Test Day Tips

I just thought why not put in a few tips for prospective test takers as many would be gearing up for the same in a few months I guess!!! So here I go…… 

1. Get a good night of sleep.
2. Eat a good breakfast.
3. Allow time to arrive at least 30 minutes early to the test center. If you’ve never been to the center before map out directions beforehand. don’t get there too early. I ended up being there 2 hours before the scheduled start and it was a nightmare!
4. Dress in layers and wear clothes that will be appropriate for both warm and cool temperatures.
5. Bring two forms of acceptable identification. This includes: passport, driver’s license, employee ID card, national identity card, military card, student ID card.
6. Bring the names and codes of the schools where you want your scores to be sent. I have started listing good universities and programs in my “future of engineering” series. I have also provided a link on the side which would take you directly to an ets page with the university codes.
7. Don’t bring calculators, cellular phones, dictionaries, or cameras-they’re prohibited.
8. Don’t bring food or beverages, because they’re also prohibited. So make sure you drink something before leaving the house.
9. You will be given a ten-minute break after the second section, but any other break you take will be on your own test time.

Preparation for TOEFL!!!

Well friends! I have already quoted once in one of my articles and would do so again!! This test has been the easiest that I have given till date and I can’t fathom the reasons behind such a simple exam!! As a matter of fact, the only logic behind the test is to try and sort out those candidates who are hopelessly poor when it comes to English proficiency! I believe that any guy who has undergone secondary education in an English medium institution should find this test a cake walk!! However I must try and give a few tips for those who do face a challenge when it comes to English expertise (oops!!!!)

I have mentioned these in another article as far as I can remember…however I will again mention the same here for quick reference!

1. Take up English reading as a hobby as soon as you get into your undergrad college! Read newspapers, magazines, books, etc that you are interested in. Try and keep a good dictionary (Longman or Webster should do).
2. Start writing short articles in your second year. If needed, just start a blog and post anything you feel like! Make it a habit…..
3. Improve your grammar if need be!! This should also be done by the end of your first year itself. Use a good high school grammar book to this end!
4. Start with the book titled “Word-Power made easy by Norman Lewis”. I have the 2002 edition with me but sadly never read it completely!! It is a must read for all prospective GRE and TOEFL candidates; particularly those who are a bit low on confidence as far as their English goes!!!!

Hope all this helps!! Once again I would like to reassert that all this is necessary only if you face a hopelessly bad case of English ineptness!!!!! However, most of us do end up reading novels and newspapers on a regular basis in our college dorms!! So I guess there is nothing new here that I am prophesying!!!

TOEFL TEST

Hi friends…..there have been some suggestions that I should include a TOEFL related post as I have not scripted any since I started this blog! To be honest, I had intended upon writing such an article way back, but thought that the test is so simple that it should not warrant such importance in the face of more pressing issues which I have covered instead!!! I am chipping in this quick post to describe the test and also provide a graph to show the comparative scores of different english proficiency tests so as to give those a clearer picture who are probably interested in other tests!!!

TOEFL: The Test Of English as a Foreign Language evaluates the potential success of an individual to use and understand standard American English at a college level. It is required for non-native applicants at many US and other English-speaking colleges and universities. The TOEFL is the product of the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which is contracted by the private, non-profit firm, the College Board to administer the test in institutions in the US; they also produce the SAT.

TOEFL ibt comprises of four different sections. These include the Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing sections each of which are evaluated on a scale of 0 to 30 providing a cumulative score of 120. Most American Universities expect a level of 6B or higher which corresponds to a ibt score of 80!

TOEIC: Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) measures the ability of non-native English-speaking people to use English in everyday work activities. The Toeic was developed by ETS (Educational Testing Service) in the United States following a request from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Trade and Industry (MITI). There are an estimated 3 million test takers per year.
The TOEIC test is a two-hour multiple-choice test that consists of 200 questions that are divided into two parts: 100 questions in listening comprehension, and 100 questions in reading comprehension.
Each candidate receives independent marks for written and oral comprehension on a scale from 5 to 495 points. The total score adds up to a scale from 10 and 990 points. The TOEIC certificate exists in five colours, corresponding to achieved results: orange (10-215), brown (220-465), green (470-725), blue (730-855) and gold (860-990).

IELTS: International English Language Testing System is a test of English language proficiency. It is jointly managed by the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Australia.
Candidates may choose either the Academic Module or the General Training Module!

• The Academic Module is intended for those wishing to enrol in universities and other institutions of higher education.
• The General Training Module is intended for those planning to undertake non-academic training or to gain work experience, or for immigration purposes.

IELTS is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian, Irish, New Zealand and South African academic institutions, by many academic institutions in the United States, and also by various professional organisations.

The IELTS incorporates the following features:

1. A variety of accents and writing styles are presented in text materials in order to minimise linguistic bias. The test focuses on “International English”, which includes British English, American English and other varieties.
2. IELTS tests the ability to speak, read, listen and write in English.
3. Two test formats can be chosen from – Academic and General Training.
4. Band scores are used for each language sub-skill (Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing). The Band Scale ranges from 1 (“Non User”) to 9 (“Expert User”).