If you are planning to study in the US, then get prepared for the next generation TOEFL. For, beginning this month, The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is changing from a Computer- Based Test (CBT) to an Internet-Based Test (IBT) in the US. The new system will be implemented in India and the rest of the world in 2006. But, though TOEFL will be administered through the Net, an examinee has to take the test only at approved Internet-based test centers.

The changes in TOEFL are quite extensive. The four sections (listening, reading, writing and structure) of the existing CBT are going to be modified and a whole new section on speaking is to be included. It will also have integrated tasks for which the examinees will have to write or speak on topics heard or read in the listening and reading/ comprehension sections respectively. Thus the aim of the new TOEFL is going to be a thorough assessment of the four basic communication skills ? listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Usually, most students applying to the American universities prefer to do the more difficult GRE or GMAT first and then take the TOEFL. But now that the latter won?t be so easy anymore, there is a rush to take TOEFL in its existing format.

Says Saikat Mukherjee who will be applying for an MS in pharmacy in Fall ?06 or Spring ?07, ?Since CBT is still available in India and the score will be valid for two years, I shall try and take advantage of it. I have worked out the sample tests and would feel more comfortable answering questions in the existing format rather than in the new ?integrated? IBT.?

In the new TOEFL, the listening section is going to have conversations and lectures that are longer but more authentic, more like classroom discussions, in fact. Also, note-taking will be allowed for the first time. Then again, while the first part of the CBT listening section had 11 to 17 dialogues and a single question on each, in IBT, there will be 4-6 lectures of 3-5 minutes? duration followed by six questions on each.

The IBT reading section will now have longer passages of approximately 700 words each. Students will also be asked to categorise information and fill in charts or complete a summary. The writing section has been expanded too and typing is no longer optional. Instead of a single task, there will now be two tasks for the test takers ? one integrated and the other independent. The bad news is that the easy to score ?structure?, grammar section, has been done away with. So candidates will no longer get to boost their points by answering those 20-25 questions which required them to complete a sentence or identify grammatical errors.

What is entirely new to the Internet-based TOEFL is the speaking section. The examinees will wear headphones and speak into a microphone when they respond. Their answers will be digitally recorded and transmitted to the ETS online scoring network where human scorers will rate them. The candidates will be given 30 seconds to prepare and a minute to speak.

Clarity of expression, fluency, vocabulary, accuracy of the content are some of the fine points on which the examinee shall be judged.

The test takers will have to complete all the sections of IBT in four hours. The score scale will be 0-120, unlike the 0-300 score scale of the existing CBT.

Students are not too enthusiastic about the new TOEFL, though. Paroma Chatterjee wants to do her PhD in physiology from some good US university and will be applying for the Fall ?06 session. But she is taking the TOEFL in a hurry before IBT begins in India. She admits, ?I prefer the old CBT system because I?m not very confident about the new one. In fact, I feel the new speaking section might leave me at a disadvantage.?

Agrees Malini Jain, a Calcutta University student presently preparing for CBT, ?I always fear that I might run out of time so it becomes difficult for me to concentrate, specially, on the comprehension sections. Now that the IBT will have longer conversations and passages, I fear that I may not be able to get a good score.?

Though students are apprehensive, Dr S. Mullick, regional officer and educational adviser for the USEFI, Calcutta, seems optimistic. He claims, ?I believe that Indian students are the best in the world. I?m sure the transition of the TOEFL from CBT to IBT will not pull down their performance. With a little practice, our students will be able to attain good scores in the next generation TOEFL as well.?

For test schedules, registration, score comparison charts, or any information on TOEFL , log on to www.ets.org/toefl. Test takers can also address their personal queries to toefl@ets.org.

Foreign Fundas Arjun Jindal CEO, Ready to Go magazine, replies to your queries

I am doing my graduation in economics from Calcutta University. Please let me know of universities abroad from where I can do my postgraduation in economics. Also, please tell me about the eligibility criteria and application process.

Agrata Saraf

ou have not stated from which country you would like to do your postgraduation. However, since the US and the UK are the most preferred destinations for students who wish to study abroad, I will give you the names of some universities in the US and the UK from where you can pursue your postgraduation. You can apply for admission to the University of Chicago, Harvard University, Princeton University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, among others. To apply to these universities, you need to have a bachelors degree in economics as well as your TOEFL and GRE (not mandatory) scores. In the UK, you can pursue your postgraduation from the University of Birmingham, University of Southampton and University of Oxford, among others. To apply to these universities, you will have to apply through UCAS (www.ucas.ac.uk), the central organisation in UK which processes applications for entry to higher education.

I am a student of Class VII. I want to study aerospace engineering after my higher secondary and want to become a Nasa astronaut. Please tell me about the websites of the colleges/universities which offer courses in the subject.

Dipsikha Mahanta

You can pursue your engineering in aerospace from the following universities: Georgia Institute of technology (www.coe.gatech.edu); University of Texas (www.ae.utexas.edu/aerospaceUndergrad); University of IIlinois (www.engr.uiuc.edu) and Boston University (www.bu.edu/ame) among others in the US. In the UK, you can study at the University of Glasgow (www.aero.gla.ac.uk); University of Bristol (www.aer.bris.ac.uk) and the University of Leeds among others.

Please give me some information on colleges in the US where I can study BTech.

S. Shahi

You can study BTech from a number of US colleges and universities like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Michigan. If you had specified the branch you are interested in, I could have given you a more comprehensive list of colleges.