TOEFL for American universities

Non- native speakers of English need to take TOEFL (Test of English as a foreign language) to be accepted in American universities. TOEFL is tough, so students have to be prepared for it well. Universities say that this test will make international students ready to study English language. Therefore, these universities have a low score limit in TOEFL to get in based on how hard the university is. For example, Southern Illinois University is requires 520 score in TOEFL to attend the classes, which is very difficult for many students to get. So, some students and universities are wondering if TOEFL is useful for non-native speakers to help them learn English and get more opportunities to get in the universities. However, TOEFL should not be the condition to get in to American universities.

First of all, TOEFL is too formal which makes it difficult for international students. Furthermore, it is more formal in its contents than the university language. American students will not talk to you as formal as TOEFL, and that makes it not easy to learn. Lectures and articles in university do not using formal language. There is many important expressions that you do not learn in TOEFL are common in university. For example, “How are you?” in TOFEL that people used to say “What’s up?” Therefore, TOEFL should not be used to tell if non-native students can be ready for American universities.

Second, in SIU, they use the paper- based test which has only three sections listening, structure, and reading. It does not measure speaking skills. So, students who are good at speaking English complain that they cannot test their speaking in TOEFL. In addition, TOEFL does not measure writing skills. As the students who are good at speaking, the students who are good at writing like essays and summary responses cannot do well at paper-based TOEFL. Because these two important parts are not in TOEFL, it does not tell if the students are ready for the universities or not.

Third, the test time is too short for most students who are slow in reading even in their native language. First, the enough time in the test will help students to show all their skills. Next, students say that they can’t finish the test at the exact time. Therefore, most of the students guess the last answers because the time is up. So, if they have good luck they will pass the test without knowledge and many students complain that some lucky students pass the test while they have to take it again. This test is unfair for many students to measure their skills. As a result, TOEFL should not be the test for international students to get in to the American universities.

My opponents say that TOEFL should be used to decide if international students can get in American universities because it improves English. However, that is not true. TOEFL will not improve students’ language as they think. Even though TOEFL is tough test, it will not teach the students the common language. They can improve their language without studying for TOEFL, by attending normal English classes. Attending normal English classes is more beneficial than studying for TOEFL, because in class you will learn every thing about English and participate with your classmates in English. If we ask the students who took the test and who are now studying in the university if TOEFL benefited them, they will say not too much. So, TOEFL is not a good test to improve our English skills.

In conclusion, the formality of TOEFL is not the language we use in the universities. It is more formal than the university language. Next, testing only some skills like reading and listening is not fair for many students who are good in other skills like writing. Also, the shortage of the test is not allowing students to do their best in the test. Students want more time for the test because it is not their native language. Therefore, the universities should not require the TOEFL as a condition to get in the university unless they change it to be easier for non native speakers.