International Students Should Know How to Prepare for TOEFL

More than a million international students take the TOEFL test to pass the English proficiency level required for enrolling in t American colleges or universities. 

Depending on their scores, they secure in the Test of English as Foreign Language also abbreviated as TOEFL. They can either land at their college of interest if they score high or limit their options if they score lower than expected.

TOEFL test has administered since 1965 via Education Testing Service as an assessment of English language proficiency for students coming from different areas of the world where English is not their native language. The test started as paper-based, and with technology evolved, it transferred to computer-based since 1998.

There are two versions of TOEFL; the common one is the internet-based, also called TOEFL iBT, and the other is a paper-based test. Most countries have both versions.

TOEFL has four parts: reading, writing, listening, and speaking, consisting of 30 points each. The reading and listening sections are automatically scored while speaking, and writing is scored by humans.

The required score of TOEFL is different in different colleges and universities. Some universities set the bar as high as 100, whereas some set the score for selection as low as 45. The standard of the score lights the focus on internationalization if the students score low, some universities still enrol students with the condition that they will take the English courses to learn proper English.

A good score shows the competency of the student with regard to English and reflects on how he is going to perform in the courses he takes.

Many test services prepare students for TOEFL, such as Magoosh and Kaplan. ETA itself also provides free and paid TOEFL practice materials on its website. The students can take practice tests to see where they stand and how much they need to improve to pass the test with high colours.

Students can register themselves via the ETA website. The website directs them to the nearest test centre, and once they register, they can log in to their account. It takes place 50 times a year around the world at different test centres. The TOEFL exam’s cost varies with countries. It costs as low as $180 and as high as $205. 

The time to take the test is three hours. Fifty minutes for writing, 17 minutes for speaking, 54 to 72 minutes for reading, and 41 to 57 minutes for listening with a 30-minute break. Once you take the test, the result was announced after two weeks. The users can log in to their accounts to see their results. TOEFL scores are valid for two years. The test can be taken in unlimited times but only once per every 12 days.

The iBT TOEFL is less fatigue than the paper-based test. There is a new feature called MyBest scores, which allows the students to their best marks in various sections across the multiple exams. This will make the students analyze how much they have improved, or they still are in the process of learning.