Professional ESL Test Prep

TOEFL preparation & Academic English for Internationally Trained Professionals

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TOEFL

Are you an Internationally Trained Professional?

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The term  “Internationally Trained Professionals” (also known as Foreign Professionals) is fairly new.  It refers to Professionals with degrees from non-English speaking countries who wish to pursue their career in English Speaking counties.  Many International Professionals are in the Medical field. Some of them are physicians, surgeons, pharmacists, dentists, nurses or physiotherapists. Other typical professions include engineers, teachers, instructors,  university lecturers, MBAs.

English Proficiency requirements for Internationally Trained Professionals

In North America, most International Professionals are required to take an Academic English Proficiency test in order to continue working in their field.

Even if they are already working in the field, many International Professionals have to take TOEFL  or IELTS  so they can obtain or renew their Professional Licence. This is a very common case with pharmacists.

Finally, the third most common reason that some International Professionals need a particular TOEFL or IELTS score, is to apply for Graduate studies (Master’s Degree and Doctoral Degree programs).

Why are Internationally Trained Professionals different from other TOEFL takers?

Internationally Trained Professionals are mature test takers. They typically have very busy schedules and juggle multiple responsibilities: their families, jobs, education. That doesn’t leave a lot of time for test preparation, especially the one-size-fits-all kind of preparation.

On the other hand, Internationally Trained Professionals already have extensive higher education (albeit, not in English).  Unlike the high school students aiming at Undergraduate studies in the English speaking countries, these serious test takers have very specific needs. They require customized and personalized test preparation.

Test preparation courses vs custom TOEFL preparation

Most online and offline test preparation programs have the one-size-fits-all approach. They offer generic courses which expect the student to adjust to them  (in terms of the skill focus, learning style, length of study, pacing, etc.)  That might work for younger students who still have a lot of time to devote to their test preparation (and their parents who are willing to pay for multiple trendy courses).

However, Internationally Trained Professionals know better; they understand that each test taker has a unique set of strengths and weaknesses. They also know that those can be identified only by an experienced, professional teacher/tutor and and addressed through individual instruction.

A Pharmacist from Ukraine

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I am a foreign pharmacist and I passed the TOEFL exam this month, with 29 points in the Speaking section !

I took the exam 4 times because I had problems with speaking – I was stuck at 23. After my third try, I realized I needed to find a teacher who can evaluate my speaking and help me. So, I contacted Danijela. She identified my problems and taught me how to fix them. WE PRACTICED A LOT. It was important that we worked under the real time conditions, with different types of questions, including the less common ones. After a couple of months of our work I passed TOEFL and my speaking score was 29!

At the moment, I am waiting for my paperwork from NABP, and I hope to find an internship and a good job. Getting my target score on TOEFL has enabled me to continue pursuing my licence and my career in the US.

Irene B. –  Pharmacist, Nevada

The many versions of TOEFL exam

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There is a lot of confusion surrounding the various versions of TOEFL exam. Let’s look at them chronologically.

TOEFL PBT

The Paper Based TOEFL  exam is the oldest version of the test. It had served well for over 40 years, before being replaced by the newer versions (TOEFL  CBT, iBT and ITP). Although ETS stopped administering TOEFL PBT, if you took this version of the test less than two years ago, your score might still be valid.

TOEFL PBT had the following sections: Reading, Listening, Structure (grammar) and optional Writing (known as TWE)

In my experience, a few non-English speaking countries have adapted parts of TOEFL PBT and used them for their own evaluation, in the recent past.

 TOEFL CBT

The Computer Based TOEFL exam was  a relatively short-lived version of the test. This was the first computerized TOEFL exam. It was used in the late 1990s and early 2000s, for the same purposes we use TOEFL iBT  today.

TOEFL CBT had the following sections: Reading, Listening, Structure (the adaptive Grammar section) and Writing (independent essay only).

Not too many people know about this version of TOEFL (except for those who took it during its short life span, and those who used to teach test preparation)

TOEFL iBT

Most TOEFL takers today are required to take TOEFL iBT, if they are planning to study or work as Professionals, in North America and some English Speaking countries outside of North America

TOEFL  iBT  was introduced in 2005-2006. It was the first version of the TOEFL exam to contain the Speaking section and the mandatory, two-part, Writing section. Up until then, Speaking was not among the skills tested.

The need for assessing the Speaking  and Writing skills was brought about by  the rapid globalization of Higher Education and increased mobility of International Professionals.

After decades of research and thousands of ESL students who have ‘fallen through the cracks” of the North American Higher Education system, it became obvious that the older versions of TOEFL  did not measure these productive skills.  The passive skills ( Reading , Listening and Structure) were not enough, when students had to attend academic lectures, participate in projects and discussions , and produce academic papers.  Thus TOEFL  iBT was born. The universities and other academic institutions finally had a tool they could use to evaluate international students’  Functional Academic English.

From the technical standpoint, the spread of the Internet was definitely what contributed the most to establishing TOEFL iBT as we know it. It enabled the creation of standardized Official Testing Sites, all over the world, while keeping the scoring objective (not dependent on  individual local examiners)

TOEFL ITP

Although it is, in essence, the revamped version of the PBT, this version of the TOEFL exam was based on the need to have a credible ESL assessment  for Academic institutions in non-English speaking countries, where English has become the language of Academic studies.  According to the ETS Official Site, it is mostly used for placement, progress monitoring, exit testing and admissions to certain programs in some non-English speaking countries. You can find more details here.

TOEFL ITP has the following sections:  Listening Comprehension, Structure and Written Expression and Reading Comprehension. You can get more information on the content here.

This version of TOEFL is a traditional, paper-based, multiple choice test. Because it can be taken at schools and other institutions and administered by local staff, it is more affordable than TOEFL iBT. If you would like to learn more about the Administration and Scoring for the TOEFL ITP, read this.

Since this version of TOEFL  relatively new, there are few preparation resources. You can find the list of available resources here.

TOEFL Paper-delivered Test

This is the latest revision of the pen-and-paper version of TOEFL exam.  It is administered in parts of the world where testing via the Internet is not possible.

This version of TOEFL  has the following sections: Reading, Listening and Writing. Yes, you read that right, no Speaking section. Other than that, it is very similar to TOEFL iBT. You can get more information about the TOEFL Paper-delivered Test here.

A Pharmacist from Poland

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“Meeting Danijela for the first time, I quickly noticed that she has a lot of experience. I have met her just few times, but she helped me to be more confident, and this is very important if you want to have a good score in the speaking section of TOEFL. In order to pass TOEFL as a FOREIGN PHARMACIST,  I had to get at least 26 points. I have been struggling to cross a barrier of 24 points for a while, but with her positive attitude and approach to the speaking section, I got 27 points! That was a huge achievement for me. She is not only a great teacher, but also a mentor and a coach. Sometimes not just the English is the problem, but what we believe, and she helped me to believe that it is possible to be a good speaker and get more than 24 points in speaking. I am glad that I met her.”

 

Arkadiusz Stobierski –  Pharmacist, New Haven (USA).

A University Lecturer, Irina

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“When I immigrated to Canada in 2009, I needed to improve all four English skills (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking) to obtain a faculty position at the University of British Columbia. One of the classes that I took was Danijela’s TOEFL preparation course.  Danijela’s students gave a very good feedback on her teaching style and effectiveness in exam preparation. With Danijela’s help I got the TOEFL score I needed to secure a research and teaching position at UBC.

Six years later, I needed to pass TOEFL with a high score (24/30 in each section) to apply for a Clinical Trainee’s licence.  After three attempts with self-preparation my score in the Speaking section was consistently 23. I contacted Danijela and asked her for a few private lessons in order to figure out my problem. Danijela gave me a trial test from her collection and provided me with detailed description of my strengths and weaknesses. She suggested a structured approach to improve my weaknesses, and after a month of preparation with her, I obtained a score of 27 in Speaking. Moreover, I improved my writing from 25 to 26.

I would describe Danijela as a great teacher, who helps students to improve their skills in a very structured and gentle manner. I would definitely recommend Danjela as a teacher for those who need to improve their TOEFL skills.”

 
Irina Manokhina,  MD, PhD, Research Associate, Teaching Fellow,
Department of Medical Genetics,  Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia:

An Engineer from Italy

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“I was Danijela’s  student for 4 months when I had to prepare for TOEFL iBT test.  During that period with Danijela’s support, I improved my listening, writing and speaking skills. My Academic vocabulary improved as well, giving me the chance to interact positively with native speakers. All the lessons, the exercises and test simulations enabled me to get a high score on TOEFL iBT  test.
Once I returned to Italy, I got my first job immediately. I’m now employed as optical engineer and project manager in an international company, active in space, medical, laser and defense & security field. I work every day with foreign companies, institutes and agencies, such as NASA, ESA, European Community Committee and various National Committees. The same skills I learned in Danijela’s classes, are now fundamental to take notes during meetings and conference calls, to present in public and to prepare reports.”

Dr. Matteo Marmonti, Senior Optical Specialist & Project Manager

Optec SpA