TOEFL

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is a widely respected English-language test in the world, recognized by more than 10,000 colleges, universities and agencies in more than 130 countries, including Australia, Canada, the U.K. and the United States. The TOEFL test is desired by universities because it measures all 4 communication skills – reading, listening, speaking and writing. TOEFL is only available for two years. It appears on the list of the exams approved by the Ministry of Education as equivalents to the English Exams for the 5th, 9th intensive or bilingual classes and for the Baccalaureate English Exam.

Please visit the official website www.ets.org/toefl to see what centers are available on the date you are planning to take the test.

How much does the test cost?

The test fee varies by country. According to the information available on the official website www.ets.org/toefl, in Romania the test fee is $205 for the IBT version.

The test fee entitles you to one score report, for your information, plus up to four official score reports that ETS will send directly to the institutions you designate when you register. You cannot select your score recipients at the test center. For each institution that you select after the test, you will have to pay a $17 fee. ETS will send the score record to you and to your designated institutions 15 business days after you take the test.

How do I register for the test?

First you pick a test date – please see information on available test dates posted on the official website www.ets.org/toefl and decide on the payment type – by credit/debit card or by bank check.
Note: the card doesn’t need to be in your name, so you can use the cards of family or friends.

If a credit/debit card is available (Visa, Master Card, American Express) you can register:

1. Online

On the official website www.ets.org/toefl at least seven days before the requested test date. We recommend that you register as soon as possible, because test centers fill up quickly.

Go to the section “Register for the Test” on the official website and follow these steps:

• Select a testing location <Romania>
• Internet-based test (iBT) – Register online
• NEW USER – Sign up
• Create a profile (3 steps): Contact information; Identifying information; User name and Password.
• My Home Page – My Tests – Register for a Test / Order Score Reports – Select Product Type: a) TOEFL Test = find a test center and date, schoose score recipients, processing your payment. b) TOEFL Services: Additional Score Reports and Candidate Copy Score Reports.
• In order to register for the test you need to choose a) TOEFL Test – Register for the Test
• Choose country
• Choose region / city
• Select test dates: Start test date End test date
• Select a test center: Click on a test center
• Score reporting preferences: RECOMMENDATION – choose “Web-accessed report and a copy mailed to you”
• Select score recipients
• Order summary (Cancel / Confirm)
• Select payment method.

You will get your confirmation online and/or by e-mail. Please print this confirmation letter that you will need on test day.

2. By phone:

Call the telephone number for the Regional Registration Center (RRC) for the country in which you plan to test (see page 17 of the registration bulletin for the phone number of RRC – Region 12 for Romania) at least seven days before the requested test date. When you call, you will be given an appointment confirmation number. Be sure to write it down. You will also get the test date, reporting time, and test center address. Look at the International Test Scheduling form (center of bulletin) for the information you will be asked for when you call.

Pay attention to registration deadlines!

The following information is available on page 6 in the information bulletin and on the official website www.ets.org/toefl:

• Early registration closes seven days before the test date (not including the test date).
• Late registration closes three days before test date (not including the test date).
• If you register after the early registration deadline, you will have to pay a late fee of $35.

3. If credit/debit card is not available, you can pay by bank check and you register by mail:

• In order to be issued a bank check you need to pay the fee to any bank that conducts hard-currency transactions. The beneficiary of your bank check will be ETS-TOEFL IBT, as mentioned on page 8 of the 2009-2010 TOEFL Information Bulletin.
• You fill out the TOEFL International Test Scheduling Form which is 4 pages long right in the middle of the bulletin (between pages 12-13). Be sure to complete all four pages, and staple the completed form before mailing.
• The bank check and the scheduling form must be received at the RRC at least four weeks before the first date you pick. See the first page of the Registration Form.

Useful tips:

• Photocopy the scheduling form as well as the bank check and keep the copies for reference.
• Send your test registration by registered mail (scrisoare recomandata cu confirmare de primire).
• As a rule, you will be mailed (e-mail or regular mail) the date of the test as well as the coordinates of the testing center in your registration confirmation letter. You will be assigned a test date, time, and location based on the information you provided.
• If you don’t receive the registration confirmation letter, you need to call the RRC at least three full business days before the registration deadline of the first test date you picked. See page 17 in the bulletin for contact information of RRC – Region 12 for Romania.

In case you do not show up on your assigned day and hour for taking the test, the registration fee will not be refunded.

YOU CANNOT REGISTER BY FAX OR E-MAIL!

IMPORTANT:

For any problems you may experience concerning registration, receipt of the admission ticket, etc., please contact Thomson Prometric that administers the TOEFL throughout Europe. The information bulletin includes all the contact addresses and telephone numbers. The bulletin can be downloaded free of charge from the official website www.ets.org/toefl.

When do I get the official scores?

According to the information on the official website and on page 12 in the bulletin, scores are posted online 15 business days after the test date, then they are mailed to you and your designated institutions.

Additional information regarding TOEFL scores:

The institutions you are applying to generally request scores for one of the versions of the test. Since there are significant differences among the 3 tests, it is rather difficult to establish exact comparisons between scores.

Source of the comparison chart: The Official Guide to the New TOEFL IBT, published by McGraw Hill, page 352.

How do I request additional score reports?
You can request them online, by phone, mail or fax. The fee is $17 for each report you order. See pages 12-13 in the bulletin and the official website for relevant information on how to request additional score reports.

How long are scores valid?
According to the information available on the official website, TOEFL scores are valid for two years. Scores more than two years old cannot be reported or verified. If you took the TOEFL test more than two years ago and need to submit scores to an institution, you must take the test again.

How can I prepare for the test?

TOEFL INSTRUCTIONS

1.Go to: https://www.ets.org/toefl.
2.Click on the 2 lines in the upper right corner, then, click on “My TOEFL iBT Account”.
3.Click on “Create an Account”.
4.Complete the required information (name, date of birth, adress, phone number).
5.If you wish to receive SMS instead of emails, check “yes, send messages to”. If not, check
“no”.
6.If you want to receive emails about other ETS exams check “Yes,I agree to receive mails
from ETS”.
7.Select the country you were born in, your first language and the country in which you have
citizenship.
8.After reading them, agree to the terms and conditions.
9.Select the country in which you want to study in, your study level and answer the questions.
10.Choose a username, a password and a security question.
11.Agree to the terms and conditions.
12.Check the information and if it is correct press “Submit”.
13.Log in to your account.
14.Press on “Register/Find Test Centers, Dates”.
15.Fill in the location and the date of the exam you want to take .
16.Press on “Find test centers and dates”.
17.Select an available date (green).
18.Choose one of the shown options and then press “Show test times and register” for that
choice.
19.Press “Register” for that choice.
20.After reading them, agree to the terms and conditions.
21.Fill in the information for one of the following: ID, passport, driving license.
23.Answer the questions (where you want to study, for how many years have you been
studying English ,etc).
24.Choose how you want to receive your results (online or online with a paper sent in the
post).
25.If you want to purchase a practice tests book, select the book you want. Otherwise press
“next” without selecting anything.
26.Check if all the information is correct then proceed to checkout.
27.Choose the payment method and then pay or the exam.

Online TOEFL preparation, some free, some for a fee

1. http://toeflpractice.ets.org/ $44.95 for 1 full test; $24.95 for Speaking Practice test; $9.95 for Speaking Practice samples or Reading and Listening; $5.95 for Reading or Listening Practice.
2. http://i-courses.org/?p=sample_tests free iBT full test and full, mini and fragmented tests for sale: $1.99-$19.95.
3. http://www.testpreppractice.net/TOEFL/Default.aspx reading comprehension, sentence completion and correction; also they offer information on the test.
4. http://www.examenglish.com/TOEFL/index.php free practice material: iBT Reading and Listening, Structure tests (paper-based).
5. http://www.encomium.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=14: speaking and writing tips; features demos; also has tests for sale: $45 (3 tests)-$130.
6. http://www.english-test.net/toefl/ vocabulary exercises.
7. http://www.testyourenglish.net/toefl/toefl_practice_tests.html : for reading, listening and grammar.
8. http://www.4tests.com/exams/examdetail.asp?eid=57 good for reading, listening and structure.
9. http://www.toeflibtcourse.com/toefl-practice-test.htm free iBT practice tests.
10. http://toefl.jumbotests.com/ good for practicing your English and some TOEFL listening skills.
11. http://www.gettoefl.com/ paid tests ($39-$99).
12. http://www.testprepreview.com/toefl_practice.htm features free self-assessment modules, free tips and paid self-study books.
13. http://www.stuff.co.uk/toefl.htm.
14. www.eduers.com/toeflibt/TOEFL_Sample_Test.pdf .
15. www.testmagic.com/Knowledge_Base/TOEFL/Structure/index.htm.
16. http://esl.about.com/cs/toefl/a/a_toefl_2.htm list of online resources.
17. www.free-english.com membership is free (of charge and hassle); offers free practice tests for both the iBT and CBT TOEFL tests.
18. http://www.testden.com/challenge/free-toefl.asp: there are five free practice tests available (which require 30 minutes each and grade reading and listening skills).
19. http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/ offers grammar tests.

To see what TOEFL prep materials – books and software – are available at our center, please visit us.