TOEFL: It's Significance and some crucial information you don't wanna miss out.

TOEFL, you might be familiar with this term, many of you might be preparing for the TOEFL exam i.e "Test of English as a Foreign Language". In this blog, i'm gonna highlight some important points about TOEFL and also show you how can you save $1500- $3000 by scoring a good score in TOEFL.

TOEFL?

Let's get straight to the point, TOEFL is used to check your English proficiency or how apt is your ability to read, write, listen and speak English language. TOEFL exams are conducted throughout the year and you can appear for the test at ETS approved test centers nearby your area by paying $170 at TOEFL iBT website (ETS). TOEFL exam is important and it has not to be taken lightly, there are many people to whom you may encounter and they would be very casual about these exams and would suggest you to "Just chill bro.. bohot easy hai". But trust me you don't have to believe in every thing they say.

Significance of TOEFL?

To begin with, the significance of TOEFL is relatively not as important as GRE, as some esteemed universities doesn't have the requirement of TOEFL or IELTS. However, majority of university do have a basic criteria when it comes to TOEFL or IELTS, they want there students to comprehend and speak English language according to their university standards. Yeah, surely appearing for TOEFL will always going to be beneficial for your profile. So appearing for TOEFL will surely bolster you to get into your dream university and also would prove a plus point during VISA interview.

How much marks one should score?

First of all, TOEFL is scored out of 120 marks. There are in total 4 sections, each section in the exam i.e Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing consist of 30 marks( 30 x 4 = 120). As stated earlier every university requirement is different from one another. Anywho, good TOEFL score is considered to be 100+ and some university even have requirement of score above 110+. It might seem daunting but hold your horses right there cause  score above 90 is also considered as a good score which is also accepted by many reputed universities. I would suggest score at least  above 90 and if you are able to score above 100 or 110 then you have no reason to worry.

Why having a good score in TOEFL or IELTS exam is necessary?

As an international student it is expected from us to represent our English proficiency. If we somehow fail to do so, then while applying to universities it might happen your TOEFL or IELTS score becomes a hindrance in the admission process. If your profile is outstanding and the admission committee likes it but only your TOEFL score is less, then in such scenarios university ask you to take additional English course at their university.

This may sound fascinating or even generous of the university to offer there students all the helpful resources, But wait few resources which are happened to be offered by university comes at a price. To my knowledge the English proficiency courses offered by US universities may cost around 1 lakh to 2 lakh INR which is 1500 to 3000 USD or in some cases even more. So to save this good amount of money which you can spend eating good food, exploring US or saving it up for Tuition fee, prepare well and score a respectable score. 

What is the structure of TOEFL exam?

Section	Time Limit	Questions	Tasks
Reading	60–80 minutes	36–56 questions	Read 3 or 4 passages from academic texts and answer questions.
Listening	60–90 minutes	34–51 questions	Listen to lectures, classroom discussions and conversations, then answer questions.
Break	10 minutes	—	—
Speaking	20 minutes	6 tasks	Express an opinion on a familiar topic; speak based on reading and listening tasks.
Writing	50 minutes	2 tasks	Write essay responses based on reading and listening tasks; support an opinion in writing.

As shown in the above table, there would be 4 sections you have to go through in order to complete the TOEFL test. Test begins with Reading followed by Listening-> a short Break  ( 😁Hurraayy!!!!)-> Speaking and finally, Writing. If you observe the Questions and the Task column, you will get to know these 4 sections are divided into sub-sections. You will get approximately 4 hrs to complete the exam. Make sure you had a good breakfast and carry some eatables with you, which you can grab during the 10 mins Break. 

More information on TOEFL is available on ETS official website (click here).

In the Next part on the TOEFL i'll cover About the structure of the Reading and Listening? and i'll also list down some sources from where you can practice Reading and Listening for FREE.