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As an entrance requirement, various undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate study programs around the world require students to demonstrate their ability to communicate in English. There are different English language tests such as, TOEFL, IELTS and PTE which can be taken by study abroad aspirants to prove that they can communicate their ideas effectively in the English language. Two of these tests, TOEFL and PTE, have been discussed in this article.
TOEFL stands for Test of English as Foreign Language and is managed by ETS (Educational Testing Service). TOEFL measures an aspirant's ability to understand as well as use English at the university level. Because it is a reliable test with unbiased, objective scoring, it is used by various institutions to confirm that the student has the English language skills necessary to succeed in an academic setting. TOEFL score is accepted in more than 10,000 institutions across 100+ countries. The test assesses four skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing.
PTE stands for Pearson Test of English and is organised by Pearson PLC group to assess and validate the English language usage of non-native English speakers. There are 3 types of PTE tests, viz. PTE Academic, PTE General and PTE Young Learners. For students aspiring to study abroad, PTE Academic is the test. It is a 3-hour computer based test, recognised by nearly 6000 organisations across the world. Four skills of English are tested: speaking and writing (together), listening and reading.
Initially, TOEFL served only the purpose of studying abroad. However, it can now be used for immigration purposes concerning Australia and for skilled migration to New Zealand. Even PTE is accepted by the Australian and New Zealand governments for immigration purposes.
The two tests, TOEFL and PTE test the English language proficiency of the non-native speakers. However, there are some factors which differentiate these. These differences are discussed below:
| TOEFL | PTE | |
|---|---|---|
| Mode of Conduct | Two variants: TOEFL iBT (Internet Based Test) TOEFL PBT (Paper Based Test) | Only Computer Based Test |
| Test Format | Reading (60-80 minutes) Listening (60-90 minutes) BREAK (10 minutes) Speaking (20 minutes) Writing (50 minutes) | Speaking and Writing (77-93 minutes) Reading (32-41 minutes) Listening (45-57 minutes) |
| Test Duration | 4 hours | 3 hours |
| Scoring | Reading and listening are evaluated by the software. Speaking and Writing sections are evaluated by certified raters. In the writing sections, however, automated scoring is used in addition to human scoring. | All the sections are evaluated by a computer/software. |
| Scores | On a scale of 0-120 | On a scale of 10-90 |
| Time between two attempts | 12 days | 5 days |
| Result | 10 days | 5 business days |
Both these tests basically measure the level of English language proficiency. But, the choice of test directly depends on the place and institution you choose. Also, there is no definite minimum score defined by the tests itself. Again, it depends on the institution you choose. The minimum score requirement may vary country-to-country, institution-to-institution and course-to-course. Before beginning with the TOEFL or PTE exam preparation, you must conduct a thorough research about the place and the institution in order to know the appropriate test and the required score.
