TOEFL

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The purpose of the TOEFL test is to evaluate the English proficiency of people whose native language is not English. The scores are required for purposes of admission by more than 2,400 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

The TOEFL is all computer-based in the United States and has four sections: Listening: measures ability to understand English as it is spoken in North America; Structure: measures ability to recognize language that is appropriate for standard written English; Reading: measures ability to understand nontechnical reading matter; and Writing: measures ability to write in English on an assigned topic. No single school, textbook, or teaching method is best to help prepare someone for TOEFL, because the test is not based on specific courses of study. Language proficiency and writing ability can only be achieved after a relatively long period of study and practice. An attempt to study English for the first time shortly before taking the test will not be very helpful.

The  computer-based TOEFL test is administered at an authorized ETS Test Center. TOEFL study materials are available. Visit the TOEFL website to learn more about the test and to order TOEFL study materials: http://www.toefl.org or www.ets.org/register.html or http://www.studytips.org.  The English Language Institute offers TOEFL preparation and instruction of English as a second language. If you are interested, contact The English Language Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, Phone: (305) 348-2222, or visit their website at http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/eli.