Test of English as a
Foreign Language (TOEFL)
The TOEFL is one of the many
standardized tests written by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). It is a
multiple-choice exam that lasts for approximately two hours.
According to ETS, the TOEFL is supposed to evaluate a person's proficiency in English. In
all likelihood, a person who is a native English speaker would perform better on the TOEFL
than a non-native speaker would. There are many factors that have an effect on your TOEFL
score other than your ability to speak, write, or understand English. For example, in one
section of the TOEFL, you listen to a tape cassette. If the tape cassette is of poor
quality, it may be very hard to hear the recorded information.
Also, you should keep in mind that some people are simply not good test takers. They
become very nervous when they have to take standardized tests. Clearly, their anxiety
about standardized tests will affect how well they do on the TOEFL.
So if the TOEFL is not a fair exam -- if it does not test your proficiency in English.
The only thing the TOEFL tests is how well you take the TOEFL.
How important your TOEFL score is depends on the schools to which you are applying. Some
schools do have "cutoffs." For example, a school might have a required TOEFL
score of 500 or above. Anyone who falls below this score will not be accepted. Other
schools, however, are not so rigid. For example, a school might accept a student who has a
low TOEFL score, but will not allow the student to register until he or she has taken a
semester or two of English courses. Generally, top schools say they do not have cutoffs
and they look at the entire application. The mean TOEFL score for these schools, however,
tends to be in the high 500's to low 600's. |
