History reference
The first ideas about creating such a test were once expressed by representatives of 30 private and government organizations that are part of the US National Council. The first attempts to achieve the desired were made by the Center for Applied Linguistics at Stanford University - in 1964, it was tested at the MLA (Modern Language Association). A year later, the non-profit organization The College Board and ETS (Educational Testing Service) took over its development and improvement. Nine years later, the GRE test took over the curation of this program. However, to date, the official curator of the test is ETS.Variants and structure of TOEFL
When planning to take the TOEFL, which you can take a trial test online for free without leaving your home, you should know that 3 options are considered relevant today:
Why take the TOEFL?
You have heard about this international test, but do not know if you need to take it? Look at the reasons for passing it below and draw the necessary conclusions:TOEFL Certificate
Those who plan to take the TOEFL trial test online for free on our website should know that information about the scores will be sent to the specified e-mail only after 10 days. To view it, you need to follow the link www.ets.org/toefl and go to your personal account, click on View Scores. An official TOEFL certificate indicating the number of points scored is sent to the test participant 13 days after passing it. Please note: The TOEFL certificate will be sent to the organizations that you have specified before 22.00 local time on the day before the actual test. After 22.00, it is impossible to correct the list of recipients of the test result. You can order a copy of the test later, but for a fee (the cost of 1 copy is $ 20, it is better to check the current version of the price on the official website www.ets.org/toefl).TOEFL tutor
Today, you can often hear advice about the need to prepare for the test with the help of a native speaker. This opinion is fundamentally wrong. If you want to improve your English, yes, this type of collaboration will be helpful. However, preparing for the TOEFL is a slightly different activity that requires the help of a Russian-speaking tutor. Firstly, a Russian tutor will be able to explain the basics of the test more quickly, simply and easily and draw your attention to the existing gaps in knowledge. It is the tutor who, like no one else, will be able to help understand and overcome the typical difficulties in passing the TOEFL. Secondly, the presented test was created specifically for non-native English speakers. Its bearers never pass! Thirdly, choosing a native speaker of a foreign language as a tutor, you may encounter a lack of pedagogical skills in the latter. As a result, either there will be difficulties with understanding the material, or with the assimilation of "false" rules. Before making a final choice in favor of a particular tutor, try to find out about his work experience, experience and feedback from former students. Often a potential tutor is a student or non-professional who is more interested in earning money than the opportunity to share accumulated knowledge. Undoubtedly, the price for such services is considered acceptable and affordable, but the result does not always meet the expectations of the student.TOEFL textbooks
You can download free textbooks for TOEFL preparation on our website.TOEFL is a test that aims to assess English language proficiency at an academic level in candidates whose first language is not English. The TOEFL test is required for everyone who wants to enroll in English-speaking higher education institutions. TOEFL test results are accepted by more than 8,500 universities (including the top 100 universities in the world) in more than 130 countries, including Canada, Australia, the UK and the USA. Passing the TOEFL test is necessary not only for those wishing to study abroad. Also, the test may be required to be submitted to a company for employment, to licensing authorities, government agencies, business entities and when participating in programs for obtaining financial assistance for education abroad.
History of the TOEFL
For the first time, the idea of the need for such a test arose in the national council, consisting of representatives of thirty government and private organizations. The test was originally developed at the Center for Applied Linguistics, run by Stanford University. The test was tested in 1964 by the Modern Language Association in the USA. The following year, The College Board (a non-profit association of American schools) and ETS (Educational Testing Service) took over the patronage of the TOEFL test. In 1973, the GRE test management joined the two organizations to oversee the program. Officially, the TOEFL test is supervised by ETS.
Variants and structure of TOEFL
In total, there are three options for taking the test: paper-based (TOEFL pBT test), on a computer (cBT) and on the Internet (TOEFL iBT). By the way, the latter gradually replaced the first two options for surrender. Currently, the TOEFL pBT test is only administered in areas where there is no internet access.
TOEFL test: who needs to take it and why?
The TOEFL exam is a serious test for those who have decided to change their lives for the better. Successful passing of this test opens up great prospects for studying, employment or permanent residence abroad. And if you decide to take the TOEFL test, we recommend that you find out where and how its results will be useful to you.
TOEFL test - what is it?
TOEFL stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language. If you know even a little English, then you understand: this is a test for knowledge of English as a non-native language. To date, among the various tests for knowledge of English, TOEFL is used most often, it is required for admission to universities in the United States and Canada, in addition, it is recognized by more than 130 countries and about 8,500 educational institutions.
English TOEFL exam - what is it?
Are you confident in your knowledge of the English language? If you answer yes to this question, it will not be difficult for you to pass the English TOEFL exam. But only special preparation for this test will provide you with a guarantee of a successful result. Its content and assessment criteria are based on the American version of the language, and any academic language structure from British English will be considered a blunder in this test.
TOEFL exam - everything you need to know
Impeccable command of English is good, having a certificate that confirms the level of knowledge is even better, and sometimes even necessary if you plan to enter a Canadian or American university or find employment in an international company. Moreover, the most common assessment system is the TOEFL exam. Its name stands for "English language test for foreigners", and the results are considered as objective as possible.
What is the TOEFL for?
Admissions committees pay attention to the results of TOEFL - a special test developed in the USA. To date, its passage has become one of the most effective ways to assess knowledge of English. Despite the fact that there is a lot of information about it on the Internet, many still do not know what the TOEFL is for.
TOEFL: iBT or PBT?
TOEFL is an international exam, the only one of more than 10 existing ones that determines knowledge of American English. The certificates issued after its passing confirm the ability of their owners to communicate at levels B1-C1 according to the accepted pan-European assessments.
Test TOEFL - Test Of English as a Foreign Language- designed specifically for testing the knowledge of non-English speaking applicants studying English as a foreign language. TOEFL scores are required for admission to many universities, including schools in non-English speaking countries. Currently, in most countries, including Russia, only the online version of the exam (TOEFL iBT) is available.
TOEFL Test Structure
- Reading- reading. The applicant is offered 3-4 texts, 20 minutes are allocated for listening to each of them. Thus, the first part of the test must be completed in 60-80 minutes. As a rule, texts of popular science topics are offered at the exam. After reading, it is necessary to answer a number of questions related to the content of the text, its main idea, as well as the understanding of individual words and expressions.
- listening- assessment of perception of information by ear. The applicant is invited to listen to 2-3 dialogues and 4-6 lectures. Each entry is accompanied by 5-6 questions. The applicant must answer them within half an hour. The second part of the test takes 60 to 90 minutes. After the completion of this part, a ten-minute break is provided.
- Speaking- colloquial speech. The applicant is invited to complete six tasks within 20 minutes by answering six questions. The first two tasks are quite easy: it is necessary to answer the question posed (the applicant's answers are recorded on audio media), questions can be related to the experience gained or some academic topics. The second part of the tasks will be a little more difficult: you must first read the proposed text, then listen to the audio recording on the same topic, and at the end answer the question on the text. The third part of the task (the last two questions) involves listening to the text, and then summarizing the information as part of an oral response.
- Writing- Spell check. Within 50 minutes, the applicant must write two essays of different complexity. The first essay will be simple, the applicant needs to answer the question posed. The second task is combined - you need to read the text, then listen to the information on it and answer the question posed.
How much does it cost to take the TOEFL test?
The cost of passing the online version of the test is 260 USD. This amount includes checking the test and sending the results in printed form to the 4 universities that the examinee has chosen. You can pay the fee through the PayPal electronic payment system or by bank card (MasterCard, Visa). You can find out detailed information about fees and exam dates on the official TOEFL website. It is important to consider the deadlines for registering for the exam. Regular registration closes one week before the next exam date. Late registration closes 3 days before the start of the exam. It is noteworthy that for late registration you will have to pay another 35 USD. To order a duplicate with test results, you need to additionally deposit 18 USD. You will also have to pay 18 USD for reviewing the exam result. The service of transferring the exam to another date will cost the applicant 60 USD. It should be borne in mind that rescheduling the exam is possible only if the request is received by the organization no later than three working days before the scheduled date of the test. As for the cancellation of registration for the exam and the return of funds, then get your money in in full fails, the applicant will be reimbursed only 50% of the cost of the exam.How to register for the TOEFL test?
When do I need to register for testing?
Testing is carried out several dozen times a year, and on each date the number of free places is limited. It is advisable to register a couple of months before taking the test, since in this case the applicant has enough time to prepare. In addition, you do not have to worry that there will be no free places for the desired date. Before submitting an application for passing the test, it is necessary to take into account the deadlines for accepting applications for admission to the selected universities (applications will not be considered without a TOEFL result). It takes about 1 month to check and send the test results, so it is worth choosing the date of the TOEFL exam so that there is enough time left to prepare the documents.Is it difficult to pass the TOEFL exam?
Any language exam will present a certain difficulty for a Russian-speaking applicant, since our education system is completely different from the foreign one. If American applicants have been familiar with writing essays since their school days, then our applicants, unfortunately, have not yet mastered this art to perfection.TOEFL is a rather difficult exam, but it is quite possible to pass it with a high score. Much depends on the goals of the applicant himself and the passing score for admission to the university. It is important to know that friendly people work in the certification center, who do not set themselves the goal of “filling up” the applicant. In the Speaking part, as a rule, they do not find fault with pronunciation too much, because they understand that English is not their native language for the examinee, plus the person experiences a lot of stress answering exam questions.
For examiners, the logical coherence of statements is much more important. Even with a couple of minor grammatical errors, you can get an "excellent" grade for the Speaking part. A couple of mistakes made in Reading (due to the complexity of academic texts) can be compensated for by the flawless execution of the Listening part, since exam takers are allowed to make notes on paper. As a rule, in the Listening part, simple questions are asked (without specific dates, names or numbers), the subject only needs to restore the logical chains of events of the text.
Materials for self-study for TOEFL
To successfully pass the TOEFL, you need to familiarize yourself with the format of the test, as well as examples of tasks from previous years. Not a single moment in the test should come as a surprise to the applicant. It is advisable to practice on trial tasks.
To test the ability to solve tasks for a while, you should resort to the help of computer programs. Emulators allow you to plunge into an atmosphere close to real testing conditions. In front of the examinee there will be only a monitor screen, a keyboard, a mouse and a timer that inexorably eats up time. Hardly any book can convey this. The more tests you manage to solve for a while, the more likely you are not to get lost in the exam and give everything 100%.
On the official website of the exam, you can find the full test and take it from start to finish, with a timer and a few short breaks, just like on a real test. Such an experiment will help evaluate your behavior in a stressful situation and will be an excellent endurance workout before the upcoming exam.
To learn to perceive academic English, it is necessary to read scientific literature. Fortunately, on the Internet you can find a huge amount of informative information, an excellent assistant in preparing for the exam will be the English-language Wikipedia. The site contains more than 4 million different articles, in which information is presented in a near-scientific language. Of course, not all texts are equally useful, so you should take a closer look at Wikipedia articles, which, according to the site's editors, are the most important.
Reading popular science magazines in English will also help improve the perception of academic texts. We recommend reading magazines,,, and. Of course, this is not the whole list of magazines that can be found on the net. Interesting publications are found both on the official portals of publications and in electronic versions, which can be purchased in the appStore or downloaded on torrents. As a rule, the texts in the above magazines are a little more difficult than they are on the exam, but this will help the applicant to better prepare for the test.
If the talks on the TED channel turned out to be too short, and you want to get to know the chosen topic better, you can look at the official channels of the world's leading universities. A concept called OpenCourseWare makes education more accessible, as part of which universities post scientific lectures in a variety of specialties. To learn more about scientific developments are offered by such educational institutions as,, and other equally famous universities.
It should be noted that this is not the only source of useful information. Today, special educational Internet platforms are more popular than ever. Probably the most famous online platform is , lectures from the best universities in the world are presented here.
Watching science shows and documentaries on the BBC and Discovery channels will also help you expand your vocabulary. The only condition is to watch your favorite TV shows in English.
The most unpleasant moment of testing is a difficult question that the applicant cannot answer. Only one minute is allotted for reflection, if during this time the answer has not been found, you should immediately move on to another question. After completing the test, you should return to the missed questions again, if time permits.
With the Listening part, the situation is different: the applicant will not have the opportunity to return to the missed questions, so in any case, it is worth answering the question and moving on to the next one.
It is impossible to predict what exactly the question will be, but it is still worth learning a couple of standard phrases for each of the three parts, as well as a few phrases to transition between these parts, it is advisable to use introductory words and constructions. Examples of such phrases can be found on the Internet or you can come up with them yourself. The same set of phrases can be used when writing an essay.
The TOEFL certificate is valid for 2 years from the date of the exam. Some universities may require "fresh certificates" that are less than 6 months old. The fact is that universities want to see the current level of knowledge of the applicant.
Comparison with other exams
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is the most popular standardized exam to date, revealing knowledge of English as a foreign language. Passing this exam is mandatory for non-English-speaking foreigners who want to enter universities not only in the United States and Canada, but in Europe and Asia. The abbreviation TOEFL is correctly pronounced "tofl". The TOEFL exam was first held in 1964 and has since become one of the main international language exams. Testing is carried out by Educational Testing Service, the largest privately owned language testing company.
PBT and iBT - two versions of TOEFL
The test was developed in two versions: TOEFL Paper Based (PBT), TOEFL Internet Based (iBT). At the time of TOEFL, the personal computer was a very rare thing. The organization of the test event included printouts, circling the answers and writing tests in pencil. Today, the "paper" version of the exam (PBT) is almost out of use. It is carried out only in those areas where it is impossible to use the Internet (African and island states - Micronesia, Congo, Rwanda and some countries of Central Asia - Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan).
When personal computers became quite common, it became possible to take the CBT (computer-based test). And since 2005, this test has been in the iBT format (i.e. internet-based test, test on the Internet). Now TOEFL iBT can be taken in almost any country, test centers are located in many major cities. By the way, in large countries, including Russia, only the iBT version of the test is available.
Test Structure
The format of the exam includes four sections (English sections), testing such basic language skills as Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing. Each aspect, in turn, contains a number of questions of a peculiar format, which you need to familiarize yourself with in detail if you want to pass this test. On the exam itself, the sections are presented in the same order as mentioned above: first comes reading, then listening, then the examinee is given a break - 10 minutes - then you need to demonstrate speaking skills and at the end you need to complete written tasks. The duration of the test is only about four and a half hours.
Grading system
The total score is from 0 to 120 points (the test does not provide an “excellent” or “satisfactory” grade, each university sets the limits of the passing score independently);
Each of the four aspects is evaluated on a scale from 0 to 30 points.
Evaluation of oral speech is carried out on a gradation scale from 0 to 4 points.
Writing skills are assessed on a scale from 0 to 5 points.
The points are then converted on a scale from 0 to 30 points.
Features and difficulties of TOEFL
The main purpose of testing is to test the knowledge of the English language necessary for the student, both in the learning process and in everyday life. TOEFL exam is designed for people who speak English at a conversational level, able to freely discuss everyday problems. But the proposed material contains academic vocabulary, a lot of scientific terms, abstract concepts and synonyms - this is one of the difficulties.
It should be remembered that the examinee is in contact only with the computer. For many people who are used to taking exams in the presence of a teacher, this may not seem very convenient and even serve as a stress factor.
Another difficulty is related to scheduling the time allotted for the execution of tasks. At the top of the monitor is a timer, inexorably counting down the time. To cope with all the tasks in a certain time period, you need to practice a lot.
TOEFL tests not only the level of knowledge of the English language, but also the ability to analyze information and highlight the main points, the exam provides for assessing the skills of generalization, argumentation, drawing conclusions, and the like. Therefore, it is extremely important for the examinee to understand what is required of him in this or that task. This will help the study of strategies for completing tasks and answering questions.
#1: Learn Exam Structure
TOEFL what is it? An examination test, but which is not even close to those that are held in domestic schools or universities. Therefore, even excellent knowledge of English is not a reason to refuse to prepare for the TOEFL. It is necessary, first of all, to familiarize yourself with the format of the test, with examples of tasks from previous years. No step in the test should be unexpected for the applicant. Trial tasks can become training.
#2: Take a Mock Test
Taking a mock test will help you familiarize yourself with the structure of the exam and understand what sections you still need to work on. There are many free materials on the Internet. You can also practice on the official TOEFL website.
#3 Get Ready for a 4-Hour Marathon
The duration of TOEFL (iBT) is 4.5 hours, and fatigue and loss of concentration in the average person occurs after only two hours of intensive training. Therefore, it is necessary to allocate one day for a trial test at home. An experiment of this type will help the applicant evaluate his behavior in a stressful situation and become a kind of endurance training before the exam.
#4: Read Academic Texts
An unpleasant surprise for applicants, even with good spoken English, can be texts of an academic type. Learning to perceive academic English will help reading scientific literature. An excellent assistant in this regard will be the English-language Wikipedia. You can also improve the perception of academic texts with the help of popular science journals in English. Recommended journals: Popular Science, Scientific American, Science News, Popular Mechanics, and The Economist.
#5: Listen to academic texts
The key to successfully passing the Listening part is listening to as many scientific texts as possible. The subject must certainly be interesting for the applicant, otherwise learning will not bring him any pleasure. A lot of informative lectures are offered by the TED channel. Watching scientific programs and documentaries on English TV channels BBC and Discovery will help to expand vocabulary.
#6 Use the Scientific Poke Method
Surprised? Even in such a serious exam, guessing the answer is not forbidden. It happens that even re-reading the question does not help to find the correct answer. Then you should exclude deliberately wrong answer options, which will increase the probability of guessing the correct answer by 25% -50%, and this is not bad.
#7 Learn to Take Notes
Three of the four sections of the exam require the applicant to write a small summary of the material read and listened to. The candidate will be required to answer questions or summarize. The text or audio fragment usually consists of 200-500 words. Therefore, you should not rely only on your memory, it is important to mark some points (key words, examples, arguments, introduction and conclusion) on paper.
No. 8 Make standard preparations for the sections Writing and Speaking
Panic can overcome an applicant during the delivery of the Speaking part. What exactly the question will be, it is impossible to predict. However, a couple of standard phrases for each of the three stages are still worth learning. A few phrases will also come in handy for the transition between these stages, it is desirable to use introductory words and constructions. Phrases can be invented independently or found on the Internet. This set of phrases can also be used when writing an essay.
#9: Learn to Paraphrase
Checking the written and oral answers of applicants, members of the commission pay attention not only to the ability to logically and consistently express their thoughts, but also to the ability to paraphrase - to express their thoughts in writing without resorting to the words or structures used in the question. The use of some interesting phrasal verb or idiom is a huge plus.
#10 Get yourself feeling good and physically fit
Now trips abroad, study and emigration to different countries are no longer a curiosity. Many people have long been free to move around the world without feeling any discomfort. That is why various international exams, including TOEFL, are very popular.
TOEFL - what is this exam?
This international exam was the first available exam for Russians and was originally designed for those people who were going to enter universities in the US and Canada. In addition, it was created for non-native English speakers and was developed by the Princeton University Board of Examiners.
Later, the TOEFL exam significantly expanded the boundaries of its purpose: its results began to be required for various international internships and for some scientific and professional certification programs. Also, the presence of a certificate for this test is necessary for those who are going to enter international MBA programs and for those people who are looking for a job for which it is necessary to have this certificate.
TOEFL parts - what is it?
The Listening part tests the examinee's ability to perceive English speech by ear. This part is one of the most difficult, nevertheless it is easier than Speaking, because it is passive perception of information. It consists of three tests with a total duration of about an hour.
The next part of the TOEFL test is Vocabulary and Reading, which tests the subject's vocabulary and ability to comprehend written information. Moreover, some answers are rather ambiguous, however, having the experience of reading books and various articles in English, passing this part is not so difficult. This part lasts an hour or more and consists of 3-5 texts and 14-16 questions for each of the texts.
Another part is Writing, or writing, where the literacy of written speech, grammatical structures and style is checked. It includes 2 parts of 50 minutes each.
The last part is Speaking, or testing the ability to express one's thoughts aloud. This part is the shortest, but for some, the most difficult. After all, the well-known is able to add many exciting minutes.
Exam features
If you ask about this TOEFL - what kind of test it is, what are its features for a person who has only heard a little about it, then it will hardly be possible to hear a clear answer. In fact, this exam has several features that you need to remember.
First of all, the exam assesses American English, not British. Therefore, trying to enter an English university with this certificate will not work. The fact is that there are a number of differences in American English, which makes it unlike the British version.
Also an interesting feature of the exam is that it is impossible not to pass it. In any case, some number of points will be awarded. Another question is whether this number of points will satisfy the future employer and whether this will be enough for admission to a higher educational institution.
In addition, the TOEFL exam has an expiration date. After two years, the test results will no longer be considered valid, so you will need to retake this test again. This, of course, is a very big minus, because, for example, various British exams are open-ended, which makes life much easier.
And the last interesting feature of the TOEFL exam is that there are two options for passing: a written Paper-based test (PBT) and an Internet-based test (IBT) - a test that must be taken via the Internet.
IBT TOEFL test
Currently, this type of test, which is taken via the Internet, is considered more preferable because it contains an oral part, which is not in the paper version of the test. In addition, it also has combined tasks that will give a more voluminous description of the subject's knowledge. Because of this, this type of exam is more in demand by employers.
The IBT TOEFL test appeared in Russia in 2006, and almost all test centers now offer this particular exam. One of the advantages of this test is that all its parts are taken on the same day, which, on the one hand, takes more time, however, testing is not delayed for weeks, as is often the case with other international exams. In addition, in this version of testing, you can make notes and write something down while listening, for example, audio tasks, which greatly facilitates their further implementation.
Registration for testing takes place via the Internet by the person who is going to take the exam. In addition to online registration, you can also sign up by phone and send a request by mail. It is also possible to find out the results that will appear on the site in 15 days.
TOEFL preparation
Considering that the TOEFL exam is paid (which is why you don’t want to take it several times at all), you need to minimize the risk of failing the test. It seems that if you know the language well, then passing this test is not at all difficult. In fact, everything is not so simple. The fact is that you need to be prepared for the format of the exam, for its features. If this preparation is not available, you can get confused and lose precious time trying to figure out the nuances of the exam.
That is why preparation for TOEFL is necessary even for those who know English at a high level. For those who are not very sure of their language, the preparation is very serious and lengthy. It is advisable to start preparing in advance in order to have more time left. You can enroll in special courses or take online courses. You can also try to prepare yourself using special literature, but only on condition of a good
Also, there are many sites on the Internet that explain the features of TOEFL, what kind of testing it is, and where you can take trial testing via the Internet, which will help you identify your language level and the likelihood of passing the exam.
Conclusion
The TOEFL IBT exam can be taken on strictly specified dates by the examining center, and delivery takes place 30-40 times a year. The paper version of the exam is given much less often, but its popularity has also fallen significantly. The cost of the exam is $ 250, which imposes a considerable responsibility for the quality of preparation for the examinee.
The TOEFL test is often the door that leads to a completely new quality of life, but also requires very serious preparatory work.
