Why TOEFL Exam

Can you tell me why is it compulsory to clear Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for admission in any top University outside India?

[Kiran Chandar]

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) demonstrates the English communication skills needed to succeed at Universities around the world, including the UK and most European countries, Australia, New Zealand, many Asian countries, the US and Canada. In effect, it opens doors to 6,000+ institutions in 110 countries.

TOEFL is a trademark of the Educational Testing Service (ETS), a private non-profit organization, which designs and administers the tests. ETS issues official score reports, sent independently to institutions, for two years following the test

It is offered in three formats: computer-based, paper-based and now an internet-based test (TOEFL® iBT). The TOEFL iBT consists of four sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing.

TOEFL iBT provides fair, unbiased testing by having multiple raters score writing and speaking responses.

[B]TOEFL Syllabus:-[/B]

With the excellent availability of internet, the exam has become an Internet based test. Internet based test has certainly dominated the computer based tests and paper based tests. The test consists of Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing.

In Reading section, there are 3-4 passages of 700 words each, where students have to answer questions about main ideas, details, vocabulary, rhetorical purpose and overall ideas.

Listening section includes six passages of 3-4 minutes in length. In this section, there are passages that include two student conversations and four academic lectures or discussions. Each conversation is heard only once. Each conversation will be associated with five questions, whereas each lecture with six. Questions in this section will be asked to determine the main ideas, important details, speaker purpose and attitude.

Speaking: - Speaking section consists of six tasks: two independent tasks and four independent tasks. In independent tasks, candidate has to answer opinion questions on familiar tasks. Candidates are judged on their ability to speak spontaneously and clearly.