Be it upcoming SNAP, FMS and XAT, or for that matter any college/school or competitive exam, the student’s Net gains have made him more confident after he has learnt how to wriggle out of difficult situations.  Online testing being his new success mantra, all he has to do is benchmark his performance against the best in India and abroad, and raise his bar.

Today, we see a study shift from chalk-and-board to computers with the greater impact of education websites like TCYonline.com which have brought a revolution of sorts in the test prep sector. A smart student is supplementing his classroom education with online practice tests, which are taking precedence over traditional ‘bookish’ learning.

It is worth noting that enjoying the privilege of being India’s Number One Testing Platform, www.tcyonline.com has today over 2.70 lakh students in the age group of 13–32 years on its portal taking advantage of its various free resources — online tests ranging from CBSE to MBA to GRE and Medical/Engineering exams.

Talking of the CBSE, scores of practice tests are available on the website for the benefit of the school students.  As a gesture of goodwill, like previous years, TCYonline.com will also make available number of pre board tests for the February 2009 exam.

Student benchmarking being the hallmark of this web-portal, its recently launched two testing tools – the ‘Challenge Zone’ and the ‘Test Generator’ – are making good rounds among the academic community.

Being the free website for the students, the portal has also found great favour with some schools, colleges and universities in the country. Of late, some academic institutions have shown keen interest in TCYonline.com’s elite testing platform.

TCYonline.com’s exhaustive and free material catering to all the major national and international exams coupled with technology-enabled tools is not only becoming a rage amongst students but is also catching the eye of educational institutions and other companies.

A huge student base and separate exam categories on the website provide a perfect platform for educational institutions to showcase their offerings to prospective students. With continuous product innovation and technological upgradation taking place every second, this platform offers a host of opportunities to education institutions in India and abroad, virtually on a platter.

While it is heartening to note that TCYonline.com is crossing the five-lakh registration mark during the next few months, the web-portal gives education bodies an opportunity to describe their programs, organize mock tests and virtual education fairs. Moreover, the students can gain by asking questions and interacting with the university representatives through an online chat facility.

TCYonline.com has in a way squeezed the whole world to such an extent that a now a student sitting in any part of the world, say in the US or Canada, can prepare for any international entrance exam like GRE or GMAT or TOEFL.  Practice tests for all these entrance exams are available on the website free of cost.

All said and done, TCYonline.com has become the ‘testopedia’ of the modern student today. He can’t think of his life without it.

We also spoke to Ms. Gurpreet Wadhera, Head, English Programs at BetterThink, Ludhiana, the language division of Top Careers & You (TCY), an education company with 34 centres in North India.

These experts throw light on various issues concerning a prospective Indian student desiring to pursue his/her studies in the land of the Cambridge and the Oxford.

Q 1. How much weightage do you give to the Indian education from the   visa point of view?

DAN CHUGG: A degree from an Indian university is as good as one from any other country and we give it the same weightage.  For example, under the points system, students get points for having a (graduation) degree or a post-graduation degree. He gets the same amount of points as he gets from the Indian university or from the British or French university.  Well, our eligibility criteria are very simple. If somebody comes to us with a letter saying he has been accepted by a UK university, got a place to stay and have a proof of enough funds, he is given a student visa.

Q 2. Is work experience mandatory for students pursuing their MBA after graduation?

DAN: It entirely depends on the course.  Some courses would expect a student to have a work experience before going for an MBA study.  On the other hand, some MBAs in the UK are deliberately designed for mid-career professionals but other MBAs would be free to take students straight from the university.

Q 3. How does the knowledge of English language affect a student’s job prospects in Britain?

DAN: I think, firstly it affects him as a student. To be able to study in the UK he must have a sufficient knowledge of English to enable him take the course. If his English is very poor then it would be very difficult for him to get the required qualifications. Following that, if he is looking for a job it would depend on what kind of job he will be doing and how good his English needs to be. For some jobs he needs to speak perfect English and for others English may not be that important.

GURPREET WADHERA: It is pertinent for a student to have a good knowledge of the English language. He should be really good at all the four modules — Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking.  No wonder, the High Commission wants a student to show a good English proficiency by requiring him to clear an IELTS test.  A good preparation is the key. I always advise my students to visit TCYonline.com for free online practice tests and IELTS strategies to improve their command over the language and thereby obtain a good band score.

Q. 4. How far is the British accent important for jobs in the UK?

DAN: I don’t think the British accent is important at all. It is important that he should be able to communicate well.

GURPREET: The Indians have a neutral accent which is accepted universally. An ability to communicate well in English is more important. Accent can be developed later when the student starts living in that country.

Q 5. Is IELTS compulsory for everybody? Does the UK accept TOEFL score as well?

DAN: For an admission into a UK education institution, they (universities) need a proof that an Indian student can speak appropriate English. But if the university doesn’t set any minimum standard, we would expect the student to have at least the level of IELTS of 5.5 minimum score or an equivalent level to that. It would be fine if he has a TOEFL score instead.  We have set the standard and if he is not able to score, we feel that he won’t be able to complete the course. So, we don’t give him a visa.

GURPREET: IELTS basically is a test of English language that proves the proficiency of a candidate in this language. It is mandatory for a native of any non-English speaking country if he wants to live in the UK at any status. A minimum 5.5 band score is accepted to go to the UK. This score proves the minimum level of understanding of this language that helps the student communicate and complete his studies. TOEFL is also accepted by some of the universities.

Q. 6.  Are any scholarships available for bright Indian students who may not be financially that strong?

DAN: Yes, there are lots of scholarships available from universities who have their independent scholarship schemes. So, it would be appropriate for the students to try and find out what types of scholarships are available for them.  The British Government also offers a few scholarships. It has got the Chevening scholarship scheme, a very prestigious scheme for very outstanding candidates; a scholarship from the Cambridge university, and there are also some Commonwealth scholarships.

GURPREET: Definitely, scholarships are available for intelligent candidates. Students can check with the University for the Scholarships available and their eligibility criteria.

Q. 7. Can students go for a part-time job along with their studies? If yes, how easy or difficult it is for a student to find a job in your country?

DAN: A student can work part-time in the UK if he is studying for more than six months.  He can work for up to 20 hours a week and full-time during vacations. Regarding how easier it is to find a job, depends where he is living, what kind of job he is looking for, and how skilful he is. So, it very much depends on the situation. Any types of jobs are available.  For a post-graduate student there can be lecturing or tutoring at his university.  Students with very specialized skills like IT and business professionals can get high-level jobs during vacations in city companies. Undergraduates can get those kinds of jobs generally the British citizens do during vacations.

GURPREET: Students can work part-time if they are enrolled for a course for duration of more than six months. Different jobs are available for undergraduate and graduate students. If a student has the skill level that is in demand in that particular area he is living in, it won’t be difficult for him to find a suitable job

Q.8. Which universities and courses are in high demand these days?

DAN: I think it varies from university to university. It is very difficult to say if one course is in high demand. While it is also true that some of the universities like Oxford, Cambridge and Kings College London, etc. are in high demand.  On the other hand, some lesser known universities offer very good education and extremely good courses. And admission into them is not quite difficult.  In the UK you can take an admission to any course you want to, provided, of course, you qualify for it.  The courses cover absolutely everything imaginable, from Law to Engineering to Medicine to media studies to Journalism, etc.

GURPREET: There are various universities offering a number of courses. It won’t be right to say that some particular courses are more in demand in the UK. This depends on the student which course he wants to go in and also the kind of skill set he wants to develop in himself.

Q. 9. Don’t you think the recent immigration law changes are ‘too scary’ for oversees students?

DAN: I don’t think why it should be. The recent immigration changes should have made it in fact less scary, more transparent and easier.  If you go to the website (www.ukvisas.gov.uk) will come to know about the criteria you need to fulfill before applying for Visa. People get an idea whether they would be able to fulfill those criteria or not.

GURPREET: The UK immigration demands for a minimum level of English language so that the prospective immigrants are able to work and understand that culture well. I think things are quite clear and transparent under the new system. Before applying for immigration to the UK, the candidate can well assess whether he is eligible for immigration or not.

Q. 10 How easy or difficult it is to settle down (permanent residency) in Britain?

DAN: You can’t get a permanent residency just because you been a student there. You have to have lived in the UK as a worker on a work-permit for a right number of years before you get a settlement visa.  Your time spent as a student doesn’t count towards those years…Well, it is unlikely that a student qualify for a permanent residency. First he has to apply for a work permit. He has to work in the UK for several years before he can apply for residency…Currently, students can get   one year work-permit, after they finish their studies, but as of this summer this is going to change. Now the students will get a two-year work-permit.

Q. 11. How would you rate the UK, the US and Australia from the student’s perspective?

DAN: Well, the UK has some of the very best universities in the entire world.  Going by the recent rankings of global universities,   three of the top five universities of the world are in the UK.  If you look at some of the universities by the subject-area,   the UK is very top on the list.  There is no doubt that the UK has some of the very best universities in the world.  From a student’s perspective, if you want a very high quality education, they are nowhere nearly comparable with the UK.  Some people are concerned that the UK is expensive and they can get cheaper education elsewhere. I must say, if you really want good education probably the UK is the best. We still offer more student visas than the Australians issue every year — issued 23,000 student visas last year.  It is true that Australia is growing in importance for the Indian students, but one of the reasons is it is cheaper to study in Australia than the UK.  Slightly more students go to the USA than the UK may be because it is a bigger country and has more universities….

Q. 12. What’s your experience, do you think the Indian students assimilate well into the UK culture?

DAN: We find that of all the students in the UK, those of the Chinese and the Indian origin do better than anybody else. And that includes the people who have been brought up in the UK.  They contribute a huge amount … they are very able students and very hard-working and give very good results in the end.

Q. 13 Do you have any message for Indian students planning to pursue their studies in Britain?

DAN: My message to the Indian students would be to do a lot of preparation in advance. They should make sure to know what courses the universities are offering.  Look for the sources of funding and available scholarships at the British Council website. I suggest the students to leave lots of time to apply for the courses, funding, visa and booking a flight because there are a lot of processes to go through.

The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is a highly regarded exam that determines proficiency in the English language. The exam gauges university aspirants in their ability to use English in both academic and business environment; it is used world-wide in university and college admissions departments.

Yesterday’s TOEFL article presented a general overview along with tips for exam registration. Today, we discuss in-depth the exam’s structure and how test takers are evaluated.

The Internet Based TOEFL exam has four separate tests — reading, listening, speaking and writing. The following diagram displays the exam structure:

Structure of Reading Test

� Three to five academic reading passages followed by comprehension questions that measure the ability to understand and analyse the meaning of the passages.
� Similar question types from the computer-based TOEFL test.
� New question types:
~ Demonstrate they have learned what they have read, either by filling out a table or completing a narrative summary.
~ Choose a correct paraphrase of a reading.
� New features that make the testing experience easier for test takers, including a glossary and review feature.

Structure of Listening Test

� Two to three conversations that include two or more speakers in each.
� Four to six lectures, which include classroom dialogue.
� Opportunity to take notes while listening.
� Smilar question types from the computer-based TOEFL test.
� New question types that measure test takers’ ability to understand a speaker’s attitude or meaning.

Structure of Speaking Test

� Total of six tasks to be completed by the test taker.
� Two independent tasks about familiar topics.
~ Test takers state, explain and support their response using personal knowledge and experience.
� Two tasks based on Reading and Listening material.
~ Tasks include a short reading passage and a short talk.
~ Questions require test takers to combine information from both the reading and the listening material.
~ One task is based on a campus-related situation, and the other is based on academic classroom material.
~ Test takers can take notes and use them to respond.
� Two tasks based on Listening material, including a short lecture or conversation.
~ Questions require test takers to summarise key ideas from the talks in the responses.
~ One task is based on a campus-related situation, and the other is based on academic classroom material.
~ Test takers can take notes and use them to respond.
� Trained evaluators gauge test takers’ ability in:
~ Topic development — show they understand and can make connections, and convey relevant information.
~ Delivery — use clear, smooth, sustained speech for overall intelligibility.
~ Language use — control of grammar and word choice, and respond coherently.

Structure of Writing Test

� Total of two tasks to be completed by the test taker.
� One Reading/Listening/Writing task — an academic reading followed by a lecture
~ Test takers must answer a question discussing the key points in the lecture and explain how they relate to those in the reading passage.
~ Reading passage appears first, then is removed from the screen during the lecture. Test takers can view the passage again while responding to the question.
� One independent task about a familiar topic
~ Test takers state, explain and support their response using personal knowledge and experience.
� Trained evaluators gauge test takers’ ability to demonstrate an understanding of the material, as well as write clearly, accurately and in a well-organised manner.
� The integrated skills approach to assessment reflects real English use in everyday university situations — both in and out of the classroom.

TOEFL score scales

Each of the four sections of TOEFL iBT is scored on a scale of 0 to 30. The sectional scores are then added to arrive at a total score of 0 to 120. Each score will also correspond to a percentile ranking, which shows how an individual score compares with the score of other students who have taken the same test.

The maximum score of 120 will have a percentile of 100, a score of 100 may have a percentile of, say, 89, a score of 75 a percentile of 59 and so on. In addition to the sectional scores, the total score and the percentile, students will also receive score descriptors of what the numeric scores mean in terms of language skills and proficiency (high/medium/low), along with performance feedback including suggestions for improvement.

Score scales are similar for the Reading section and the Listening section. The score values from 0-30 do not represent the number of questions a student answered correctly. If a student gets 35 questions right out of a total of 40 questions, he/ she will get a raw score of 35, which will then be scaled to give a range of 25-27. This scale estimate provides a general guide only, the actual score varying a little within this range.

The six tasks in the Speaking section are rated by at least two human scorers on a scale of 0-4. The six individual scores are averaged to arrive at an aggregate value. This aggregate is then converted to the scale of 0 to 30.

Likewise in the Writing section the two tasks are scored by at least two human scorers independently from 0 to 5 and then the raw scores are totaled/averaged before scaling them to the range of 0 to 30. ]]> http://www.tcyonline.com/blog/toefl%e2%80%93-test-structure-and-scoring/feed/ 2 http://www.tcyonline.com/blog/toefl-%e2%80%94-introduction-and-registration/ http://www.tcyonline.com/blog/toefl-%e2%80%94-introduction-and-registration/#comments Thu, 21 Dec 2006 02:21:31 +0000 TCYonline.com http://www.tcyonline.com/blog/?p=42 Offered globally, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is a standardised test designed to evaluate a student’s ability to understand and use English as it is used in a college and university environment — particularly in USA and Canada. If a student is applying for admission to a University or college in these countries, his or her TOEFL score will help the admission authorities to determine whether he or she has adequate academic background of English language skills necessary for admission.

Though the TOEFL is primarily structured for students seeking admission in USA and Canada, the TOEFL is also the most widely accepted score for measuring proficiency in English worldwide. Over 5000 colleges and accredited educational institutions across 90 countries, including: UK, other European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore accept TOEFL scores.

TOEFL is administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS), the testing organisation that also conducts GRE, SAT and other standardised tests.

The new Internet Based TOEFL Test (TOEFL iBT) has been designed to better prepare the students for academic study in an English speaking environment. TOEFL iBT measures both the receptive (reading and listening) and expressive (speaking and writing) skills of university aspirants. The TOEFL score is equally divided between receptive skills and expressive skills, and therefore, a student must do well in all sections.

Test Overview

* TOEFL iBT measures receptive and expressive skills equally. The student is tested for all the four English language communication skills: Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing.
* The exam has no grammar or sentence structure section. The student’s knowledge of English grammar is tested through actual usage in speaking and writing sections.
* TOEFL iBT replaces the structure section with a speaking section in which students wear headphones and speak into a microphone. The digital recording is transmitted to ETS Online Scoring Network where human scorers rate the speaking.
* The exam also allows note-taking. The students can now take notes while they listen and/or read and they can jot down points before they start to speak or write. Students can use these notes while giving their responses, but they will not be allowed to carry them outside the examination center.
* The Writing section has been expanded to include one integrated writing task in addition to the independent writing task.
* The Reading section usually consists of 3 passages (sometimes 5), each of around 700 words. This section includes categorisation of information and/or filling in a chart or completion of a summary.
* Lectures and conversations in the listening section are a little longer than earlier, but speech is more natural. Although the focus of the listening tasks remains American, there is likely to be at least one lecture in British /Australian accent. There may be questions that measure understanding of a speaker’s attitude, degree of certainty and purpose.
* There will be fixed dates for TOEFL iBT and the students have to make their choice out of the same. Depending upon the number of test takers and the capacity, a test center will normally have 30 to 40 test dates in a year.
* TOEFL iBT scores are reported online. Students can view their scores within 15 working days of the test and will also receive their score-sheet by mail.
* TOEFL iBT is not computer adaptive as was the case with TOEFL CBT (computer based test). Here all the test takers receive the same set of questions. There is also no computer tutorial.

How to register

~ The fee for the exam is $150 (about Rs 6,500).

~ There are three ways by which one can register for the exam: online, by phone and by mail.

~ For the fastest and most convenient service, register online. One can get the online form by visiting the learners and test takers section of the TOEFL web site. A valid credit card is required (American Express, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, or Visa card), or an electronic check (e-check) if one has a bank account in the United States or its territories.

~ To register by phone, call the Regional Registration Centre. Same payment options as online registration.

~ To register by mail, obtain a form through the TOEFL bulletin. Fill in all information on the Registration Form and mail it to the Regional Registration Centre. Mailing instructions are on the form. Registration forms must be received by ETS or your Regional Registration Center at least four weeks before your requested first-choice test date.

~ The Regional Registration Centre address is as follows:

Thomas Testing Private Limited
2nd Floor
DFL Infinity Tower-A, Sector 25, Phase II
DFL City Gurgaon, Haryana -122002
India
Tel: (011) 26511649
Fax: (011) 26529741
Tel: (011) 26511649
Fax: (011) 26529741