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Advantages of taking the TOEFL

As an international applicant applying to U.S. graduate schools, there are five distinct advantages of taking the TOEFL exam:

  • First and foremost, the TOEFL helps an admissions officer determine how your language skills will apply to an academic setting. Parts of the exam will test your speaking and reading skills in a similar fashion to how you will need to communicate in a classroom.
  • The TOEFL exam is utilized by thousands of universities, including all of the top 100. This ensures that your score will be familiar to an admissions officer and be taken seriously as part of the evaluation process.
  • The exam is offered to students in just over 180 different countries across the globe. Wherever you may reside, chances are the TOEFL exam is offered and accessible. To find a test center near you, click here.
  • Because the exam is so widely used, there are a number of test preparation resources available to help students succeed.
  • In recent years, the TOEFL exam has begun to be utilized by employers and companies as part of your job application. Improving your scores will not only give you an advantage in applying to grad school, but may also improve your job prospects down the road.

 

About the author

Marc Zawel

Marc is the author of Untangling the Ivy League, a best-selling guidebook on the Ancient Eight. He earned a BA from Cornell University and an MBA from University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Marc chaired the admissions ambassadors at Cornell and the admissions advisory board at UNC.

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