So you Wanna Take the TOEFL Exam

If you’re a future student who plants to study in the United Kingdom, chances are that you’re already aware of British universities accepting IELTS scores in regards to admissions. However, if you are a foreign student who is planning to emigrate to the United Kingdom for your studies (especially if you come from a country where English is not the first language) then it may be the case that your university asks you to take the TOEFL exam.

In this article, we’ll go into more details in regards to TOEFL Exam, what it is, how the exam is structured, why it is so important and finally what to do if you don’t get a good grade in it.

What is TOEFL?

TOEFL-or Test of English as a Foreign Language-is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a standardized test given out my English-speaking universities in order to measure the English-speaking abilities of non-native students. It’s a rather well known test, being accepted by more than 11,000 universities across the world in over 190 countries. It’s mostly done right after finishing high school so those who want to study their bachelors should get to it immediately after graduation. Those who want to study their masters are also required to do it if the university which they received their bachelors degree in did not have English as the major language.

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How is TOEFL Exam structured?

The TOEFL exam is out of 120 points. It is structured into four segments, each worth 30 points. These segments are:

• Reading: You will be given 3 to 4 passages in regards to academic topics. Each one will be roughly 700 words long. Each passage will have 10 questions associated with it that you must answer by reading the passage carefully. No prior knowledge of the academic topic in question is needed-the passage should cover only the very basics of it, so you should be able to understand if it even if you have no experience in the matter. The important thing is that you’re able to understand what you’re reading and then answer questions based on the material. Usually lasts an hour.
• Listening: This segment is split into two parts-one part will have 2 to 3 conversations, with each conversation being 3 minutes and having 5 questions to them, and the other will have 4 lectures, each lecture being 5 minutes and having 6 questions assigned to them. Usually, the conversations are between a student and a teacher and the lectures are based on an academic point with some student participation in them. Again, specialized knowledge on the academic part will not be needed. The test-taker is allowed to take notes during this section and look back on them when they answer the questions. Usually lasts forty minutes to an hour.
• Break: Mandatory 10-minute break after finishing the first two segments.
• Speaking: This segment consists of four tasks. Task 1 involves giving your opinion on a familiar topic, with importance on ability to speak spontaneously and coherently. Tasks 2 and 4 involves both reading text and listening to a conversation and answering questions which require you to combine knowledge from both. This part is particularly important as it measures your ability to synthesize and convey information from both the visual and audio spectrum. Finally, in Task 3 you are given an academic lecture which you are to listen to and then answer a question on. The shortest segment of the four, usually lasting only 20 minutes.
• Writing: There are two writing tasks in this segment-one integrated, one independent. The integrated task will have you read a text blurb on an academic topic then listen to a speaker discuss said topic. Your objective will be to list the key points in the speaking part and try to link them together with the key points in the reading part. The independent task is the simples of the lot-write your opinion on a matter which is important to you and explain why you feel that way.

This is the standard format, though there are other ways the test can be formatted, such as the paper-delivered version or the various accommodations one can get during their TOEFL Exam.

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Why is the TOEFL important?

The reason why it’s so important is rather obvious. If you’re going to go to a university where the main language is English, you’re going to benefit a lot more from the education if you can properly speak the language.

It’s also why most universities which have foreign native languages make sure that you are fluent in said language before you enroll-it just gives you more bang for your buck. But there is more to it than just education.

Getting an internship, getting into extracurricular activities, trying to socialize with friends-all of these will be significantly harder if you don’t master the language of the country you will be studying in.

Between the mental drain of loneliness from being unable to communicate with someone and the lack of job experience from not being able to pin down an internship, all of these will just hurt your chances of having a high quality educational experience.

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I did bad in the TOEFL Exam, what now?

Let’s say that you didn’t do good in the TOEFL Exam. Let’s say that you did average-or even below average. This can be a bit worrisome as one can think that their educational career is all over before it began. Luckily, not all universities are super stingy when it comes to TOEFL Exam scores. There are those who will take you in even if you have just a moderate score. Below I’ll be listing 7 universities in no order which you can have a fruitful and valuable education with:

1. University of Derby. Accepts TOEFL Exam scores of 80 to 92. Good for those who want to study business.
2. King’s College London. Accepts average TOEFL Exam score of 72, with 20 in all skills. Good for those looking to study computer science.
3. Imperial College London. Accepts average TOEFL Exam score of 82, with 17 in all skills.
4. University of York. Accepts TOEFL scores of 80 to 90.
5. University of Liverpool. Accepts TOEFL scores of 85 to 90.
6. University of Coverty. Accepts TOEFL scores of 90.
7. University of Leicester. Accepts TOEFL scores of 90.

Admittedly, given the scores above you still do need to score relatively high for any university to take you in but you can take comfort in knowing that you need to get a 100% in order to get an education abroad in an English speaking country.

And there you have it, everything you need to know about the TOEFL Exam. For more information on university related matters, be sure to check out UniApp.