Why Take the TOEFL Test?
Most people take the TOEFL test as a prerequisite for
admission into colleges and universities where English is
used or required. In addition, many government, licensing,
and certification agencies and exchange and scholarship
programs use TOEFL scores to evaluate the English proficiency
of people for whom English is not their native language.
Who Should
Take the TOEFL Test?
Nonnative English speakers at the 11th-grade level or above
should take the TOEFL test to provide evidence of their
English proficiency before beginning academic work. The
test content is considered too difficult for students below
11th grade.
Many institutions report that they frequently do not require
TOEFL test scores of certain kinds of international applicants.
These include:
nonnative speakers who hold degrees or diplomas from postsecondary
institutions in English-speaking countries (e.g., the United
States, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand)
nonnative speakers who have successfully completed at least
a two-year course of study in which English was the language
of instruction
transfer students from institutions in the United States
or Canada whose academic course work was favorably evaluated
in relation to its demands and duration.
nonnative speakers who have taken the TOEFL test within
the past two years
nonnative speakers who have successfully pursued academic
work at schools where English was the language of instruction
in an English-speaking country for a specified period, generally
two years.
Students should contact their prospective institutions directly
concerning their specific admission requirements.
Where Can People Take
the Test?
The TOEFL test is offered in 180 countries around the world
at
institutional locations, such as colleges and universities
testing centers operated by Prometric, a division of Thomson
Learning
In areas where access to computer-based testing or Internet-based
testing is limited, a paper-based version of the test is
administered on specific dates. The paper-based TOEFL test
is generally offered at institutional locations such as
colleges and universities.
*TOEFL® and Test
of English as a Foreign Language™ are trademark
of Educational Testing Service, which was not involved in
the production of, and does not endorse, this site.
