What Does the TOEFL Exam Setup Looks Like?

The growing number of people taking English proficiency examinations has been increasing for the past years. This is a clear indication that more and more Filipinos have found great opportunities for them overseas. English proficiency tests are major requirement for non-native English speakers, like Filipinos, when they wish to work, study or stay for good in other countries. One of these tests being taken by many Filipinos is the TOEFL or the Test of English as a Foreign Language.

There are a lot of people who are still clueless on how the test looks like – the detail on its sections, the physical layout of the test center and other information that will make them informed for the test. Having said this, let us have a short yet detailed overview of the TOEFL test.

As a computer-based test, candidates will have to make use of computers to finish the examination. Most of the time, test centers are like internet shops where people are divided by cubicles for the test. The test administrators will be checking the examinees from time to time to check if they need something or have troubles in using the computer for the test. Now, what can candidates expect from the test itself?

First, every candidate should know that the TOEFL is an academic English test. Most topics covered are subjects in school which makes it a bit easier since the topic could be anything from the different fields of knowledge in the academic context.

Reading passages pose a little threat of difficulty with their content. Any topics can be used; hence, there are a lot of students who think that the reading should be practiced most of the time, and improving one’s vocabulary is a good start. Second, candidates are going to listen to a lecture or a conversation on an academic topic. The trick is getting the right main idea and the details of these to be able to answer questions after listening to the audio recording. After these two sections, the candidate is given a ten-minute mandatory break before starting the second half: speaking and writing.

The speaking test is divided into independent and integrated tasks. Candidates have to give responses in a very limited time. They have to think of good points along with strong reason to support their ideas. The writing is a showcase of how well one integrates an idea from a reading and lecture, and an opinion-based question for the second task. Once the test is finished, the candidate can leave the workstation provided scratch papers are left behind.

The TOEFL test’s challenge is the vocabulary in the test. Since it is academic, there would be words that are difficult to understand and even use in the sentence. With this, it is very important for a candidate to study and even join TOEFL review classes to prepare themselves not only academically but also mentally, emotionally and even physically.