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TOEFL Test Information
Test Of English A
Foreign Language is a Standardized test that evaluates the English Proficiency
of people whose native language is not English. Nearly 2400 education institutes
in the United States and Canada require TOEFL® scores from each applicant. The
test is also used by institutions in other countries where English is the
language of Instruction. The TOEFL tests the ability to understand North
American English.
Computer
Based TOEFL test
The test is designed in such a way that it would be unlike any other test you
would have taken at school or college. First, the test has no question paper or
answer sheets, nor does it have the same set of questions for all the examinees.
Further, it does not give you the option of not answering a question (unless, of
course, you run out of time at the end). All this because the TOEFL test is now
an entirely Computer based test - the keyboard and mouse do the work of a pen or
pencil. The test is scored out of 300, and most scores fall in the range of
200-250.
The TOEFL test is
only to test your English proficiency. A high score alone does not translate
into an admission offer from a great school. But the test is mandatory and
cannot be overlooked.
The TOEFL test is
developed and administered by the US-based "Educational Testing
Service" (ETS). This implies that ETS sets the questions, conducts the
test, and sends each examinee the score report. For the conduct of the test, ETS
has appointed Testing Agencies in various countries, which act as franchisee for
ETS.
Computer based TOEFL
test is held all-round-the-year. Unlike other exams, you can choose your own
date and time for taking the TOEFL test! The test is administered in the above
cities five-days-a-week (Monday through Friday), twice-a-day. September to
December is the high season for TOEFL test, so in case you intend to take the
test during this period, you need to register very early (say 90 days in
advance) to get a date of your choice. Otherwise, registering at least three
days in advance is mandatory. The test lasts roughly four hours.
Anyone and everyone
is eligible for taking the TOEFL test - there are no restrictions based on age
or qualifications. The test scores are valid for two years, i.e., most
universities accept scores up to two years old.
| Test Fee/Service |
Amount |
| TOEFL Computer-Based Test (CBT) |
US$140 (includes 1 examinee
score record and 4 score recipients) |
| TOEFL Paper-Based Test (PBT) |
US$140 (includes 1 examinee
score record and 4 score recipients) |
| Additional Score Report
Requests |
US$17 (per recipient) |
| Rescheduling Fee (CBT only) |
US$40 |
| Essay/TWE Rescoring |
US$50 |
| TOEFL Paper Answer Sheet
Rescoring |
US$25 |
| Reinstatement of Canceled
Scores (CBT only) |
US$20 |
| Fee for Returned Check or
Declined Credit Card |
US$20 |
Fees are subject to
change without notice. In India, this fee is US $130, payable at the time of
registration.
The fees has to be
paid through a US Dollar denominated draft, made out in favour of "ETS -
TOEFL" payable in the U.S. Such a draft is usually available with the Main
Branches of most banks (which have a foreign exchange counter) in most of the
big cities for a nominal charge (around Rs. 200).
Alternately, the
payment can also be made through a credit card which has global acceptance. The
credit card need not necessarily be yours - you can get your father to sign for
you!
Important:
The name on the registration form should be exactly the same as in your passport
or you may not be allowed to test. It is advisable to attach the photocopy of
the Passport with the application form to avoid any faulty registration.
What is a
Computer-Adaptive Test?
In a
computer-adaptive test, the computer screen displays one question at a time,
which is chosen from a very large pool of questions categorized by content and
difficulty. The first question is always of a medium difficulty, and each
subsequent question is determined by your responses to all the previous
questions. In other words, the CAT adjusts itself to your ability level -
you’ll get few questions that are either too easy or too difficult for you.
The number of questions you get also depends on your previous answers.
In one section of
TOEFL test, you are allowed to go back to the previous questions.
Most questions in the
TOEFL CAT has four answer options, and you are required to select one of these
four as the correct answer by clicking on it. A subsequent question is displayed
on the screen only after you have answered the previous question, so you cannot
skip a question. You cannot also go back to a previously answered question to
change your answer. Thus, if you guess a correct answer or answer a question
incorrectly by mistake, your answers to subsequent questions will lead you back
to questions that are at the appropriate level of difficulty for you.
Some questions may
have special directions which appear in a box under the question. Like some
questions may have two answers and some may require you to make more than two
selections.
The test has four
sections : Listening, Structure, Reading and Writing.
The number of
questions and the time allocated to each question may vary. Therefore, one
student may get 35 questions in Listening section while another may get 45. But,
the additional questions are for research purposes only and the scores
of all test takers are based on the same number of questions.
The following table
gives out the format of the TOEFL-CAT :
|
|
Questions
|
Timing
|
|
Computer
Tutorial
|
NA
|
NA
|
|
Listening
Section
|
30
- 50 questions
|
40
- 60 min.
|
|
Structure
Section
|
20
- 25 questions
|
15
- 20 min.
|
|
Reading
Section
|
44
- 60 questions
|
70
- 90 min.
|
| Writing
Section |
1
Essay |
30
min. |
|
Total
|
94
- 135 question + 1 Essay
|
4
hrs. (approx.)
|
The tutorial is meant
to make you feel comfortable with the infrastructure and the environment and
does not have a prescribed time limit. You are expected to be through with it in
40 minutes or so : it makes sense to acclimatize yourself fully with the setting
even after you think you have understood how the system works.
ETS has the provision
of reporting your TOEFL scores to a maximum of four universities of your choice,
the cost of which is built into the TOEFL fee you pay. But the catch is : you
have to select these four universities which will receive copies of your score
report BEFORE you begin to take the test. This implies that
even before taking the TOEFL test, you need to do some homework on which
universities you’re finally going to apply, based on the score that you expect
to attain. For reporting to each additional university, the ETS charges you $15,
payable by an international credit card or a dollar denominated draft.
The TOEFL results
comprise four different scores : a total score (0-300), a separate score for
Listening section (0-30), a separate score for Structure/Writing section (0-30)
and a separate score for Reading section (0-30). The total score is
reported on a scale from 0 to 300.
Note that your Essay
score will individually be rated (0-6). However the essay score is
incorporated into the Structure/Writing scaled score with the rating of
essay constituting approximately one half of the Structure/Writing scaled score.
You get to know your Listening and Reading section scores immediately after
taking the test. You will also see your Structure/Writing scores as score ranges
because your essay will not yet have been read and rated. Your final score will
be within the range shown on the screen after you finish the test. As the
evaluation of essays take about 2 to 4 weeks, your Official TOEFL score reports,
which include the Writing scores, are mailed approximately two to four weeks
after you take the test and take another ten days or so to reach your address.
If you would like to
reschedule your exam or need to cancel you must contact us before 12:00 PM,
THREE BUSINESS days prior to your exam date. You will receive a
partial refund of US $ 65 on request when cancelling before the deadline. There
is a US $ 40 fee to reschedule the exam.
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You are required
to bring your valid passport on the day of your exam. This is
mandatory.
-
Secons signature
bearing identification, i.e., Driving License, Notarised identification.
-
Confirmation
letter or Number
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