TOEFL certification - cost and difficulty
Certification: English Test Preparation TOEFL - Test of English as Foreign Language
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is a regulated exam that tests the candidate in his proficiency in the language of English. It is mainly done by students who are will to enrol to the U.S universities who are non-native English speakers. The paper is both internet based and paper based. TOEFL is accepted by various professional and academic institutions. The Test is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which is a non-profit organisation. The scores that one gets on the TOEFL are usually valid for two years, after that they are no longer available for reporting. The exam a crucial English language test, which will help many applicants get into some of the great universities. For one to do so, they need to obtain a high score. The test is known to be a difficult one, but with the right kind of preparation and study guideline, one can be able to get the highest score possible.
By understanding what the exam is all about, one can be able to know what they are required of. The exam mainly assesses and measures one's English reading, speaking, listening and writing skills. Summary of the structure of the TOEFL is as follows:
One Reading section - The time limit I this section is 60 to 80 minutes, whereby one, has to answer 36 to 56 questions. In this section, one is required to read passages and answer the questions.
One Listening section-This section is allocated 60 to 90 minutes and has 34 to 51 questions. One is require to listen to lectures, conversations and classroom discussion, the answer the questions.
One Speaking section-This part is awarded 20 minutes and has six tasks. The applicant is required to express an opinion a familiar topic.
One Writing section-In this section time allocated is 50 minutes, and the candidate has two tasks. One is supposed to write an essay based on reading and listening tasks.
How difficult is the TOEFL?
It is known for long that language skills have not been quite easy, but it also depends with the individual of who is attempting the exam, and also how one can tackle each of the four sections in the TOEFL. Once one knows what is required of them in each part, then they will be able to know which parts are difficult to them. Many students ask whether the exam is easy or hard, but determining language difficulty has proven to be a bit hard. As a candidate you probably know that in order to pass the TOEFL exam, you need to have fluent skill in the language of English. Unless you fully prepare for the TOEFL exam, you will find all sections very difficult. The following are a summary of each of the difficulty of each section in the TOEFL exam:
Difficulty in the TOEFL reading section
According to research, the reading section has proven to be a hard part for most students. It is a part that requires one to be able to read and write any language. For one to understand this section, they need to be able to participate effortlessly in conversations using idioms and communication.
Difficulty in the Listening Section
This section has proven to be quite difficult for most student. The reading section is known to be hard because of the vocabulary while the listening section is known for two main problems. In the listening section, the recordings are a bit slower than natural speech making sound as if it has bad pronunciation. Also, in the listening section some of the samples are very long. It may get hard to pay attention to the long passages, making it hard to answer some of the questions. One can prepare for the listening section by listening to a lot of lectures and audio material.
Difficulty in the Speaking and Writing Section?
This section is known to be not that hard at all. They are less stressful compared to the listening and reading sections. The Speaking section is known to be the easiest part by most students who have already attempted the test. One needs to able to express themselves fluently and also precisely. The writing section is also not as difficult compared to the other sections. The writing task similar to most English classes. One just needs to comprehensibly explain their position on the particular issue provided. To be good at writing, one needs to practice on their writing skills gradually.
How to adequately prepare for the TOEFL
Difficulty of the test paper mainly depends with the level of preparation that one has done before the exam. Getting the right kind of study material is imperative to the applicant. TOEFL requires one to prepare for around six months to one year if they want to fully understand the paper. There are also several prep-courses that provide excellent TOEFL training classes so that one get well oriented. Each section assesses certain skills in the student, so one needs to understand what those skills are. English is a wide language and with enough practice, one can understand the sections ideally. Before the exam day, make sure also to practice with sample test papers. This will make sure that you have an idea of how the questions will appear in the main exam. One can be able to even predict the questions.
Fee for the TOEFL
The following are the details of the fees and payments of the TOEFL
- Registration – Fees vary depending on the country
- Late registration - $35
- Rescheduling - $60
- Reinstatement of cancelled scores - $20
- Additional Score reports (per institution) - $19 each
- Speaking or writing section score review - $80
- Returned personal check (paper or electronic) - $20