Gain Entrance into a U.S. College

Do You Need to Take the TOEFL?

Students whose first language is not English may be required by the college they wish to enter to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). This will give the school administrators an idea of the students' English levels for course placement and additional English training.

Contact your admissions office to see if this applies to you. Over 6,000 colleges and universities accept TOEFL scores.

Among other credentials, you will not have to take the test if any of these apply to you:

• Graduated from a post-secondary school in another English-speaking country
• Studied academically in school that taught in English in another English-speaking country, usually for a duration of at least 2 years
• Have taken the TOEFL and passed in the last two years

New Online Computer Testing

The new internet based TOEFL was rolled out in 2005, and is still not available everywhere. The paper-based test is being used elsewhere. There are a few benefits of the internet testing such as clearer listening, speech assessment, and writing.

Practice Tests

You can get free practice tests online. There are other programs that cost a fee, but they provide instant scoring and responses from graders on past questions. These are one of the best ways to prepare if you have access to a computer.

During and After Testing

During the test, you are not allowed any personal items. If you arrive with any, you will be asked to get rid of them or put them aside inside the testing center. They are not responsible for the security items, so it's best to leave your cell phone and other items outside the test facility.

After the test, your score is divided into four sections:

• Reading
• Speaking
• Listening
• Writing

Each section is graded from 0 to 30, with a total combined score range between 0 and 120. You and the institutions will receive your scores within 15 days of test completion via mail.