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?
There is one, the most accepted, most respected English-language test in the world. And it’s the TOEFL® test.
Here are 6 very important ways that 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 means it’s 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 TOEFL scores as part of your application are satisfied that you have the English-language skills you need to succeed at their institution. To see why more admissions officers prefer the TOEFL test, watch the VIDEO, The TOEFL® Test Advantage.
2. The TOEFL test is accepted at more institutions than any other English-language test in the world
— at over 8,500 universities, agencies and other institutions in more than 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. Watch our TOEFL® Passport video to learn how the TOEFL test can help you reach your study-abroad destination.
3. It is easier for you to take the TOEFL test than other English-language tests.
We have 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 just half a day — unlike other tests that make you come back for a second day of testing — saving you time and money.
TOEFL test is administered 30 to 40 times a year to offer as many test-taking opportunities as possible for your convenience.
There are 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 40% when you purchase one of our 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 you can choose from thousands of test site locations and test-taking opportunities, and have access to official practice tools and resources to help you prepare for test day.
4. TOEFL test scores will help you stand out and get noticed.
Universities have long considered TOEFL test scores to be more accurate, which means they’re more useful for making admissions decisions. Why? Because the TOEFL test truly measures how well you can integrate the four English skills you need to succeed in a classroom environment. In fact, 90% of TOEFL test takers are accepted into their first- or second-choice university.
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 application.
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.
Unlike other tests, the TOEFL test uses multiple raters to score you instead of just one rater.
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 27 million students have used and trusted the TOEFL test to get into the universities of their choice. And it’s why the TOEFL test can make all the difference for you.