Home

TOEFL


How important is TOEFL score in MBA admissions?
Categories : TOEFL

F1GMAT:  TOEFL test is mandatory for MBA candidates from non-English speaking countries and for non-native English speakers. In your experience, what are some of the challenges faced by students in preparing for TOEFL exam?

Jon Hodge Strictly EnglishSTRICTLY ENGLISH: I think there are two basic challenges in TOEFL preparation: One is the Speaking and Writing sections of the test. The other is finding enough time to study for the exam.
The majority of the students Strictly English work with face the biggest challenge when preparing for the Speaking and Writing sections of the TOEFL. This is because almost everybody, even in their native language, finds it difficult to present their ideas clearly and concisely. Add to this TOEFL's  time constraints, and it becomes very demanding to generate ideas, organize them, support them, and present them in a way that will impress the TOEFL rater.

In addition, finding the time to study is a big challenge for almost all of our clients. Most are working full...

Learn more

Leveraging TOEFL Skills in Your MBA Program
Categories : TOEFL

It is very important to think of TOEFL as more than an admissions requirement! In fact, strategic TOEFL preparation can be the key to greater success in business school.  Here’s why:

Let’s say that the school you’re applying to requires a TOEFL score of 104. You take your first TOEFL and get an 86, which breaks down into Reading, 20, Listening 21, Speaking 22 and Writing 23. You know that you have a thick accent and speaking within a 45 second time frame makes you very nervous. In addition, you really do not like to write, not even in your own language. Therefore, you decide to focus your attention primarily on the Reading and Listening sections. With diligent study, you manage to raise your Reading to a 29 and your Listening to a 30, while maintaining your Speaking score of 22 and your Writing score of 23. Congratulations! You got your 104! But does that mean your English is ready for an MBA program?

Not really.

Remember, MBA programs value strong oral and written communication skills, but your TOEFL studies only strengthened your Reading and Listening skills, which are not as valued in MBA programs. Let’s face it: your professors don’t care if it takes you three times longer to do the readings for class. In fact, they will probably never know how long it takes you to read the books for class. Again, your professors probably won’t know if your listening...

Learn more

Three Versions of the TOEFL : The PBT, CBT and iBT
Categories : TOEFL

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is created and scored by Educational Testing Service (ETS). Since 1964, ETS has designed three versions of the TOEFL:

1964: The Paper-Based Test (PBT)
1998: The Computer-Based Test (CBT)
2004: The Internet-Based Test (iBT).

Although you take the iBT on a computer, it is not the CBT, which is no longer offered anywhere in the world. The PBT is offered in countries that do not offer the iBT, and it is also offered two or three times a year in countries that also offer the iBT. In contrast, there are about 40 test dates per year for the iBT, which occur one time per weekend, usually on Friday or Saturday, but sometimes on Sunday.

PLEASE NOTE: because the CBT has been discontinued, it is very important that you not read websites or buy books that talk about the "CBT". These sources have outdated information that is now irrelevant to TOEFL study.

Each version of the test has its own scoring scale.

PBT: 310-677
CBT: 0-300
iBT: 0-120

Because the PBT was the only TOEFL from 1964 to 1998, many institutions still speak only in terms of the PBT scoring system. And a significan