TOEFL®
Test of English as a Foreign Language
The purpose of the TOEFL test is to evaluate the English proficiency of people whose native language is not English. In 1999-00, more than 348,417 people registered to take the computer-based test. TOEFL scores are required for purposes of admission by more than 2,400 two-and-four-year colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. The test is also used by institutions in other countries where English is the language of instruction. In addition, government agencies,scholarship programs, and licensing/certification agencies use TOEFL scores to evaluate English proficiency.
THE COMPUTER-BASED TEST
The computer-based TOEFL test was introduced in July 1998 in many parts of the world. It combines many of the same question types as the traditional paper-based test with new question types that can be offered only on the computer.
The test has four sections, all of which are mandatory.
• Listening measures the ability to understand English as it is spoken in North America. This section tests comprehension of main ideas, supporting ideas, important details, and inferences. You will both see and hear the questions before the answer choices appear.
• Structure measures the ability to recognize language that is appropriate for standard written English. The language tested is formal, rather than conversational. When topics have a national context, they refer to United States or Canadian history, culture, art, or literature. However, knowledge of these contexts is not needed to answer the questions.
• Reading measures the ability to understand short passages similar in topic and style to academic texts used in North American colleges and universities. You will read a variety of short passages on academic subjects and answer several questions about each passage.
• Writing measures the ability to write in English on an assigned topic. You must compose an essay in order to receive a total score.
One difference between the computer-based test and the paper-based test is that some sections of the computer-based test are "computer-adaptive." In computer-adaptive sections, questions are chosen from a very large pool of questions that are categorized by difficulty and content. The questions are chosen by the computer based on how you answer the previous questions. For instance, the first question you receive in a computer-adaptive section will be of average difficulty. The question you receive next will generally be one that best fits your performance (how well you did on the previous question) and the design of the test. The test design for both paper and computer assures that all test takers will be tested on similar skills (e.g., comprehension of main idea, understanding of inferences) and subject matter (a variety of topics for lectures and passages). The scores of all test takers, at all ability levels, are based on the same number of questions. Pretest questions, used for research purposes, may be included in the test, but your answers to these questions are not scored.
In the TOEFL computer-based test, the Listening and Structure sections are adaptive. In these sections, you will be able to change your answer as often as you like until you have made your final choice, confirmed your answer, and moved on to the next question. You will not be allowed to go back to a previous question, because your answers to all previous questions help determine the difficulty level of the next question given.
The Reading section of the test is not adaptive. This section is similar to that of the paper-based test in that you will receive passages and accompanying sets of questions. Because the selection of these passages and questions will not be based on your performance, you will be allowed to omit items or go back to previous questions.
In the Writing section, the computer will assign you a topic from a pool of topics You will have the choice of handwriting your response or typing it on the computer.
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