TOEFL SCORES : OLD VS. NEW

In 1998 the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) changed the content and format of the test to more accurately measure test-takers’ English language ability. Due to this change, there is a new scale for the scores on the computer-based test:

- Old Score Scale- Paper-based test: overall score from 310 to 677

- New Score Scale- Computer-based test: overall score from 40 to 300

The computer-based test is divided into three sections. The above score is the overall score. For the three sections the scale is:

• 1. Listening (0-30)
• 2. Structure/Writing (0-30)
• 3. Reading (0-30)

You will also have to write an essay that will be independently rated by two qualified readers. They will give you a score between 1 and 6. This score will be incorporated into the Structure/Writing score.

Your score is based on how well you do on the questions and how many you answer. You will receive more credit for correctly answering a difficult question than for correctly answering an easy question.

WHAT SCHOOLS ARE LOOKING FOR

To know what TOEFL score your prospective school requires, you should contact their admissions department. Requirements vary from school to school depending on your level and field of study.

For example: Boston University, with one of the largest population of international students in any American college or university, requires a minimum TOEFL score of 550(old)/213(new). For some departments, however, they require a minimum score of 600(old)/250(new). INSEAD, located in France and Singapore, requires a minimum TOEFL score of 620(old)/260(new) for their MBA program. The Royal College of Art, a postgraduate university of art and design located in the United Kingdom, requires a minimum TOEFL score of 213(new).

(Sources- www.bu.edu, www.insead.edu/mba, www.rca.ac.uk)

As you can see from the above examples, some schools list both old and new score requirements, while others only list one or the other. If they give you a score without saying whether it is the old or the new one, it is fairly easy to figure out which one it is with the above chart.

If it is not clear, contact the school and ask them to clarify if their score requirements are according to the pre-1998 paper-based TOEFL test score or the post-1998 computer-based TOEFL test score.

VIEWING YOUR SCORES

Once you have finished the computer-based test, you may immediately see your scores on the Listening and Reading sections. Your Structure/Writing section score will be listed as an approximate score(i.e. 4-25) but will not be known until the essay has been read and rated. You will also see an approximate overall score(i.e. 142-219).

If you typed your essay, you will receive a printed score report approximately two weeks from the date that you took the test. If you wrote your essay, you will receive the printed score report approximately five weeks from the date that you took the test.

After viewing your approximate scores, you can choose to either send them to institutions or cancel them. Within sixty days of canceling them, if you decide that you want to reinstate them, you can pay a small fee to do so.

TOEFL VISION

Why is the TOEFL so broadly requested, required, and desired? Perhaps it is due to its commitment since its birth in 1963 to "providing institutions and organizations with a complement of English language assessments and other information to assist in the evaluation, admission, placement, and education of students and other nonnative speakers of English".

It may also be due to the continued involvement of the three highly respected educational organizations ETS(Educational Testing Services- www.ets.org), the College Board(www.collegeboard.com), and the GRE(Graduate Record Examinations- www.gre.org) Board.

Or perhaps it is due simply to their commitment to education. They try to see beyond the test’s function as an English ability scale. As stated on their website, "The TOEFL board recognizes the role that English plays in providing access to a rapidly expanding knowledge base in an increasingly technological world. The Board is committed to guiding the program in the development and delivery of the best possible tests and related services for an international constituency."

Will TOEFL help guide us into the unknown future of man and technology? Well, if English is the principal language spoken, then TOEFL will certainly play an important role in deciding who is eligible for higher Anglophone education and who must work harder before they can be eligible. So, better keep practicing your English. Don’t forget that you can take the test once a month.

(Source- www.toefl.org)