English Language Tests

yeah.. you are right..... it is challeging to prepare in 15 seconds... I think that's why the hummms got me! I think I might need to brush up before taking the test. I take it on the 12th! Wish me luck!

Well I wish you all the best! You have around another week to prepare, so don't worry! I hope you score a 120!

Hey Dana,
Thanks for the tips and strategies.
Really appreciate it.
Though,I wanted to ask,which would be better-Taking GMAT first or taking TOEFL first??

Hard to say, really... The overlap between the two is strictly limited to RC. The TOEFL is much easier than the GMAT overall. This is why I've heard people say that you should go for the TOEFL first, because if you take the GMAT first, then you'll feel the need to "overanalyse" the simple RC questions in the TOEFL.

While that is a reasonable point, I took the TOEFL after my GMAT and ended up with a pretty good score... For me, the TOEFL was considerably easier, so stuff went by a lot faster...

I guess it really depends, but my advice is to focus maybe 75-80% of your time on the GMAT and leave just 20-25% of it for the TOEFL! I'm not even sure it matters that much what the order is as long as you concentrate on the harder test...

Thanks..
That was quite a fast reply..
So,your foreign semester is completed???

Yes, about a month ago - and I still miss that life! Now I'm extra busy with everything... Oh well! Waiting for summer time!

Just got back from taking the TOEFL.. so now it's the waiting game.

I'm sure it went fine! Please don't forget to share your story after you get your score - simply create a new thread here! Thanks and keeping my fingers crossed!

I think I did okay.. I really didn't study but I did read your post on the essays which helped me a lot. Anyway, the test center was really bad. The chairs were fold up chairs and really bad. The tables that had computers were party tables and my knee was right on the table leg/iron joint so I couldn't scoot all the way in. I was really annoyed!

Putting that all aside, I think I did okay. I will enter a different post but, the online $40 test is the SAME thing (not questions and content) but in difficulty and experience.

Let's see how I did....!

Maybe it's a dumb question, but doesn't TOEFL give you your score straight away? Since it's internet based, I was sure the score will pop up at the end of the test, just like at GMAT.
Anyway, I found myself to be accepted into a good US programme, now I am taking TOEFL, in May
Dana, do you have any comparison between TOEFL and CPE, for example? I believe CPE is a harder test, is it not?

Actually, you have to wait around two weeks for the score because a human grader grades your writing and speaking parts.

Congrats for the admissions offer! Do share your experience in the Admissions success stories forum!

I haven't actually taken the CPE myself, but I've had the chance to look over some questions and I'm telling you: it's a killer!!! If you have the choice, go for TOEFL, I would say it's 5 times easier than the CPE. CPE is considered C2 level on the European scale, which is the highest level in this scale. You can get an A, B or C on the CPE and I believe a friend of mine was saying that getting an A or a B automatically qualifies you to be a teacher of English (this is not a checked info, though).

^^ Thanks for making me feel better I got an A on CPE test, so TOEFL must be easier then. I will still do some reading/preparing for my exam.
It suck that it takes so long! But oh well, I will have to wait then ))

Wow, just wanted to double-check: by CPE you mean Certificate of Proficiency in English from Cambridge, right?

Joke aside, I thought it was close to impossible to get an A in that monster! Congrats, you must be an awesome speaker in English, possibly even better at it than natives!

DanaJ wrote:Wow, just wanted to double-check: by CPE you mean Certificate of Proficiency in English from Cambridge, right?

Yes, that very one
I have a lot of English and American friends, so thanks go to them )))
I will definiely share my experiences, and make a thread here, just need to get rid of TOEFL first... :S

Congrats! Dana,
Whether it's gmat or toefl, you are an inspiration. Thank you! for sharing your experience, added to my collection of debriefs . Good luck with future ahead.
Cheers