What is TOEFL?

A Standardized Test, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) assesses the English Proficiency of
people, whose native language does not happen to be English. It tests the ability to understand North American
English. Most Educational Institutes in the US and Canada (approximately 2400) ask applicants for their TOEFL
Scores. Institutes in other countries, where the mode and language of instruction is English, also use TOEFL.
Since October 2000, the TOEFL has been a Computer-based Test in India.
Computer Based TOEFL
The Computer Based TOEFL is disparate from most other customary examinations. The Examination is entirely a
Computer-based Test, and no two students get an identical set of questions. Also, students cannot skip-over
questions. The test is scored on a maximum of 300. The TOEFL only assesses a candidate's proficiency in the
English language, a high score on it alone cannot guarantee admission into a School - the test is only one of the
major factors taken into consideration in the long process of an applicant getting admitted into a school he/she
desires. However it is mandatory, and we cannot underrate its importance.

Who Administers the TOEFL?

The US-based "Educational Testing Service"(ETS), develops and administers the TOEFL. ETS is responsible for
setting questions, conducting the test and sending score reports to each examinee. The Indian Agency - "Sylvan
Testing Services Pvt Ltd," is appointed by ETS to administer the TOEFL at the 9 centers named below Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, and
Trivandrum.

Frequency of the TOEFL

The Computer Based TOEFL is held all year round. Applicants can choose their preferred date to appear for the
TOEFL, in any of the above-mentioned nine Centers on any weekday (Monday to Friday). Tests are administered
twice a day. The peak time being September through December, applicants have to take heed to registering early,
in order to get a choice date. The Test is of roughly four hours. Registering three days in advance is mandatory,
unless the time is peak-time(September - December), when candidates have to ensure that they register 90 days
in advance, in order to get a choice date.

Eligibility and Fees

Anybody can appear for the TOEFL, as there are no restrictions on applicant age or
qualifications. The validity period of TOEFL Scores is two years.
Test Fees for TOEFL in India is US $ 140 , payable at the time of registration. The fees are to be

paid through a US Dollar denominated draft, favoring "ETS - GRE" payable in the US. Such drafts are freely
available with the Main Branches of most Banks (that have a foreign exchange counter) - the Banks charge a
nominal charge of Rs 200. The payment can also be made through a globally accepted credit card, which may not
even belong to the applicant.
It is of prime importance that the name on the registration form should be exactly similar to the name mentioned
on the candidate's passport, or he/she may not be permitted to take the test. Candidates are advised to attach a
photocopy of their Passport along with their form in order to avoid any faulty registration.

What is a Computer-Adaptive Test?

In the TOEFL Computer-Adaptive Test, one question is displayed at a time. The questions are selected from a
large pool of questions, categorized by content and difficulty. The first question is, at all times of medium
complexity; each ensuing question is determined by the test-taker's responses to preceding questions. Thus the

CAT "adapts" or adjusts itself to the test-taker's aptitude - it is rare for a test-taker to find questions that are too
easy or too intricate.
The TOEFL - CAT is a multiple-choice response test. Four answer options are provided for each question, and the
test-taker has to click on the one he/she thinks is the best response. Test-takers cannot skip-over any question,
as the next question is displayed only after the preceding one is answered. Also, test-takers cannot revert to a
previously responded question to change the answer. Hence, if a candidate guesses a correct answer or gives an
incorrect response by slip-up, his/her answers to resultant questions would lead to questions that are at the
appropriate level of difficulty for the candidate.
However, in one section of the TOEFL, candidates are allowed to go back to the preceding questions.
There are some questions in the TOEFL that have special directions that appear in a box under the question. For
instance, there are some questions that have two answers and candidates are required to make more than two
selections.

Content and Format of the TOEFL

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 the candidate feel comfortable with the infrastructure and the environment and
does not have a prescribed time limit. The candidate is expected to be through with it in 40 minutes or so: it
makes sense for the candidate to acclimatize himself fully with the setting even after he thinks he has understood
how the system works.

Reporting the Score

ETS reports candidates' TOEFL scores to a maximum of four Universities of their choice, the cot of which is built
into the TOEFL fee. The candidate has to ensure that he selects these four universities that will receive copies of
his score report BEFORE he begins to take the Test. Reporting to each additional University costs the candidate an
additional charge of $ 13, payable by an international Credit Card or a Dollar Denominated Draft.

The Scoring Pattern in TOEFL - CAT

There are four Scores that constitute the TOEFL results:
A total score (0 - 300)
A Separate Score for the Listening Section (0 - 30)
A Separate Score for the Reading Section (0- 30)
The total Score is reported on a scale from 0 - 300
The Essay Score is individually rated (0 - 6) - However it is incorporated into the Structure/Writing Scaled Score

with the rating of essay comprising one half of the Structure/Writing Scaled score. A candidate immediately
comes to know his Listening and Reading Section Scores right after taking his exam. A candidate's
Structure/Writing Scores are also shown as Score Ranges, since his essay would not have yet been read and
appraised. A candidate's final score will be within the range shown on the screen after he completes his Test. The
appraisal of essays takes between 2 - 4 weeks - thus a candidate's Official TOEFL Score Reports, including the
Writing Scores, are mailed approximately two to four weeks after he takes the test, and it takes around ten days
more to reach the candidate's specified address.