What score would a native speaker get on the TOEFL

[vamsi84]

Hi Erin,

I really hope that you answer to this funny yet good question.

The Toefl is a test which measures the English speaking ability of people whose native language is not English.The Americans are never required to take this test.Does this mean that each and every American will get a perfect 300 in the Toefl(or maybe 290-300)?

Eagerly waiting for your reply,

-Vamsi

 

 

 

[Erin]

First, you need to understand what level of English TOEFL is written at--12th grade level. Many American newspapers and newspapers in other countries are also written at this level. So, just imagine you were taking a test that was written at the same level as a good newspaper in your country--would it be hard for people to pass?

 

Theoretically, a native speaker of English who was a high school graduate of an American high school would get 300 or close to it, perhaps 290 or so, if s/he took the TOEFL. I can say that probably all of the native speaker high school students who study at TestMagic would probably get a perfect score on the test, or maybe 290.

 

In reality, however, our 'ideal' student would probably miss a few questions, some of which would be missed because of carelessness, others because of laziness, i.e., they wouldn't go to the effort to answer all the questions, or s/he would simply forget some answers (like in the Listening Section). In other words, our 'ideal' student wouldn't miss many questions simply because s/he didn't know them, the mistakes would occur because of some kind of 'goof.'

 

However, as we many of us know, educational standards for American high schools are not consistent, nor are they very high in many schools. For some students, particularly those who are not naturally predisposed to learning, the TOEFL would be a bit more difficult, and they might score around 250 or so.

 

Finally, all of what I've said is based simply on my experience and is not backed by any research, and there are many people who would not fall into any of these categories I've mentioned.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Please post further questions here.

 

 

 

Erin [tm]

 

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