TOEFL PROGRAM
The TOEFL is the Test of English as a Foreign Language. The
TOEFL is currently administered in more than 180 countries,
making it the most accessible test in the world. Almost one
million students register to take the TOEFL every year. More than
8,500 institutions and agencies in more than 130 countries accept
TOEFL scores to evaluate the English proficiency of people whose
native language is not English. The admissions committees of
colleges and universities in the United States, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and many other
countries require that foreign applicants submit TOEFL scores
along with transcripts and recommendations in order to be
considered for admission. In addition, many government,
licensing, and certification agencies and exchange and
scholarship programs worldwide use TOEFL scores to assess the
English language skills of people for whom English is not their
native language. Finally, many multinational corporations and
even those Moldovan companies that work with foreign partners
would like to see the TOEFL scores of their job applicants in
order to measure the ability of the latter to use and understand
English.
The TOEFL Program was launched in 1962 when the National Council
on the Testing of English as a Foreign Language was formed. Its
members were representatives of more than 30 private
organizations and government agencies concerned with the English
proficiency of nonnative speakers of English who wished to study
at colleges and universities in the United States. The council
supported the development of the TOEFL for use starting in
1963-1964. Financed by grants from the Ford and Danforth
Foundations, the TOEFL Program was first administered by the
Modern Language Association. In 1965, the College Board and
Educational Testing Service (ETS) assumed joint responsibility
for the program. Because many who take the TOEFL are potential
graduate students, a cooperative arrangement for the operation of
the program was entered into by ETS, the College Board, and the
Graduate Record Examinations Board in 1973. Under this
arrangement, ETS is responsible for administering the TOEFL
program with guidance from the TOEFL Board.
The test originally contained five sections. As a result of
extensive research, a three-section test measuring listening
comprehension, structure and written expression, and reading
comprehension was developed and introduced in 1976. In July 1995,
the test item format was modified somewhat within the same
three-section structure.
Throughout the 1990s, various constituencies called for a new
TOEFL that would (1) be more reflective of communicative
competence models; (2) include more constructed-response tasks
and direct measures of writing and speaking; (3) include tasks
that integrate the language modalities tested; and (4) provide
more information than the paper-based TOEFL (TOEFL PBT) about the
ability of international students to use English in an academic
environment. Accordingly, the TOEFL Board initiated a broad
effort under which language testing will evolve in the
twenty-first century. The introduction of the computer-based
TOEFL (TOEFL CBT) in July 1998 was the first incremental step in
this broad test-improvement effort.
The next step was the introduction of an Internet-based version
of the TOEFL (TOEFL iBT) in September 2005. The test was first
administered in the United States on September 24, 2005. In
October 2005, it began in Canada, France, Germany, and Italy.
Since then, the TOEFL iBT has been gradually rolled out
worldwide. The test assesses all four language skills (reading,
listening, speaking, and writing) that are important for
effective communication. The TOEFL iBT emphasizes integrated
skills and provides better information to institutions about
students' ability to communicate in an academic setting and their
readiness for academic coursework. As the TOEFL iBT was
introduced in an area, the TOEFL CBT was discontinued after a
period of overlap in order to ensure a smooth transition to the
TOEFL iBT. The final administration of the TOEFL CBT was held in
September 2006. The TOEFL PBT will continue to be offered on a
limited basis to support the TOEFL iBT testing network.
The last TOEFL PBT was administered in Chişinău on May
13, 2006. The computer-based TOEFL was never administered in our
country. The administration of TOEFL iBT in Moldova started on
September 23, 2006. The Internet-based TOEFL is administered at
several ETS-certified test centers in Chişinău at least
once a month. To get a schedule of times and test centers, visit
the Test Takers section of the TOEFL website or ask your TOEFL
instructor.
On November 1, 2011, ETS introduced timing and navigation
enhancements to the TOEFL iBT Reading Section. In response to
test takers' feedback about the length of the section, ETS decreased the
maximum number of reading passages from five to four. Test takers
now have either 60 minutes to complete three reading passages and
questions, or 80 minutes to complete four reading passages and
questions. In addition, the Reading section is no longer divided
into separately timed parts. Instead, all of the Reading passages
and questions are made available in a single block of time. This
change allows test-takers to pace themselves throughout the
entire Reading section. It also allows navigating within the
entire Reading section so that test takers can skip questions, go
back to review and change responses, or respond to questions that
they may have skipped.