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If you live in the United States or another English majority speaking country, it’s quite possible you’ve never heard of the TOEFL. It stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language. However, if English wasn’t your first language, you may have to take it to attend a college in another country. Here are the basics of the TOEFL and how, if you’re a non-native English speaker, you can take it:
All About the TOEFL
The TOEFL is a standardized test mainly for non-native English speakers who wish to study in countries where the primary language is English. It’s accepted as the standard by 9,000 colleges, agencies, and universities and in over 130 countries, which include the United States, Canada, and Australia.
While the TOEFL is perfect for students who are studying abroad, it is used for a number of reasons. Others take it to track their learning progress, to apply for scholarships, or to apply for visas. Since its introduction in the 1960’s, over 30 million people worldwide have taken the exam.
What Does It Test For?
The test is perfect for testing your overall understanding of English on a university level. This includes its usage as well as your listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills. It will require test takers to show their ability to combine all the skills together. For example, answering a question by reading, listening, and speaking or by reading, listening, and writing.
The TOEFL also includes accents in the test to help determine if test takers can understand them. This includes American accents but also ones from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and others.
There are plenty of ways for students and others to study for the exam. ETS, the non profit administrators of the TOEFL, provides materials right on their website. These include English skill building resources, practice exams, speaking series, prep courses, and official guides.
How Do You Take The Test?
Taking the test is extremely accessible to students as there are over 50 test dates every year and exams in nearly every country. Most countries provide the TOEFL iBT, which is the Internet-based Test. This replaced the paper and computer based tests in most countries in 2005. While the paper-based test is still available in select areas, the computer based exam is no longer an option.
Registration can be done online through ETS’s website, by phone, or by mail. Fees are collected, but the exact amount depends on your country and test location. Late, rescheduling, and review fees may also apply depending on your situation and registration date. To avoid the late fee, registration should take place about a week before the sculled test date.
Students should also have identification readily available when signing up and again when going to their test. It has to exactly match the information provided.
The TOEFL provides a great way for non-native English speakers to apply and register for the school of their dreams, even if it is located outside of their home country. Students interested in taking the exam should make sure to check out the ETS website for full information regarding registration, test dates, and test locations.
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