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Taking the TOEFL for study in the USA
If you want to study in the USA, you will almost certainly have to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The TOEFL remains the most widely recognised test for admission to degree programmes and many other college courses.
TOEFL is also accepted by many universities outside the US. If you are not a native speaker of English but have studied in an English-speaking country for at least three years, US colleges will probably waive the TOEFL requirement. However, this is done on a case-by-case basis, and you must check with each individual institution rather than assume that you do not have to take the test.
The TOEFL Information Bulletin - If the colleges you are applying to require a TOEFL score, the first thing you need to do is obtain the TOEFL information bulletin. This free booklet provides information on how to register for the TOEFL, fees and payment methods, registration forms, a list of test centres, what happens on the test day, scoring information, and some sample questions. As it contains so much information, the booklet is quite long, but a thorough reading will pay off in terms of following the correct registration procedures and a clear understanding of the test. The bulletin is available on the TOEFL Website at www.toefl.org, and is also available by mail from the test administrators (or from their local representatives in some countries), as well as from US educational advising centres around the world. To find the closest source to you, either consult the TOEFL Website or contact a US Embassy or Consulate for details of your nearest US educational advising centre.
"The TOEFL is currently offered in most countries as a computer-based test."
The TOEFL is currently offered in most countries as a computer-based test. This does not mean you can sit down at any computer to take the test - that would make it very easy for someone to take the test on your behalf! Rather, it means that the test is offered at secure testing centres in various cities around the world where there a number of people taking the test at the same time on computer workstations with headphones. The TOEFL is a computer-adaptive test, which means that the test software will adapt the questions to the ability of the test taker - so if you are doing well it will feed you harder questions, if you are not doing so well it will feed you easier questions! You get more points for getting the harder questions right.
The computer-based test has an introductory tutorial session and four mandatory sections which assess listening (30-50 questions), structure (20-25 questions), reading (44-60 questions), and writing skills (you will be required to write an essay). In total the test session is around four hours long.
There are some countries where the TOEFL is offered as a paper-based test. For further information, consult the TOEFL Website and the TOEFL bulletin.
"You can register for TOEFL by mail, fax or telephone, and currently the test costs US$140."
You can register for TOEFL by mail, fax or telephone, and currently the test costs US$140. There are eight registration centres worldwide, whose details are in the TOEFL bulletin. To register by fax or telephone, you need a credit card. Payments by mail can be made by cheque in US dollars or a number of other currencies, by credit card or by other methods, all of which are detailed in the information bulletin.
Although you can theoretically register as late as two days before you wish to take the test, sometimes certain test centres are so busy that it is not possible to take the test for two months or more, so register as far in advance as possible. At a minimum, you need to take the TOEFL four weeks before the application deadline for your colleges in order for the scores to reach the school on time (longer if you want to handwrite rather than type the test essay).
Student Survival Guide