TOEFL exam Pattern and Preparation Start Ups

Almost all people who take the TOEFL test are planning to study at colleges and universities where instruction is in English. In addition, many government agencies, scholarship programs, and licensing/certification agencies use TOEFL scores to evaluate English proficiency.

The TOEFL is an Internet-based test and has four sections in it. It is approximately four hours long. All four sections can be taken on one day. Note-taking is allowed throughout the test to help test takers answer the questions.

Sections of the test are as below:-

Reading
Three to five academic reading passages, followed by comprehension questions

Listening
Two conversations that include two or more speakers in each. Four lectures, which include classroom dialogue.

Speaking
6 questions, where you have to speak about something you have heard or read.

Writing
Two writing tasks, one involves reading and listening.

This means that to have a good score in TOEFL, all these areas must be perfected well. And for this a lot of hard work is to be put in these areas.

Few important things you could start off with is listening to vocabulary boosters or cd’s which not only increases your word power, but also improves your listening skills. Listening to these will help you in pronunciation of words and also you have to observe how speaker reads out sentences or the words. Thus it indirectly helps you in reading and speaking to a extent. This is a basic step for all TOEFL takers can start off with.

Read the next post on KIN for futher tips on TOEFL!!!

TOEFL :Potential Index

Why the TOEFL test is best: 6 facts that can make all the difference to you.

Once you decide to study overseas at a university that requires strong English skills, you have another important decision: which English-language test is the right one to help you get there?

Only one is the most accepted, most respected English-language test in the world. And it’s the TOEFL test. Here are 6 very important ways this matters to you:

1. It’s preferred by 4 out of 5 admissions officers over any other English-language proficiency test. Here’s why:

The TOEFL test does the best job of assessing your English-language skills.
It provides more accurate scores than other English-language tests — which are more useful in making admissions decisions.
The TOEFL test is more available and accessible to test takers worldwide.

What this means to you: You can feel confident that the admissions officers seeing your scores as part of your application are satisfied that you have the English-language skills you need to succeed at their institution.

2. The TOEFL test is accepted at more institutions than any other English-language test in the world — at over 8,000 universities, agencies, and other institutions in over 130 countries, including nearly every top university in the U.S., UK, and Australia.

What this means to you: Your TOEFL scores can help you go anywhere you want because they’re accepted at nearly every university or institution where strong English skills are required.

3. The ETS makeS it easier for you to take the test than other English-language tests:

# ETS has the most test sites — over 4,500 locations in over 165 countries around the world — in easy-to-get-to locations to help reduce the travel time and cost of travel for our test takers.
# The entire test is given in one day — unlike other tests that make you come back a second day — saving you time and money.
# ETS administers the TOEFL test 30 to 40 times a year to offer as many test-taking opportunities as possible for your convenience.
# ETS has created free prep materials and official test prep tools with actual questions from prior tests as real-life training — all to give you the most authentic experience possible so you can feel confident and prepared on test day. Now you can save up to 35% when you purchase one of the new TOEFL® Value Packs, which include the most popular prep tools and other extras.

What this means to you: Taking the TOEFL test is easier because of the thousands of test site locations and test taking opportunities you have to choose from, as well as having access to official practice tools and resources to prepare.


4. TOEFL test scores will help you stand out and get noticed — because universities have long considered that the TOEFL test provides more accurate scores that are more useful for making admissions decisions. Why? Because it truly measures how well you can integrate the four English skills you need to succeed in a classroom environment.

What this means to you: Your scores will prove to you and to admissions officers that you’ve mastered the English skills used in the classroom — from listening to lectures and reading textbooks to writing papers and speaking in class.

5. The content on the TOEFL test is 100% academic, with tasks that actually reflect what you’ll experience in a classroom — making it the most comprehensive academic English-language test available. Some English-language tests don’t have tasks that demonstrate you have the English skills you need to perform at school. And that could put you at a disadvantage when those scores are considered as part of your academic university admissions.

What this means to you: You can feel confident knowing that universities think the TOEFL test is the most appropriate test to use when making admissions decisions.

6. The TOEFL test measures speaking more fairly than any other English-language test —because the TOEFL test uses multiple raters to score you instead of just one rater, unlike other tests.

Here’s why: Many test takers consider the speaking section of all English-language tests to be challenging. Sitting one-on-one in front of a human rater in a formal speaking interview can be intimidating. And what if the rater is having a bad day and rates you lower than you deserve?

The TOEFL test speaking section is less intimidating and more reliable for two reasons. First, you speak your responses directly into a microphone — without a rater sitting in front of you. Then, your recorded responses are later rated by three to six ETS raters, instead of just one, to give you the most fair and objective score possible.

What this means to you: The TOEFL test makes taking the speaking section easier for you because it is less intimidating— and is more objective in its scoring — than any other English-language test available.
No other English-language test can offer you the accuracy, convenience, respect and entrance into universities around the world that the TOEFL test can. That’s why nearly 20 million students have used and trusted the TOEFL test to get into the university of their choice. And it’s why the TOEFL test can make all the difference for you.

TOEFL Scholarship ....an overview

TOEFL Scholarship Program in India
TOEFL scholarships let you study at the university of your choice.

2012 TOEFL Scholarships Available (Application Deadline: April 13, 2012)
# Four (4) US$10,000 scholarships available: one to colleges/universities in the U.K., one to colleges/universities in the U.S., one to colleges/universities in Australia and one to colleges/universities in Canada
# Six (6) US$5,000 scholarships available to any location.


Eligibility
TOEFL scholarships will be awarded to students in India who meet the following requirements:

# You must currently be living in India.
# You must begin undergraduate or graduate study in 2012 at a college/university listed in the TOEFL Destinations Directory (PDF).
# You must hold a grade point average (GPA) of 80 or higher on a 100-point scale or 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
# You must have a valid TOEFL score.
# You must return a completed application form which includes a written essay, your TOEFL test scores, and official transcript in a sealed envelope.
Scholarship award funds for students who will be studying abroad are applied to their tuition fees only after the student has registered with the institution and arrived on campus.

Application Requirements:
To officially apply for a TOEFL scholarship, you must submit the following documents postmarked by the April 13, 2012 deadline:

# a completed application, including TOEFL scores and a completed essay
# an official transcript in a sealed envelope

Application Process:

Before March 13, 2012.....Take the TOEFL test and get your scores. We recommend taking the test as soon as possible so your scores are available well before the April 13, 2012 deadline.

Before April 13, 2012
When you are ready to submit your application, print a single copy and submit it along with an official transcript from your high school (for those applying for undergraduate study) or university (for those applying for graduate study) in a sealed envelope.

Send your completed application and official transcript to Study Places. (Study Places is the local TOEFL Resource Center for ETS that will process the applications.) Only completed application files received by Study Places on or before the April 13, 2012 deadline will be considered. Address your materials to:

ETS Scholarship Program
StudyPlaces.com
308, Udyog Vihar, Phase - 2,
Gurgaon 122001
Haryana, INDIA

Before June 1, 2012...If you are selected as a TOEFL scholarship winner, you will be required to e-mail the Scholarship Response form and a PDF of the acceptance letter from the college/university you will be attending to TOEFL@studyplaces.com by June 1, 2012.

Selection Process
April 13–April 22, 2012...ETS will verify the TOEFL score and the scores in the transcripts submitted by the applicants.

On or about April 23, 2012...Study Places will e-mail you regarding your standing.

April 23–April 30, 2012...The selected applications will be anonymously evaluated by two independent raters, both of whom are from the Indian higher education sector, who will be selected and trained by ETS to evaluate the scholarship applications.

May 8, 2012....Study Places will notify finalists of their standing.

May 9–May 18, 2012...Interview for finalists (via phone or Skype)

On or about May 22, 2012...ETS will select the winners based on their application evaluations and interview and Study Places will e-mail them to inform them of their award.

Before June 1, 2012...Winners are required to e-mail the Scholarship Response form and a PDF of the acceptance letter from the college/university they will be attending to TOEFL@studyplaces.com.

Early July 2012 Scholarship winners will be invited to a scholarship ceremony and media conference, and will be invited to give testimonials and participate in media interviews.

August 2012...ETS will disburse scholarship funds to winners’ colleges/universities to be applied to tuition fees only after the student visa has been approved and they have registered with the institution and arrived on campus.