One of the most important examinations for entry into a U.S college/university is TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). The exam is must for both Undergraduate/Bachelor degree as well as Graduate/Masters students.
The prime objective is of TOEFL test is to judge a non-native English speaker's abilities to use and understand North American English (as it is written, spoken and heard).
More than 6,000 universities, colleges, sponsoring institutions, professional schools and scholarship programs in over 110 countries accept TOEFL exam scores to measure a candidate's English proficiency.
Remember, that although high TOEFL scores are given consideration, they do not guarantee an admission abroad. It is mandatory and therefore cannot be overlooked or omitted.
TOEFL is now a computer adaptive test, which can be taken all round the year. In India, the tests are held on Saturdays and Sundays.
The major sections in TOEFL are Listening Comprehension, Vocabulary and Reading Comprehensions, Speaking and Writing.
The test lasts approximately 4 1/2 hours. The time spent on each section is Listening- 60 to 90 minutes (34-51 questions), Reading 60-100 minutes (36-70 questions) Speaking- 20 minutes for 6 tasks, and 50 minutes for TOEFL essay questions. There is a mandatory 10-minute break mid-way through the test.
In the computer-adaptive exam, questions appear one at a time. Most are multiple choice questions. Be extremely careful as you can neither skip a question (next question will appear only when you have answered the current one) nor change answer for any attempted questions. Based on your answer, the computer adapts and poses appropriate difficulty level question. The first question is always of medium difficulty.
Educational Testing Service (ETS) conducts the TOEFL exam. It keeps the provision of sending your scores to four universities of your choice (cost included in fee structure). The names of these universities have to be submitted before you take the exam. Therefore, select universities based on your priority of applications. For a nominal fee, you can get the scores reported to additional colleges. TOEFL scores are valid for 2 years.
In India, the computer-based TOEFL exam costs US$165 (includes 4 score recipient universities cost and 1 examinee score report).
The TOEFL fee has to be paid in US Dollars denominated draft addressed to ETS-TOEFL. It should be payable in USA. Such a draft is available at main branches of Banks with a foreign exchange counter. You may also pay through a globally accepted Credit Card such as Visa, Master, Amex, Discover.
The ETS franchise in India is Prometric Testing Private Limited. Their address is:
2nd Floor, DLF Infinity Tower - A
Sector 25, Phase ll
DLF City, Gurgaon
Haryana 122002
India.
Phone- 91-124-4147700
Fax- 91-124-4147773/74
You may register by phone, online, in person (may buy forms at local currency) or mail/courier. If you are registering by mail or courier, fill the form, draft and ensure the documents reach at least 4 weeks in advance of your scheduled test date. If you do not receive a confirmation at least 3 days in advance of your first date choice, then contact Prometric Testing Private Limited.
It is better to register at least 90 days in advance to get a date of your own choice during the peak season (September to December). In normal scenario registrations have to be made at least 7 days prior to the test. For late registrations (3 days in advance) a fee of $25 is charged.
To schedule a date for the exam, contact the Regional TOEFL Registration Center in New Delhi. The contact number is 011- 2651-1649.
In case you want to reschedule or cancel the exam, contact Prometric at least 3 working days in advance (before 12:00 noon). Rescheduling fees is $50.
Carry a valid ID such as passport (mandatory), driving license, government issued identification (same name as registration), recent photo and your registration number.
In India, TOEFL centers are in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Anand, Belgaon, Bhimavaram, Bhopal, Calicut, Chandigarh, Cochin, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Ernakulum, Gandhinagar, Guntur, Gurgaon, Indore, Jaipur , Kohlapur, Kottayam, KUrnul, Kurukshetra, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Madurai, Mangalore, Medak, Nagpur, Nashik, Noida, Panjim, Pondicherry, Patna, Pune, Ranchi, Secundrabad, Srinagar, Surat, Thane, Thissur, Tirunelveli, Tirupati, Trichy, Trivandrum, Udaipur, Vadodara, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Vallabh Vidyanagar and Warangal.
| This article is written as a part of the online initiative of ICICI Lombard GIC, India, to create awareness and provide information to all Indian students going abroad for higher studies. Also visit Indian Student Online blog - http://indianstudentonline.wordpress.com/ for more articles and tips. |
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