SKY Inc. - TOEFL

What is TOEFL ?

Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) measures the ability of non-native speakers of English to use and understand North American English as it is spoken, written and heard in college and university settings. TOEFL test is required for admission at colleges and universities where the medium of instruction is English.
TOEFL scores are accepted by over 8,500 colleges, universities and agencies in more than 130 countries, including Australia, Canada, UK and the US. Apart from the academic purposes, many government agencies, scholarship programs, and certification agencies use
TOEFL scores to evaluate English proficiency.
TOEFL test is conducted round the year and has more than 50 test dates per year. There are around 4,500 TOEFL test centres
in 165 countries. You can retake the test as many times as you wish, but to take a re-test you have to wait for a 3 - day period after attempting the first test.
The TOEFL test is developed and administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS), which sets the questions, conducts the test, and sends each examinee the score report.

INSTITUTES ACCEPTING TOEFL

Universities/institutes across the world recognize TOEFL scores as part of their admission criteria.

For Australian and UK visa requirements, immigration departments use them to issue residential and work visas. A lot of medical and licensing agencies the world over use TOEFL scores for professional certification purposes. Some individuals also use them to measure their progress in learning English. Universities including the likes of Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Oxford, and Cambridge, all accept TOEFL scores.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The TOEFL exam is open for all and there are no specific eligibility criteria. The only minimum requirement is that a candidate should have passed 10+2 level of a recognised examination board. The respective institutes may have a different eligibility criteria but the TOEFL has no specific criteria of selection.

ETS launches TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition Test

TOEFL at Home: In response to the current pandemic COVID-19, ETS the conducting body of the TOEFL test has decided to launch the TOEFL iBT® Special Home Edition test for locations where TOEFL iBT is available for the convenience of students wanting to study abroad.

ETS resumes TOEFL paper-delivered test

ETS in their efforts to make the TOEFL exam more accessible to candidates looking to appear for the TOEFL test has resumed the TOEFL paper-delivered test, December 11 onwards. The TOEFL paper-delivered test will be offered twice a month and candidates can apply up to two days before test day. The price of the TOEFL paper-delivered test is at par with the other formats of the TOEFL exam and is priced at US$190.

HOW TO REGISTER

The candidates have the liberty of taking the exam anytime in the year as per their convenience. The important thing to note is that the candidates can reschedule their next attempt only after 31 days of taking the first attempt. A candidate is only allowed five attempts in one year.

Online – You need to visit website and create an online profile. Then you’ll be required to pay the exam fee. Online registration on the ETS website is the fastest and easiest method. Through the online method, you can register anytime and on any day. Be sure to spell your name exactly as it appears on the identification you will bring on the test day, which for Indian students is their Passport. You will be required to pay with a credit/debit card.

The application fee for TOEFL is $190, which would roughly translate to INR 15,500

TEST CENTRES

The TOEFL iBT Exam is held on all days of the month except on weekends and designated holidays. Candidates can appear multiple times for the exam, however, there should be a gap of three days between two tests.

ADMIT CARD

The registration number you receive will act like a kind of admit card. Registration number is on your Registration Confirmation. Go to your online profile a day before the test. You will need to print the Registration Confirmation and bring it along to the test centre.

TEST PATTERN & FORMAT

The TOEFL test provides scores in four skill areas — Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing — along with the total score.

The total score is the sum of the scores of the four skill areas. Scores will be posted online approximately 10 days after the test date. ETS will send up to four official score reports directly to the institutions the student selects.

TOEFL SCORING

For TOEFL, both human raters and automated scoring methods are used. This is done in order to offer a complete and accurate picture of the candidate’s ability. While automated scoring method has the advantage of being unbiased, it does not measure the effectiveness of the language and content. Human raters are required to attend to a wider variety of features, such as the quality of ideas and content as well as form.

Here is how section-wise scoring is done:

Reading: 0 – 30 Listening: 0 – 30 Speaking: 0 – 30 Writing: 0 – 30

The Reading section is scored by the computer and the score range is from 0 to 30. This section has 36–56 tasks based on reading passages from texts and answering questions.
The Listening section is scored by computer with a score range from 0 to 30. This section has 11 tasks based on listening to lectures, classroom discussions and conversations, then answering questions.
In the Speaking section, all six tasks are rated from 0 to 4. The sum is converted to a scaled score of 0 to 30. This section is scored by human scorers, and they rate responses and evaluate how well you develop your topic argument and deliver your message in English.
The Writing section is scored by evaluating the integrated writing task for development, grammar, vocabulary, accuracy and completeness. Human raters score tests anonymously. Two tasks are rated from 0 to 5. The sum is converted to a scaled score of 0 to 30.

TOEFL RESULT

Once you are done with your test, you need not wait much for the TOEFL results. Test takers can view their unofficial Reading and Listening scores at the end of the test. When your official scores are declared online, you will receive an email intimation about it. Log in to your TOEFL iBT account and click on the scores option. The official TOEFL iBT score will be made available to you in approximately six days from the test date. Your scores are valid for two years and can be sent to other higher education institutions during that time.

TOEFL SYLLABUS

Reading Comprehension Section

In this section, the candidate will be required to read 3-5 passages and answer 12-14 questions on each passage.
The section is scored based on the number of correct reading comprehension responses.

Question type:

3–4 passages, 10 questions each

Total no. of questions: About 40

Total time: 54-72 minutes

Listening Section

In this section, you will hear short conversations as well as long conversations.
After the short conversation, you will be asked one question and multiple choices of answers will be given. You have to choose one answer.
In long conversations, you will be asked multiple questions based on the conversation.

Question type:

3–4 lectures (3-5 minutes long, about 500-800 words), 6 questions each; About 30 questions in total
2–3 conversations (about 3 minutes long, about 12-25 exchanges), 5 questions each; About 12 questions in total

Total no. of questions: 40+

Total time: 41–57 minutes

Speaking Section

For you to earn the highest scores in the Speaking Section, your responses must fulfil the demands of the task given with only minor mistakes or lapses. The test graders are looking for a highly intelligible and sustained conversation. There are three main factors that comprise scoring for the section.

Speaking Questions covered in TOEFL Syllabus:

1 independent task (prep time: 15 sec; response time: 45 sec)
3 integrated tasks – Read/Listen/Speak (prep time: 30 sec; response time: 60 sec)

Total no. of questions: 4

Total time: 17 minutes

Writing Section

The essay should effectively address a topic. The response should be well-organized and well- developed using relevant explanations and detailed support. Furthermore, it should also display unity, progression, and coherence. If you want to achieve a high writing score, make sure that you demonstrate the syntactic variety and appropriate word choice with minor grammatical errors.

Writing Questions Covered in TOEFL Syllabus:

1 integrated task – Read/Listen/Write (20 minutes) (reading time: 3 min; listening time: 2 min; writing: 15 min)
1 independent task (30 minutes)

Total no. of questions: 2

Total time: 50 minutes

Q: Can I take the TOEFL iBT on any device?

A: No. The TOEFL test at home can only be taken on a desktop computer or a laptop with a Windows operating system. It cannot be taken on any device which uses an iOS operating system.

Q: Can I take the TOEFL iBT anywhere I like?

A: No, you have to take the test sitting at a table in a quiet, well-lit room where nobody else is present. You cannot take this test from an internet cafe, a library or any other public space. You will also need to be sitting in a standard chair (no bean bags or couches allowed)!

Q: Can I still take notes?

A: Yes, you absolutely can. However, you will need a little whiteboard and an erasable marker or you’re allowed to use a little laminated piece of blank paper along with an erasable marker. At the end of the test, you will be asked to erase all notes taken during the test.

Q: Can I use a headset while taking the test at home?

A: No, you will need to use internal or external speakers and a microphone for security reasons.

Q: Anything else I should know for the TOEFL test at home?

A: You and your computer screen will be constantly monitored by the proctor throughout the test. The proctor has the authority to invalidate your test if they suspect use of unauthorised materials like a mobile phone or pre-written notes. So be careful and don’t try to cheat!

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Q: Can I take the TOEFL iBT on any device?

Q: Can I take the TOEFL iBT anywhere I like?

Q: Can I still take notes?

Q: Can I use a headset while taking the test at home?

Q: Anything else I should know for the TOEFL test at home?

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