TOEFL Preparation

What is TOEFL?
TOEFL is the most widely acknowledged test of the English language in the world. A high score on this test is a frequent condition for studying at foreign universities. It is accepted by more than 6000 institutions in 110 countries, including almost all universities in the USA, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Focusing on the language needed to be successful at university, you master the language needed in the classroom and on campus. Additionally, you will be able to listen to lectures, read textbooks and online research, write academic papers and e-mails, and speak with other students and professors. Even without using the TOEFL for further study abroad, having done the TOEFL test gives you a certificate proving your knowledge of the English language, readying you for the global labor market. Test results are valid for a two year period.

Who is it meant for?
TOEFL is designed for everyone who needs to certify their English language knowledge with an internationally acknowledged test. The tests are not evaluated on a pass/fail basis, but are scored out of 120 for the iBT, and various universities require different scores.

Types of tests
You can pass the TOEFL test in two ways – you can decide to do the on-line form or paper form. CBI recommends checking the terms and location of the next test taking place and then to decide for which form to register. The results of both forms have the same value – the choice of the test form is a matter of your comfort.

Certified test centers
We will supply complete preparation for TOEFL. We will provide all information concerning the test and we will prepare you for it thoroughly, but you need to register for the test directly at a certified test center.

Preparation for the TOEFL at CBI
As mainly advanced students are interested in taking TOEFL, the minimum condition to joining the class is to achieve an upper-intermediate language level on the placement test. If your language level is lower, we recommend choosing individual sessions or an appropriate general English course before joining the TOEFL prep class. As more and more test centers are switching to the on-line version of the test, CBI mainly practises the skills needed for this specific format. Of course, the language skills practiced in this class can help all advanced students.

The preparation for TOEFL is quite demanding but CBI believes that every student can achieve good results by having a solid and professional preparation:

• Grammar

Grammar knowledge is now integrated in the other test sections of the on-line TOEFL test. It is important to have a good understanding and use of English grammar and so this is studied in the preparation course.

• Reading

The reading module is aimed at improving the reading skills of a student by means of TOEFL preparatory activities and correcting and discussing the types of questions on the test. A great emphasis is put on the correct analytic skills necessary for completing the TOEFL reading within the time limits.

• Essay

The essay consists of the student’s reaction to a spoken or written prompt. Students must demonstrate mastery of advanced structures such compound sentences, parallelism in structure, correct use of punctuation, structural correction, forming coherent paragraphs etc. The on-line TOEFL tests has integrated writing tasks and so listening, reading and writing are all connected in one task, which is practised in class.

•  Listening

Activities are developed and organised in a way to enable students to improve their comprehension of dialogues in various situations of everyday life and to help students understand various authentic accents of native speakers. Vocabulary work is helpful in preparing for this section.

• Conversation and pronunciation

Canadian and American universities requirestudents to be involved in academic discussions and to be able to present academic materials on a professional level. For that reason, we have implemented discussions, presentations and interviews into our preparation for TOEFL. It is important to be able to effectively present your ideas and opinions while under time stress and so this is also practiced in class. Students are involved in activies which include formal and informal conversation as well as the individual responses required on the test. Emphasis is put on vocabulary extension, idioms,connectors, etc as well as conversational and presentation skills. Other compenents that we stress are pronunciation of English vowels, consonants and overall intonation.

TOEFL preparation concentrates mainly on succeeding on the test!