Giving TOEFL soon? There could be more changes to the test. Details
TOEFL test changes: TOEFL is accepted by more than 12,000 institutions in more than 160 countries.
The English language test TOEFL will soon be offered as a personalised test depending upon individual requirements, according to the Educational Testing Service. Test takers' background will also be used in order to make the assessment as unbiased as possible, Rohit Sharma, Global Senior Vice President of Higher Education and Work Skills, ETS, told news agency PTI.
What is TOEFL?
TOEFL is a standardised test to measure the English language ability of non-native speakers wishing to enrol in English-speaking universities. The test is accepted by more than 12,000 institutions in more than 160 countries which include the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and the UK.
What the official said on TOEFL changes?
"The ideal future of assessment is to provide every individual with a personalised assessment based on their background, making it as unbiased as possible. For example, if someone with an Indian background takes the test, is it the same as someone with a German background? Statistically, there's no significant difference, he said.
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"However, it would be better if, when registering for the test, you could indicate your specific needs, like applying for a journalism programme, and the test could adapt to assess higher-level writing skills, for instance," he explained.
What is the personalisation based on background?
The Global Senior Vice President said, “For example, students from India might be strong in written English but need improvement in spoken English. Personalised assessments are likely to take about 24 to 36 months to be rolled out. This also involves working with institutions that are willing to adopt and pay for these differentiated assessments, as it breaks away from the norm of standardised assessments.”
What are the changes this year in TOEFL?
ETS introduced a series of changes in the test to create an optimal experience for those taking it. These included- reducing the duration of the test to less than two hours instead of three and allowing candidates to be able to see their official score release date upon completion of the test.
Will AI be used by TOEFL?
Rohit Sharma said, “We are also using AI for content generation and test security, especially for home editions of the test. We have different item types in the tests, such as sections focusing on comprehension, interpretation, and summarisation.”
"Depending on where students are lacking, we aim to provide specific feedback on these item types, allowing them to work on very specific areas of improvement," he said.
