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. 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.
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.
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 theListening 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. 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 the TOEFL 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. 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.
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 the TOEFL 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. 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.
-
Writing Section of TOEFL
In the Writing Section of TOEFL you have to compose an essay based on one
single assigned topic. Your essay should include such elements as original
thought, analysis, examples, evidence and organization in English. You can
choose between composing your essay at a computer or using the traditional
hand-written format. Because computer-adaptive testing is not possible on
the paper-based TOEFL test (PBT), the PBT has three question difficulty
levels. Thirty percent of PBT TOEFL test questions are categorized as
easy, forty percent are medium and thirty percent are difficult. At the
beginning of each section you will find easy-level questions which are followed
by medium-level questions and difficult questions at the end.