Do you want to know in-depth about the TOEFL exam?

Are you aware of the new changes in TOEFL that have been incorporated?

If you are unsure of any of the above questions, then you鈥檝e landed in the right place. Here, we will take you through what the TOEFL really is about, who conducts it, why it is important, and what you can do to best prepare for it. Moreover, since the 1^st of August 2019, there have been some changes in the TOEFL exam, and we will guide you through those as well!

What is the TOEFL?

Devised and conducted by the Educational Testing Service (), the 鈥�Test of English as a Foreign Language鈥� 鈥� or TOEFL as it is commonly known 鈥� is a very popular exam that tests students鈥� proficiency in the English language. Accepted by American universities, this test forms a mandatory prerequisite for most schools abroad. 

The ETS states that 鈥渢he TOEFL tests an international student鈥檚 usage and understanding of English as it is spoken, written, and heard in college and university surroundings鈥�. The sole proprietary of this exam rests with the ETS, and thus the responsibility for setting the TOEFL questions, its conduction, and correction is in their hands.聽

The TOEFL is a year-round exam, which means that students are given the freedom to choose from multiple TOEFL test dates across the span of a year, and can even select their preferred test centers to appear in for their exam. This test can also be attempted as many times as the candidate chooses to, but to take a re-test the student must wait for a 12-day period after their previous attempt. There are two kinds of TOEFL exams 鈥� Internet-based (TOEFL iBT) and paper-based. Both are priced at US$180.聽

The scoring ranges are as follows:

• Reading: 0鈥�30
• Listening: 0鈥�30
• Speaking: 0鈥�30
• Writing: 0鈥�30

What are the changes in the TOEFL exam?

Earlier in the year, the governing body ETS announced that from the 1^st of August 2019 there would be significant changes in the format and pattern of this exam. These major changes will be in the Reading, Listening, as well as Speaking sections. The table below shows the comparison between the 2018 format and the updated 2019 format:

Other Changes

The primary reason behind these changes is to help reduce fatigue and lower stress levels in students, invariably helping them to achieve higher scores overall.

The table above shows the major changes in the Listening, Reading, and Speaking sections, while the Writing Section remains majorly untouched. Candidates will still have to complete two writing tasks in 50 minutes or under on one integrated and one independent topic.

However, one other aspect that the ETS has decided to change is their scoring policies. That鈥檚 right! The TOEFL exam 2019 (and henceforth) will contain a separate section in your score report, referred to as “MyBest Scores“.  

This section will combine the best result from each section over all the attempts you have given in the last two years. The IBT MyBest score works similar to the SAT scoring system. ETS will automatically pick your best sections (from your previous 2 years) and then combine them to create your highest score possible. So, if you had a wonderful TOEFL exam, but your overall scored was hampered due to one bad section 鈥� this will have you covered! 

Let鈥檚 look at an example. Imagine you took your TOEFL 4 times in the last 2 years. Hence:

Using this scoring system, your overall changes a dramatic 12 points! This has been put in place by the ETS to help candidates achieve their target scores and reduce the damaging effects of one bad section that could have otherwise cost you admission into the program of your choice.

To Summarize the Changes

To quickly summarize, there are seven major changes to keep in mind for your TOEFL 2019 exam. They are:

1. Independent Writing questions are slightly longer.
2. Students will also now find a warning that renders “used memorized examples” null and void for the independent Writing section.
3. In multiple-choice questions, candidates can now pick more than one option per question.
4. The Speaking questions are slightly longer than before
5. It is now possible to score 25 points in the Speaking section.
6. The 鈥淢yBest Score鈥� section is added from August 2019.

How to Prepare for the New TOEFL Format?

Well, since there are all these changes 鈥� the most common question that arises is:

鈥淲hat do I do to prepare for the changes in TOEFL?鈥�

The simple answer is nothing!

This is because of the systematic and comprehensive way in which the ETS has conducted these changes to augment the test-taking experience. Since no question types are added or removed from the Reading and Listening sections, your preparations will continue unhampered. Your question types all remain the same, and the difficulty, as well as weightage, aren鈥檛 doctored. In fact, your overall time of the exam has decreased by 30 minutes, so that it鈥檚 easier to build up the stamina for this exam! 

These changes are great for everyone and will help you score higher as well!

We hope this article helps you in your preparation for your TOEFL. If you have any more questions, don鈥檛 hesitate to reach out to us. For more information, you can contact us directly at 91热爆.com! 

Good day and good luck!

The post Changes in TOEFL Exam from August 1st, 2019 appeared first on 91热爆 Blog.

Before we go into the feasibility, ease and further details about the exam, you must check out which exam score is accepted by the university of your choice. and you must stick to that.聽

Also learn what exactly is a good 91热爆 score and the 91热爆 scores that different universities accept.

Getting down to the brass tacks, the differences in the reading, writing, listening and speaking sections of TOEFL/IELTS are explained below:

Speaking:

Quite possibly the biggest difference between the two tests is 聽the Speaking section. While IELTS requires you to talk to a real person, TOEFL on the other hand gives you the chance to interact with man鈥檚 trusted personal digital assistant i.e. a computer!聽Some prefer the good old human interaction, others prefer talking to a computer.

In TOEFL you鈥檒l be given 6 questions to answer spanning a period of 20 minutes.
IELTS speaking test comprises of 3 sections lasting for about 15 minutes.聽

Some students prefer talking one on one to a real person and hence find TOEFL to be a tad bit more challenging compared to IELTS.
While the shy ones prefer speaking to a computer.

Writing:

Pen and paper vs Keyboard, is the differentiating factor in this particular section. IELTS requires you to use pen and paper while TOEFL needs you to use all your might at typing, a sigh of relief for all those with bad handwriting!

Both TOEFL and IELTS have two questions you need to answer, but the format varies.

In TOEFL writing section you鈥檒l be given a text to read followed by which there will be a 2 minute lecture on the same topic. You will have to write a short answer to a question based on the same topic being discussed. Most students prefer this as they need not necessarily know much about the topic.

The second question in the writing section is a discursive essay which is similar to an academic essay.

When it comes to IELTS there are two different writing sections

1. Academic: for potential grad students hoping to pursue Master鈥檚.
2. General Training: This is for immigration purposes only.

Academic Writing: The academic Writing test which is 60 minutes long is broken up into two sections Task 1 and Task 2.聽

In Task 1 you will have to present your description of a visual information say a graph, chart, process etc. in your own words. The word limit is 150 words and the time allotted to you for task 1 is 20 minutes.

Task 2 comprises of an essay question wherein you鈥檙e provided with a an argument/problem, you will have to write a response providing ample reasons and examples in support of your answer. You have to write an essay of 250 words in 40 minutes time.

General Training : The general training test again has two sections Task 1 and Task 2.

In Task 1 you will be given 20 minutes to write a letter explaining or asking more information about a particular situation that is presented to you. The word limit here is 150 words. the writing style of the letter may be personal, semi-formal or formal.

Task 2 of general training is similar to the task 2 of the academic writing section. You are required to write an essay on a given point of view, argument or problem providing reasons and examples to substantiate your stand. However, this essay can be written in a slightly more personal fashion as compared to the academic writing style.

Listening:

The major differentiating factor between TOEFL/IELTS in terms of the listening section is the length. While the TOEFL listening test is 60 minutes long, the IELTS test lasts for 30 minutes. Other than the duration of the tests, accents, question type and context of the questions also differ. The context of the TOEFL listening section is fully academic whereas the IELTS listening section can be from both academic and social standpoints.

The TOEFL listening test follows a multiple choice question format, if you鈥檙e a fan of the MCQs good for you!
In the IELTS test questions vary from sentence completion to matching headings to diagram labeling all the way to true/false arguments.

Coming to the accent part of the test, generally TOEFL listening test is in standard american English whereas there are a ton of accent variations in the IELTS exam from across all of the English speaking countries. While many students prefer american accents but IELTS provides you with a lot of different accents when it comes to Listening section.

Reading:

Just like the listening section, the reading section of TOEFL is also Multiple Choice Questions only. IELTS has a wider range of question types. Both TOEFL/IELTS have the same duration of 60 minutes for the reading section.The reading section for TOEFL/IELTS vary both in terms of question and context.

IELTS consists of three or sometimes four reading passages of increasing difficulty, and there is a total of 40 questions to answer. Similar to the writing section this section also has academic and general writing, wherein you鈥檒l have to attempt more questions correctly as they鈥檙e less challenging compared to the academic reading section. 聽

The 聽TOEFL reading test consists of three passages and contains 39 questions. 聽There will be 13 questions on each passage.

Now, that you have a brief idea about both the English proficiency tests, let’s talk about the grading system and the entire duration of the exam.

TOEFL lasts approximately 4 hours.It is graded between 0-120.You can expect to get your result after 10 days of the test date.

IELTS lasts about 2 hours 45 minutes. It is graded between 0-9. Speaking tests may be held a few days before or after the Test Date. You may expect to get your result 13 calendar days after the test date.

Some feel TOEFL to be too long and strenuous while others feel comfortable with Multiple choice questions; some find it 聽strange speaking to a computer while the shy one鈥檚 feel perfectly fine interacting with a computer. Some feel IELTS is easier than TOEFL and visa versa. The difficulty level depends upon the test takers perception.

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