An overview of the TOEFL test
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) measures your English skills by testing reading, writing, listening, and now, in most locations, speaking. The TOEFL test is offered in 180 countries around the globe.
If you're a non-native English speaker at the 11th-grade or above level, planning to attend college or graduate school in the United States, chances are you need to take the TOEFL. More than 6,000 colleges and universities worldwide require the TOEFL test as part of your application. It is designed to evaluate your mastery of the English language and your ability to be successful in an English-speaking academic environment.
The original TOEFL was a paper and pencil test. Gradually, the TOEFL Paper-based Test (PBT) was joined by the computer-based version, the CBT. Until 2005, the TOEFL was administered primarily as the CBT. Since then a new version of the test, the Internet-based test (TOEFL iBT), was introduced and is being integrated worldwide. Depending upon your testing location, the TOEFL will be administered in either iBT or PBT format. The CBT version is no longer offered.
Replacing the PBT, the TOEFL iBT has a format that includes an emphasis on your speaking ability. The new test includes voice-recording technology that more effectively measures your ability to both understand and to speak English. Because effective communication includes many skills, the iBT introduces the concept of "integrated questions" that combine multiple language skills. The new test is a better evaluation tool for assessing your overall communication skills in the English language.
After spending hours or days in TOEFL preparation, you will be anxious to get the results of the test. English-language skills were tested in many locations the day you tested and you will, of course, have to be patient. Your TOEFL score will arrive in the mail. However, if you took the PBT, you can pay an additional fee and get your scores earlier by touch-tone phone. Or, if you took the TOEFL iBT, you will be able to retrieve your scores online. The ETS Web site provides detailed information regarding the dates on which your TOEFL score will be mailed and when it will be made available online or by phone.
