The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

TOEFL is an English test that measures the ability of non-native speakers of English to use and understand North American English as it is used in college and university settings.

TOEFL is used by North American universities and also in Australia, Britain and Europe to measure the English level of ESL students from non-English speaking countries who wish to enter undergraduate programmes.

The TOEFL test measures English language proficiency in reading, listening and writing. It is a computer-based exam and there is also a paper-and-pencil version of the TOEFL test.

Both the paper-based TOEFL test and the online TOEFL exam measure listening and the ability to understand English as it is spoken in North America, structure and grammar, reading and comprehension of short academic texts and writing.

The paper-based TOEFL test takes about 3.5 hours to complete and has three sections: Listening Comprehension, Structure and Written Expression which measures the ability to recognize standard written English and grammar, and Reading Comprehension.

The Test of Written English is also required for everyone taking the paper-based TOEFL test. TOEFL candidates have 30 minutes to write a short essay on an assigned topic.

The listening section of the paper-based TOEFL test and the online computer based do differ. In the online TOEFL exam the questions integrate listening, visuals and reading skills so TOEFL test candidates must order steps or click on maps or pictures referred to in the listening texts. Questions are more challenging than in the paper-based version of TOEFL because they involve such tasks as classification, ordering, referring, and insertion. Added to this, the listening section of the computer-based TOEFL test is computer adaptive. This means that at the beginning of the section, TOEFL test candidates will be given one moderately difficult listening question. If the person answers correctly, the next question will be more difficult; if the person answers incorrectly, the next question will be easier. There is NOT a specific number of questions in this section. The number of questions the person receives depends on the answers given to questions.

The structure and written expression section of the computer based TOEFL test is also computer adaptive.

TOEFL is equivalent to the British IELTS (International English Language Testing System) examination.

4.  Placement Strategy

Foreign students who wish to take TOEFL or IELTS will be given a Placement Test to ascertain his/her level of English proficiency.  If the student has not met the requisite standard, he/she will be required to attend the “English for Foreign Students”  course first before enrolling in the TOEFL/IELTS Preparatory Course. 

5.  Course Duration and Fee