After having a good score I am willing to help all others to score high, and that’s why writing this review .
The Test of English as a Foreign Language evaluates the potential success of an individual to use and understand Standard American English at a college level. It is required for non-native applicants at many English-speaking colleges and universities.
*Internet-based Test: TOFEL IBT .
The TOEFL Internet-based Test(TOEFL iBT) evaluates all four language skills that are essential for effective communication: reading, listening, speaking(new!), and writing .
As of my experience this test is tougher from the previous PBT(paper based test) or CBT( computer based test).You have to score more than 79 to pass. But to get-into a top US university you need to score high .Candidates have to wait for months since short-term test dates are fully booked. The four-hour test consists of four sections, each measuring mainly one of the basic language skills(although some tasks may require multiple skills) and focusing on language used in an academic, higher-education environment. Note-taking is allowed in the iBT*.
there are 4 sections each carrying 30 marks .
Listening
Listening comprehension is the first section in Toefl.Questions refer to the content and intent of the phrases, as well as to the speakers’ attitude and meaning, either in short conversations or in lectures. Generally you will listen a conversation . You can take notes .
how I practised **: Listening news, commentary, plays on TV . See american movies, understand what they are saying .This site will help you >> https://testprepreview.com/toefl_practice.htm
Reading: **measures the ability to understand academic reading matter.
After each academic reading passage(out of 3–5), questions are posed about content, intent of the author, and ideas inferred from the passage. New types of questions in the iBT require paraphrasing, filling out tables, or completing summaries. Generally prior knowledge of the subject under discussion is not necessary to come to the correct answer.
Read reader’s digest, competition success . Do not leave any question unanswered in the test as there is no negative marking.
Speaking *
New to the iBT, this section contains questions relating to personal experiences or preferences, as well as tasks that also involve reading passages and listening to short conversations and lectures. Test takers are expected to convey information, explain ideas, and defend opinions clearly, coherently, and accurately.
You have to answer questions they will ask . You will get 15 seconds to think and 30 seconds to answer. This section has 6 open-ended speaking questions, which require test takers to speak into a microphone. Responses are recorded and scored by humans.
practice it here:https://fulbright.cz/download/toefl-ibt-sample-questions-2006
Writing *
One task requires test takers to defend a position relative to a specified general topic. In the other task, a reading passage and a lecture are presented, and test takers must answer a question relating the main points of both the passage and the lecture.
The TOEFL iBT contains an added 20-minute essay along with the current 30-minute essay, for a total of two essays.
TOEFL CBT
The computer-based test(CBT) was abolished on September 30, 2006. It is divided into four sections, measuring language proficiency in listening, structure(grammar), reading and writing. Note-taking is not allowed.
Listening Comprehension (45–70 minutes)
Type of Questions: Conversations between two or more people in academic environments. Short conversations between students and lectures may be possible conversations. Questions are basically of the who said what type.
Structure(grammar) (15–20 minutes)
Type of Questions: Identify the erroneous word(s) in the sentence. Fill in the blanks using the appropriate word.
Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary(70-90 minutes)
Type of Question: Questions are posed about content, intent of the author, and ideas inferred from each of the 3–4 passages given.
Essay Writing (30 minutes)
Type of Question: To write an essay on a given general topic and take a position toward it, e.g., "Is Global war against terrorism necessary? Explain your stance."
The Listening and Structure sections are computer-adaptive, meaning that the difficulty level of each question depends on the correctness of previous responses.
Three subscores are obtained, each of which is given on a 0–30 scale: Listening, Structure/Writing(combined), and Reading. These subscores are averaged to obtain the final score, which is on a 0–300 scale. The Writing score is reported separately, on a 0–6 scale.
Paper-based ( PBT)
In areas where the iBT and CBT are not available, a paper-based test(PBT) is given. The PBT tests essentially the same skills as the CBT, albeit with some differences, noticeably the number of questions(which is higher in the PBT) and the score scales. The final PBT score ranges between 310 and 677 and is based on three subscores: Listening(31–68), Structure(31–68), and Reading(31–67). Unlike the CBT, the score of the Writing section(referred to as the Test of Written English, TWE) is not part of the final score; instead, it is reported separately on a scale of 0–6.
ETS has released tables to convert between CBT and PBT scores.
Not everything is ok:
Candidates often complain about the TOEFL iBT, mainly because of the high noise level during the speaking section: Everyone is responding verbally to six questions at the same time. In addition, the number of seats available is limited(usually filled 2 months before deadline date).
Oh yes. the exam cost is of Rs 7500 . You can also cancel your exam .There are 100s of ETS certified test centres across the globe where one can register about 6 weeks in advance and take the test. The list of approved test centres can be obtained from the ETS website https://ets.org. There are 6 major locations in India - hyd, NewDelhi, kolkata, mumbai, chennai, bhopal. The registration can be done online using your International credit or debit card .
*Best of luck . Believe in yourself .
-Aditi Mitra .