What Is TOEFL?

The TOEFL is the product of the Educational Testing Service (ETS). TOEFL, pronounced "toe-full", evaluates the potential success of an individual to use and understand standard American English at a college level. TOEFL is required for non-native applicants at many US and other English-speaking colleges and universities. It is a standardized test of English for academic purposes, and is commonly used in university programs as a benchmark of proficiency in English for entrance requirements. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is widely used by colleges and universities, scholarship agencies, and professional licensing organizations to assess English language proficiency. Four skills are tested in TOEFL: Listening, Structure, Reading, and Writing. In the near future, Speaking will be added and Structure dispensed with. The test itself takes approximately four hours including the (required) computer tutorial.

Formats and Sections Of TOEFL

The paper-based TOEFL (PBT) test consists of three sections, similar to the first three sections of the computer-based TOEFL test. The TOEFL PBT contains only multiple-choice questions.

Listening Section of TOEFL

The Listening Section of TOEFL test is made up of three parts. In the first part you will hear short conversations usually containing two sentences which are followed by a single question. In the second part you will hear a longer dialogue between two people. After the dialogue you will hear four of five questions. Each of those questions is followed by four answers (A, B, C and D). Only one of those four answers is correct. You have to select the correct answer. In the final part of the Listening Section you will hear longer pieces of spoken communication such as lectures, radio talks, TV announcements or other broadcasts. Each of those talks lasts between one to two minutes and it is delivered by a single speaker. After every piece of information you have listened to, you must answer four to five questions. Most of the questions in the Listening Section use the traditional multiple-choice format, this means you have to choose the correct answer out of three or more options. However, some questions involve visual elements you have to recognize and somtimes two out of four possible answers are correct. There are also some questions that require you to re-arrange or match objects, phrases or words.

Structure Section of TOEFL

In the Structure Section of TOEFL you have to demonstrate your knowledge and skills in vocabulary, grammar and proper usage of standard North American written English. You will have to recognize vocabulary items of an academic nature, this means, there will be subjects related to science, the arts, literature, culture and history. To answer the questions correctly it will be sufficient if you have an average level of knowledge of those subjects. You will find two types of questions in the Structure Section of the TOEFL test. The first question type is a sentence containing a gap. You must select a word or phrase that fills in the gap appropriately. The second question type can be called "Errors in Sentences". Those questions consist of complete sentences with four separate underlined words. You must select which of the four underlinded words or word combinations contains an error in grammar or usage.

Reading Section of TOEFL

In the Reading Section of TOEFL you will find short passages similar to the sort of texts used for academic purposes in the US, Canada or other internationally recognized universities. For example there will be texts about the arts, literature, biography of important people, science and scientific research as well as history related to North America. Even if you know a lot about any of the subjects covered in the Reading Section of TOEFL test, it will not necessarily be to your advantage in answering the questions correctly because the TOEFL measures your English language proficiency rather than your knowledge of a specific area. After all, you take the TOEFL test before you actually start your study program at university. So, your success on the TOEFL Reading Section depends on how well you understand the text passages and the attached questions. The Reading Section tests and evaluates your comprehension of main ideas and vocabulary as well as your ability to identify important facts and inferences. As is the case with the Listening Section the Reading Section too uses the traditional multiple-choice format. In addition there are also a number of computer-specific questions that either require you to match a particular word, phrase or paragraph from the text with a definition or to insert a sentence in the text where it is most appropriate.

Writing Section of TOEFL

In the Writing Section of TOEFL you have to compose an essay based on one single assigned topic. Your essay should include such elements as original thought, analysis, examples, evidence and organization in English. You can choose between composing your essay at a computer or using the traditional hand-written format. Because computer-adaptive testing is not possible on the paper-based TOEFL test (PBT), the PBT has three question difficulty levels. Thirty percent of PBT TOEFL test questions are categorized as easy, forty percent are medium and thirty percent are difficult. At the beginning of each section you will find easy-level questions which are followed by medium-level questions and difficult questions at the end.

TOEIC - Test of English for International Communication

TOEIC is a standardized test that measures your listening and reading skills. Unlike other tests, the TOEIC evaluates your ability to function in the business world rather than in an academic setting. The test consists of 200 multiple-choice questions. Some students take the TOEIC because they want to improve their English. Other students take the TOEIC because they want to apply for a job that requires a TOEIC score. Your score will range from 10-990. Every institution expects a different standard of proficiency from its employees. Many companies expect entry level applicants to score at least 600 on the TOEIC. Management positions may require a score of 800. You can take the TOEIC as many times as you want in order to achieve your goal. The TOEIC test measures proficiency in international business English.

• The TOEIC test is the most widely used English language test for professional English.
• The TOEIC test is used as a certification tool in more than 5000 companies worldwide.
• Use the TOEIC test to certify your English skills and enhance your employment profile.

For more than 25 years, TOEIC has been used by institutions, companies, and government agencies worldwide to measure the English proficiency of nonnative English-speaking people. With more than 4.5 million test takers per year, the TOEIC test is the standard for workplace English language proficiency worldwide.

What is the format of the TOEIC Test

Based on real-life work settings, the TOEIC test consists of 200 multiple-choice questions categorised into listening comprehension and reading sections. TOEIC test questions are based on real-life work settings in an international environment (meetings, travel, telephone conversations, etc). The TOEIC test is a paper and pencil test consisting of 200 multiple-choice questions, divided into 2 separately timed sections. Test takers respond to questions by marking one response from a choice of 4 (A, B, C, D) with a pencil on a machine-scannable answer sheet.

Section 1: Listening comprehension

• A variety of recorded statements, questions, and short conversations in English.
• You will answer 100 questions based on what you hear.
• You will have 45 minutes to complete this section.

This section comprises 4 parts:

Part 1: photographs (20 questions)

Part 2: question-response (30 questions)

Part 3: Short conversations (30 questions)

Part 4: Short talks (20 questions)

Section 2: Reading

• A variety of materials to be read.
• You will respond to 100 questions based on what you have read.
• This section will take 75 minutes to complete.

This section comprises 3 parts:
Part 5: Incomplete sentences (40 questions)

Part 6: Error recognition (20 questions)

Part 7: Reading comprehension (40 questions)

The test lasts approximately 2.5 hours. The remaining time will be used to respond to biographical questions and a brief questionnaire about educational and work history. Candidates are given a score report , which shows their results. You are awarded separate marks for the written and oral comprehension sections, on a scale from 5 to 495 points. The total score is hence between 10 and 990 points.

Difference between TOEIC and TOEFL

	TOEIC IP	TOEFL ITP
Purpose	Evaluates English proficiency for the global workplace	Evaluates English proficiency for those pursuing academic studies
Primary uses	For corporations To make decisions about recruiting, promoting, and deploying employees overseas To determine readiness to participate in technical training conducted in English To demonstrate learning progress in corporate training.	For English language programs/schools, especially for academic-track students Placement test Assessment of progress from beginning to end of course Measurement of program effectiveness Exit test and measurement of readiness for academic programs.
Other uses	For English language programs/schools, especially business-track students Placement test Assessment of progress from beginning to end of course Measurement of program effectiveness Exit test Practice for secure TOEIC Professional credential	For institutions of higher education To fulfill language requirement or graduation requirement To screen for scholarship and exchange programs Practice for TOEFL or other multiple-choice tests Professional credential
Who takes the test?	Employees in international corporations Job applicants Students in business, vocational, and trade schools, community colleges Students in the business track of English language programs/schools.	Students in the academic track of English language programs/schools Students in colleges or universities that have a language requirement Applicants to scholarship and exchange programs.
Who uses the results?	Training managers Human resources managers Recruiters Employees English language programs/schools	English language programs/schools College and university administrators Directors of scholarship and exchange programs Students
Formats and proficiency levels tested	TOEIC Bridge - high beginning to intermediate TOEIC IP - low intermediate to advanced.	Pre-TOEFL ITP - high beginning to intermediate TOEFL ITP - low intermediate to advanced.
Language context	Language used in the global workplace	Language used in academic contexts
Test format	200 multiple-choice questions	140 multiple-choice questions
Score scale	10 - 990 Total 5 - 495 Listening Comprehension 5 - 495 Reading Comprehension.	310 - 677 Total 30 - 68 Listening Comprehension 30 - 68 Structure and Written Expression (grammar) 30 - 67 Reading Comprehension.
Length of test	120 minutes	115 minutes
When test is given	Available on demand for any date Multiple forms for testing throughout the year Two forms of security semi-secure - administered on-site by own staff, trained by TOEIC staff secure - administered on-site by TOEIC staff. NOTE: Maximum-security TOEIC Open Test is available in some countries.	Available on demand for any date Multiple forms for testing throughout the year One form of security semi-secure - administered on-site by own staff. NOTE: Maximum-security TOEFL CBT and PBT are available in most countries.
Score reports	Individual score reports Score roster Certificates (may be available for an additional fee)	Individual score reports Institution score reports and roster
Turnaround time for score reports	Usually 3 to 5 days Rush reporting on request for an additional fee.	Usually 3 to 5 days (7 days in the U.S.) Rush reporting on request for an additional fee.
Test prep	For a list of TOEIC test preparation products, contact your local ETS representatives>.	Available on TOEFL Web site: Sample Test, 6th Edition TOEFL Test Preparation Kit, 2nd ed. TOEFL Practice Tests, Vol. 2.