Three Great Changes to the TOEFL Test

Introduction

The Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL, has been a go-to choice of many universities and organizations. It is one of those exams through which they test the knowledge of the aspirants who are not the native speakers of the English language. This exam primarily checks their skills in writing, reading, speaking, and listening, and comes in two variants:

● TOEFL IBT, which is an internet-based test

● TOEFL PBT, which is in a paper form.

TOEFL has seen a decrease in its popularity over the last few years, and in an attempt to reverse this, there are new regulations which came into effect on August 1st, 2019. As per various findings, the falling popularity was due to the difficulty of the tests, and these new norms are going to make it easier for participants to go through this particular examination. In this article, we will talk about three significant changes to the experience of the TOEFL test coming this August.

Let’s us find out how

1. Changes in the Reading Section

A substantial difference in the TOEFL testing is said to be brought about in the Reading Section. The previous versions of the TOEFL took around two days to complete. The new rules ensure that you can complete the test in a day with ease. Before August 1st, the participants used to get 80 minutes to finish this section, which has now been reduced to 72 minutes henceforth. On the brighter side, you get 0.4 minute per question, which is due to a reduced number of items.

Earlier, there were 3-4 reading passages with 12-14 questions each, which resulted in a maximum of 14*4, i.e., 56 questions. Though the number of passages has remained unchanged, you have 10 questions in every passage, which means a total of 10*4, i.e., 40 questions. So instead of getting 1.4 minutes per question (80/56), you are now getting 1.8 minutes per question (72/40), which is a welcome change.

2. Changes in the Listening Section

Earlier, conversations were not part of this test. With the introduction of new norms to the TOEFL IBT, conversations find a place, and there are fewer lectures instead. It has also resulted in a reduction of the period of the test from 90 minutes to 57 minutes. The pattern has been changed from 4-6 lectures with 6 questions each to 3-4 lectures with 6 questions each and 2-3 conversations with 5 questions each.

Even though the time for every question has got reduced, the reduction in lectures will give the participants the ability to focus more on and perform better in the speaking and writing sections.

3. Changes in the Speaking Section

In the earlier format of TOEFL tests, the norm was that of 6 independent tasks spanning a total of 20 minutes. Every part was named Speaking Independent Task1, Speaking Independent Task 2,…, and Speaking Independent Task 6. Since August 1st, Speaking Independent Task 1 and Speaking Independent Task 5 haven’t had a place in the curriculum and have been removed entirely.

Redesigning the TOEFL preparation with Manya-The Princeton Review

The shake-up in the TOEFL test-format may have left you puzzled about how to prepare. To make sure that you prepare in the best possible manner, Manya-The Princeton Review has introduced two offerings to match your requirements :

1. TOEFL Full Package 

2. TOEFL 1 on 1

With the TOEFL Full Package, we have tried to provide structured learning in a classroom-format to make you feel that you are at home. We have also kept the teacher-student ratio in such a manner that it will be best suited to students’ growth. For those who are working, we have special weekend-batches as well.

If you think that you need special attention, and don’t find batch-based learning suitable then surely, T0EFL 1 on 1 is the one offering you personalized coaching and flexible timings.

If this article has helped you chose your own way of TOEFL preparation then schedule your TOEFL exam and start preparing. Also, do share it and help others searching for the right guidance to ace the exam.

Good Luck!