment by mail:
To schedule an appointment, you will need a credit card for payment. Indicate
five test date choices (month and date) in the International Test Schedule Form.
It is desirable that the dates shouldn`t be in close succession, but within
the period not less than a month. Indicate the test center number.
Mail the form and documents confirming your payment to the RRC:
CITO/Sylvan Learning System B. V.,
P.O. Box 1109
6801 BC Arnhem, the Netherlands
The ITSF and information o payment must be received at least 3 months prior
to the first choice date. You will be assigned a test date and reporting time.
If no appointments are available you will be assigned to a date as close as
possible to your choices. If your assigned test date does not meet your needs,
contact RRC within 24 hours and inform of the receipt of the letter notifying
you of your appointment. An appointment confirmation number, test date reporting
time, test center location and instructions about identification documents will
be faxed to you.
If you don`t get an appointment confirmation number, contact
RRC or the test center where you are going to take an exam over the phone at
least three business days prior to your first choice test date to confirm your
appointment status. It is very important, because if you miss your appointment,
you will forfeit your test fee.
On-line registration:
Recently at official site of TOEFL appeared the opportunity of on-line registration
of passing the test. Using that page one can avoid a headache and save money
not paying for telephone communication and faxes. We advise you to take all
advantages of on-line registration. You can register from here.
To receive information on the paper-based test, scheduling, forms of payment,
test procedure and scores contact TOEFL Service:
P.O. box 6151
Princeton, NJ,
085416151 USA
tel. 1-609-771-71-00 from 8 a.m. till 6 p.m. according to New York time.
Fax: 1-609-771-75-00, e-mail: toefl@ets.org
THE LONG-AWAITED DAY HAS COME (SOME TEST-TAKING SUGGESTIONS)
TOEFL preparation guides recommend to have a good breakfast before the test
and report to the test center at least 30 minutes before the testing session.
Be sure to take along your passport (international is preferable) as you will
not be allowed to enter without it. It would be better to leave at home your
cellular phone, pager, calculator, electronic organizer, because such things
are not permitted in the testing room. You may not eat, drink and smoke.
For chewing a gum you can be driven out of the room.
You will not be able to take the test without your 16-digit number that is
reported while appointment scheduling (if you scheduled by mail, a special paper
is sent). Don`t forget to do your hair as your picture will be taken.
Everyone to whom your score is reported will see this picture. We think it would
be better to say "che-e-e-se" before the camera.
You will be required to write your signature before you enter or leave the
testing room. You will have to spend in there about 3 hours and 20 minutes.
For some people it can be quite a problem, so we recommend to dispose yourself
beforehand.
To activate the program you must enter your number. And … let's start! Everything
will look like the trivial round: you, a computer, headphones with a volume
control knob and a mouse in your trembling hand. Before each section of the
test you will be shown tutorials that will demonstrate what and how to do. You
can read them back and forth - the time will not be counted. The principle of
confirmation allows to change your answer before moving on to the next question
if after more careful reading the question you realize that your answer is incorrect.
What is interesting is that when you take the paper-based test the incorrect
answers will not lower your score. So if you are running out of time, answer
by guess-work! But if you take the computer-based test, the best strategy is
to choose the answer you consider the most correct.
If you are running out of time, it would be better to avoid guessing. Better
leave the question without any answer.
Note taking and putting down questions are not permitted, it is a commercial
secret.
In the first three sections there are four answer choices under the majority
of questions - it is the multiple-choice format. You must choose the correct
answer using a mouse.
If you are at your wit's end, try to eliminate any answer choices that are
obviously incorrect and simply guess which one is correct.
Such a strategy can bring you 25-30 additional scores. The most important thing
is not to fall into extremes: not to spend too much time on a single question
or to click at once on the first answer that seems to be correct.
The characteristic feature of the first two sections is that you will receive
test questions targeted to your performance level: if you answered correctly,
the next question will be of the same difficulty or more difficult; if your
answer is incorrect, the next question will be of the same difficulty or more
simple. Your task is to answer as many difficult questions as possible, that
is why it is worth paying more attention to the first 5-8 questions of each
section (the Reading section is the exclusion: the questions there are given
at random order).
In the Writing section you will have an opportunity to use paper and a pencil
in the old manner, they will be given at your first request. Write in English
at once, otherwise you will not have enough time to compose anything worthwhile.
Nobody will harass you. The testing room is controlled by the video-cameras
and the computers are protected from the unsanctioned access by the passwords.
Your cheating skills will hardly be of any use, do not even try.
DETERMINATION OF THE TOEFL SCORE
The CBT TOEFL is scored automatically. You can view your unofficial score (your
essay will not have been rated) after you complete your test. Your essay score
will be included only in your official score record that will be sent to you
from Princeton in three weeks.
What is interesting is that you can cancel your score! In this case it will
not be sent to any institutions, you will not receive a refund - you'll just
leave the center with dignity. You can either look at your score or cancel it
blindly. If you cancelled your score hastily, you will have an opportunity to
restore it during 60 days. You pay $10 - your score appears again.
The score scale is the following: the maximum score for Listening is 30, the
same for Reading; the total score for Structure and Writing is 30. Your essay
rating counts for approximately half of the Structure/Writing total score. You
also get a separate essay score , its possible range is from 1(miserable) to
6 (fantastic). You can get 0 only in case you composed an essay on another topic,
in another language and in the like clinical cases.
Then your total score is reported to you: it can be from
0 to 300. Your score can be "zero" only if you didn't register or
didn't come to take the test. For those who got used to the old scale, there
exists a special scale to convert the scores. You can find it on TOEFL site
(http://www.toefl.org/concords1.html)
or in the official TOEFL Information Bulletin.
Your official score reports can be sent immediately to 4 institutions of your
choice. One more copy will be sent to you if you indicate it in a special Bulletin.
If you need more copies, you must do the following: fill a special coupon in
the Bulletin, pay $11 (using a credit card only) for each address.
If you want to reschedule a testing appointment, you must contact the RRC no
later than 3 business days before your appointment, or you will not be able
to reschedule it and your test fee will not be refunded.
Remember that you may take the test only once per calendar month, even if you
decided to cancel your scores. If you test more than once in a calendar month,
your new scores will not be reported and your test fee will not be refunded.
We wish you good luck while preparation and taking this difficult universal
international exam!
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