TOEFL EXAM EXPLAINED: YOUR GATEWAY TO GLOBAL EDUCATION

Get entry into the top global universities and a blooming academic experience starting with the TOEFL examination

If you always think of yourself as a student on a lively college campus, discussing amazing ideas with classmates worldwide. This can be your reality with a great score on the TOEFL exam. TOEFL is your gateway to top universities in English-speaking countries like the US, Canada or UK.

This test evaluates your English language abilities across four key areas: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. By excelling in these, you'll showcase your readiness to bloom in an academic environment with English as the primary language of instruction.

This blog will be going to explain to you what is TOEFL exam and why you need no secret codes to clear it. We'll skip the confusing words and explain the test format, and scoring system, and give you winning tips for each part. Think of ways to learn new words that aren't like memorizing a phone book, tricks for understanding different accents like a pro, and writing advice that turns you into a grammar champion. We'll even help you create a study plan that works for you and point you towards awesome resources to feel super confident on test day.

So, throw away the stress and get prepared to do the TOEFL! This guide is your key to unlocking a world of incredible academic opportunities. Let's get you started on an adventure that starts with the TOEFL and ends with you succeeding in a cool new academic environment.

What is the TOEFL Exam?

Let’s learn about the basics of “What is the TOEFL exam?”. Test of English as a Foreign Language or TOEFL, is a standardised test that evaluates the proficiency of non-native speakers in the English language. It's openly accepted by all the universities worldwide, especially in English-speaking countries.

If you have a strong TOEFL score, it demonstrates your ability to succeed in academic programs where English is the main language of instruction. You'll be able to understand lectures and course materials, participate in discussions, and write clear and well-organised essays – all essential skills for thriving in an international academic environment. TOEFL isn't just another exam, you can think of it as a passport to unlock prestigious universities in most of the native English-speaking countries.

The TOEFL assesses your English skills across four key areas:

The TOEFL exam tests your skills in English across four areas, each simulating the demands of academic life abroad, but these skills will also benefit you beyond the classroom. Let's break down what each section assesses and how it translates to real-world situations:

Reading
When confidently addressing complex manuals or technical documents in your classes like a breeze. This is what the reading section is made for, throwing challenging academic passages to see if you can grasp complex ideas and navigate unfamiliar vocabulary in an English-language setting. This ability translates to understanding instructions, reports, and other crucial information in professional settings.

Listening
Picture yourself meeting with your doctor, absorbing information or just following fast-paced discussions with your team from diverse backgrounds. This is why the listening section is created, featuring lectures and conversations filled with new ideas, often spoken with different accents. You'll show universities and future employers you can understand spoken English at an academic and professional level.

Speaking

Fluently, speaking with confidence and delivering presentations at your classes or negotiating effectively with vendors. The speaking is created to evaluate your spoken English fluency. You'll complete tasks like responding to prompts and engaging in simulated conversations, similar to those you might encounter in professional networking or job interviews.

Writing

The art of clear, concise, and well-organised communication in written form. The section on writing assesses one ability to craft strong emails, reports, or proposals – essential for success in any professional environment. This section showcases your analytical and writing skills, allowing you to effectively convey your ideas in writing to colleagues and clients.

How To Prepare For TOEFL Exam

The TOEFL exam can be a gateway to exciting academic opportunities abroad, but test day jitters are a real thing. Fear not, future scholars! This comprehensive guide is your ultimate companion for navigating the TOEFL with confidence. We'll equip you with winning strategies for each section, from mastering reading comprehension to expressing yourself clearly in the speaking section. Plus, we'll unveil valuable resources and insider tips to ensure you arrive at the test centre feeling calm, collected, and ready to showcase your English language skills. Let's unlock your academic potential – together because now you know how to prepare for TOEFL exams.

Prep Your Mind and Body
A good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast are key. You don't want to be battling brain fog or an empty stomach on test day.

Pack Smart
Double-check your official registration confirmation to ensure you have everything you need – your ID, a valid passport (if required), and your pencils. Leave the lucky charm and phone at home (unless it's allowed for emergencies). Breathe and Believe
Test anxiety is natural. Take some deep breaths, remind yourself of all your hard work, and visualise yourself conquering each section.

Scoring System Before TOEFL Test

After learning what you need during your exam, it is important to understand the new scoring system before being triumphed over the TOEFL exam. The scoring system might seem a bit different now because of new changes, while you learn about all the new changes.

Here's a breakdown of the new system to help you interpret your score effectively:

Digital-Based Scoring System

The new TOEFL utilises entirely digital scoring for all sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. This translates to quicker score turnaround times and potentially more consistent scoring across different test administrators.

New Scale System

Gone are the days of the total score out of 677 for the paper-based TOEFL. The new system uses a scaled score for each section, ranging from 0 to 30. This makes it easier to compare your performance across different sections and with other test-takers.

Breaking Down The Sections-Let's Understand More Each Section’s Score

Reading
This section assesses your ability to understand complex academic texts. You'll receive a scaled score between 0 and 30 based on the number of correct answers you provide on multiple-choice and passage-based questions.

Listening
The listening section evaluates your comprehension of spoken English in academic settings. Similar to reading, your score will be scaled score from 0 to 30 based on your performance on multiple-choice and single-choice questions testing your ability to follow lectures, and conversations, and identify key information.

Speaking
This section assesses your spoken English fluency and ability to express yourself clearly on a variety of topics. Here's where things get a bit more complex:

Trained Human Raters: A panel of trained human raters will evaluate your speaking tasks based on your fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary use, and overall ability to communicate effectively. They assign a score based on a specific rubric.

AI Scoring Tools: The new TOEFL incorporates AI scoring tools to supplement the human raters' evaluation. These tools analyse various aspects of your speech, such as intonation, pacing, and grammar usage, providing additional data points for a more comprehensive evaluation.

Final Score: The final speaking score (between 0 and 30) is determined by combining the ratings from human raters and the data from AI scoring tools.

Writing
The writing section assesses your ability to write clear, concise, and organized essays. Your writing tasks will be evaluated by a combination of human raters and ETS's patented e-rater automated scoring engine, which uses AI technology and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to assess writing proficiency.

AI Scoring Tools: The e-rater engine provides a holistic score for your essay, as well as real-time diagnostic feedback on grammar, usage, mechanics, style, organization, and development. These features have been developed to be substantively meaningful and demonstrate strong reliability, often greater than human raters themselves.

Trained Human Raters: Human raters will also assess your writing tasks, evaluating aspects like organization, grammar, vocabulary usage, and your ability to develop and support an argument. The combination of automated and human essay scoring has been shown to demonstrate assessment score reliability and measurement benefits.

Your final score (scaled from 0 to 30) reflects how well you demonstrate these writing essentials, as determined by both human raters and the e-rater engine.

Calculating Your Total Score

Your total TOEFL score is simply the sum of your scaled scores from all four sections (Reading + Listening + Speaking + Writing). This means your total score can range from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 120.

Here's an explanation of how the new TOEFL scoring method works and how to understand it:

Adding Up the Courses: After you take the test, your scores for all four sections (Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing) are added together.

Your Final Score: The sum of your four section scores becomes your total TOEFL score. This score can range from a minimum of 0 (if you scored 0 in all sections) to a maximum of 120 (if you scored a perfect 30 in all sections).

Here's a tip for understanding your score:

Understanding your TOEFL score report is straightforward. Each university sets its own minimum TOEFL score requirement for different programs. Your score report will show your score in each section (Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing) and your total score. While the TOEFL journey can feel intimidating, you don't need to feel alone. LingoLeap, with its cutting-edge AI technology, can be your personal TOEFL guide, helping you every step of the way. Starting to build up vocabulary and master grammar to practice speaking and receiving personalized feedback, LingoLeap will be your trusted companion on the path to TOEFL success. Then simply compare your scores to the specific requirements of the programs you're interested in to see if you meet the mark for admission.