New Delhi: Appearing for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is set to get more convenient for Indians planning to study abroad.
The Educational Testing Service (ETS) — the US-based firm that administers the English proficiency test — Tuesday announced several changes to the format. The exam will now take two hours rather than three, will have a shorter reading section, and its ‘independent writing’ component will be replaced by a new task, ‘writing for an academic discussion’.
In addition to this, Indian test-takers will now have a dedicated customer service helpline to answer their questions.
According to a press statement released by ETS, these changes will come into effect from 26 July this year.
The TOEFL internet-based test (iBT) is a widely accepted test of English-language proficiency for non-native speakers, used for university admissions, work and immigration. According to ETS, more than 11,500 institutions in over 160 countries worldwide use TOEFL iBT scores to make high-stakes decisions. These include popular English-speaking destinations such as the US, the UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
“ETS is driving the future of assessment through product innovations across education and learning, and TOEFL is core to that effort.. Most importantly, these enhancements were developed through the lens of our customers and stakeholders — because they are our highest priority to serve,” Amit Sevak, CEO of ETS, said in the statement.
No more unscored questions
In addition to the shortened hours, ETS has also introduced a slew of other changes to kick in from 26 July, citing increased transparency and ease for those taking the test.
Until now, the TOEFL iBT included some experimental questions that were unscored. Students were given multiple sets of questions to answer and only some of the sets were scored, in a blind test of learning. All such unscored questions will now be removed.
Upon completion of the test, students will be able to see the official date when their scores will be released. They’ll also be notified in real time of changes to their score status.
Students will also be able to make payments using local credit and debit cards. Currently, only a few international cards are accepted. The registration process has also been made more user friendly and easily accessible, ETS said.
(Edited by Rohan Manoj)
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