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The TOEFL (Test of English as a
Foreign Language)
Note: A new, Internet-based
version of the TOEFL was introduced in the US in September 2005.
It should be available elsewhere in 2006.
Administered by: The Educational Testing Service (ETS), through a number of
partner organizations worldwide.
REGISTRATION:
Online:
http://www.ets.org
By phone: In the US, call
1-800-GO-TOEFL (1-800-468-6335). Outside the US, use the phone numbers listed in the booklet
from this
Web site.
By mail: Follow the instructions given in the TOEFL Information and Registration Bulletin for the
Internet-based test or the computer- and paper-based tests.
TEST DATES: In the US, you
can schedule a TOEFL test almost any day of the year. You must
register for the test at least 7 days before you wish to take
it.
FEE: $140
LENGTH: Approximately 3 and 1/2 to 4 hours (length varies by test format).
SCORING:
If you take a computer-based test, you will see your
estimated score at the end of the test. Your score report will
show 4 scores: for Listening (0 to 30), Structure/Writing (0 to
30), Reading (0 to 30), and an estimated total or composite
score (given as a range of numbers between 0 and 300). An
estimated essay score (0 to 6) will also appear. Your final
essay score and total score will appear on your official
reports, which will be sent to you and to schools about 2 weeks
after your test date.
If you take a paper-based test, you will receive a score
report approximately 5 weeks after the test. It will show 3
section scores (Listening Comprehension and Structure/Writing on
a 31 to 68 scale, and Reading Comprehension on a 31 to 67 scale)
plus a total score between 310 and 677.
The Internet-based TOEFL uses a different scoring scale. Each
of 4 skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing) is
scored on a 0 to 30 scale. The skill scores are added up for a
total score reported on a 0 to 120 scale.
For ETS' table of how scores from different versions of the
test compare, click
here.
Different institutions have different TOEFL requirements
for admission.
The minimum TOEFL score U.S. colleges and universities
generally accept is:
- 550 on the paper-based test scale
- 213 on the computer-based test scale
- 79 to 80 on the Internet-based test scale
Contact the college or university you are applying to for
information about their requirements. |
