Why Does ETS Charge High Fees For TOEFL?

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is one of the most popular English proficiency exams in the world, and it is accepted at many American and Canadian colleges and educational institutions around the world. It measures overseas students’ ability to communicate and comprehend English as it is spoken, written, or heard in a college or university environment. ETS (Educational Testing Services) is in charge of administering the TOEFL test and is responsible for creating the TOEFL questions, administering the test, and delivering each examinee their scorecard.

Students can now take the TOEFL test from the comfort of their own homes during this pandemic, with the introduction of the TOEFL at the Home version of the TOEFL test. Furthermore, ETS has produced a shorter but equally effective version of the TOEFL test known as the TOEFL Essential Test, which will be available to students worldwide starting on August 21, 2021. For candidates from India who are registering for the TOEFL exam, ETS has just decided to accept Aadhar Cards as part of their student ID documentation.

What is the reason for the high cost of the TOEFL?

If you’re getting ready to take the TOEFL, you’re probably wondering why it’s so expensive to take this English proficiency test. The cost of taking the exam varies from nation to nation, however, it is nearly always more than 200 dollars. Very little profit is earned from test-takers from all over the world who are crammed into rooms on exam dates that occur practically every week. But it is not all about money alone. The cost of administering an exam is more than you might expect it to be. Let’s have a look at the factors that go into determining the TOEFL exam fees: 

1. Creating the test: It takes a long time and a lot of effort to develop, calibrate, and refresh a test like the TOEFL, and it is a continual process that requires big teams of academics and extensive study. The TOEFL was not created once and then forgotten about. Not only has the TOEFL changed significantly over time, going from paper to online testing, but each TOEFL test consists of a different collection of questions on any given test day. Taking the same questions over and over again would make it far too easy to cheat on the TOEFL examination. As a result, cheating is the scourge of any standardised testing environment.
2. Obtaining a score on the test: While multiple-choice questions can be scored mechanically, human correctors are required for the writing and speaking components of the TOEFL examination. These are often English teachers, and they require specialised training in order to achieve a high level of consistency. In addition to scoring the oral and written components of your individual exam, your TOEFL exam fees include the cost of testing.
3. Administration of the test: The TOEFL test is administered in over 100 countries on a variety of test dates, as you may have observed before. Although it’s correct that the test centres are separately operated, the registration and payment are handled centrally through the TOEFL’s website. Managing a worldwide firm entails a significant amount of overhead.
4. Promotion and marketing: In order to increase participation in the TOEFL, the organisation is working to increase the number of institutions and immigration authorities who accept the TOEFL as a confirmation of English language ability. School outreach and marketing are required, and they must be carried out by school personnel who are also compensated for their efforts. The TOEFL cost is inclusive of marketing expenses.
5. Centres for testing: The room where you will take the TOEFL is not owned by ETS, TOEFL’s maker. It is rented. Typically, you will take the TOEFL in an English school, a university, or a test facility that specialises in TOEFL testing. The test centre is in charge of ensuring that you take the TOEFL in a controlled environment and that no one attempts to cheat. In exchange for providing this service, they receive a part of each test taker’s price.
6. Existing demand: The TOEFL is accepted as proof of English language competence by hundreds of institutions and universities, as well as immigration agencies, all over the world, and this number is growing every day. A million people want to immigrate, and hundreds of thousands want to study in a foreign country, according to the United Nations. Because of the significant demand for the TOEFL test, and ETS’s near-monopoly on standardised English testing, they are able to determine their own prices to a certain extent.

If you require a specific TOEFL score in order to achieve your objectives, you will not be able to avoid paying the test price. 

Guest blog by GyanDhan