TOEFL Eligibility Criteria

TOEFL Exam Eligibility Criteria

TOEFL exam, which can be abbreviated to Test Of English As A Foreign Language, is conducted for those who aim to visit foreign countries for various purposes. The US-based ETS (Educational Testing Service) is responsible for conducting this exam. They set up the questions and sends the score report of each examinee. The board has also set up separate agencies responsible for hosting this exam in their country. In India, the agency Prometric Testing Services Private Limited takes care of conducting the TOEFL exams.

Eligibility criteria for TOEFL exam

There are no highly demanding eligibility criteria to appear for the TOEFL exams. Also, there is no age bar for taking both the TOEFL tests like TOEFL IBT and TOEFL PBT. However, there are some basic eligibility criteria for the candidates who aspire to take the TOEFL tests.

• The candidate should have acquired a pass certificate in 10, 2 from any recognized Indian board or university.
• The test is highly suitable for those who have completed their school/college education. Because, in order to pass the exam, the candidate has to clear it by achieving the needed score band given by the examination board. So, those who have completed their basic school education are more suitable for TOEFL.

Other purposes why people opt for TOEFL

Though TOEFL is mainly taken by students who are planning to study abroad where the medium of instruction is primarily English, the exam is also applicable to the below-mentioned candidates.

• If a person applies for a work visa for a country where English is at least one of the languages of communication.
• If a student wants to enroll in an English language learning program, in their home country or abroad.
• If a student has to acquire eligibility for any scholarship or certification purposes.
• Individuals who seek to develop their fluency in English and want to track their progress.

Reporting the TOEFL scores to universities

• When it comes to reporting the scores of a particular candidate, the ETS (TOEFL exam conducting body) will send the marks scored to the universities of your choice. A number of four universities will be taken into account and the fee amount paid will cover the charges for this.
• The candidate will have to select the top four universities of their choice on which they are planning to apply, before taking the exam. This means that a thorough check-up is needed over which university the candidates will be applying post the exams.
• For every additional request of universities, nearly Rs 1,000 will be charged to the candidates.

Exceptional candidates for TOEFL exam

Certain institutions have informed they do not require the TOEFL test scores from certain categories of international applicants. They are:

• The candidates, who are non-native speakers, if completed a degree or diploma course in a post secondary institution in any of the English speaking countries like the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, etc.
• If an applicant has completed a minimum of two years of educational course in which English is a primary medium of instruction.
• If the candidate took the TOEFL test less than two years ago, usually, the TOEFL score is valid for two years. So, the candidates who have taken the test less than two years need not take the test.
• The non-native speakers who have successfully begun academic work in an institution where English is a medium of language in any English speaking country.

Nevertheless, the institutions have listed their own eligibility criteria for TOEFL. So, it is generally advised that the candidates check their universities about their needs and demands.

Why TOEFL exam?

Several students who have the dream of flying to abroad countries opt for TOEFL and take the test to pass this English language proficiency test to get admission into their preferred universities. Let’s see some of the top reasons why students widely choose TOEFL every year.

• It is one of the most popular exams among language proficiency tests across the globe.
• TOEFL exam is recognized by over 10,000 colleges, universities, research institutes across 130 countries around the world.
• The exam is conducted at least five times a month, and so the candidates can frequently appear for this examination.

Types of TOEFL exams

There are two major types of exams under TOEFL. They are iBT and PBT. The candidates can take any mode of examination according to their preferences.

• The TOEFL iBT, which can be abbreviated to Internet Based Test, is conducted via online. However, the mode of evaluating the candidate is the same. The four parameters like Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking, will be tested in order to examine a candidate’s English language fluency.
• The TOEFL PBT can be abbreviated to Paper Based Test. As the name suggests, this test is taken by writing the exam. Again, in this mode of the test, the parameters like Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking will be checked to test an individual’s English language fluency. While the Internet Based Test is conducted for about four hours, the Paper Based Test will be conducted for three hours. Also, the fee charged for Internet Based Test is approximately between Rs 10,000 and Rs 14,000. However, the fee charged for the Paper Based Test is averagely Rs 10,000.