January 2012 December 2012 Test Data

Test and Score Data Summary for

TOEFL iBT Tests and TOEFL PBT Tests

Test and Score DataThis edition of the TOEFL Test and Score Data Summary

contains data on the performance of examinees who

took the TOEFL iBT test or the TOEFL PBT test between

January and December 2012.

www.ets.org/toefl

2

History of the TOEFL Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

The TOEFL iBT Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

TOEFL iBT Test Data for 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Table 1. Observed Minimum and Maximum Scores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Table 2. Means and Standard Deviations By Gender. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Table 3. Total and Section Score Means All Examinees by Native Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Table 4. Total and Section Score Means Nonnative English-Speaking Examinees by Geographic Region and Native Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The TOEFL Paper-based Test (TOEFL PBT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Paper-based Test Data for 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Table 5. Observed Minimum and Maximum Scores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Table 6. Means and Standard Deviations By Gender. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Table 7. Total and Section Score Means All Examinees by Native Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Table 8. Total and Section Score Means All Examinees by Geographic Region and Native Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Table of Contents

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For additional information about the TOEFL test, visit www.ets.org/toefl.

3

History of the TOEFL Program

The TOEFL test is designed to measure the English-language proficiency of people whose native language is not English. TOEFL scores are accepted by more than 8,500 colleges, universities, and licensing agencies in more than 130 countries. The test is also used by governments, and scholarship and exchange programs worldwide. A list of institutions and agencies that accept TOEFL scores is available on the TOEFL website at www.ets.org/toefl.

The TOEFL Program A national council on the testing of English as a foreign language was formed in 1962; its members were representatives of more than 30 private organizations and government agencies concerned with the English-language proficiency of nonnative speakers of English who wished to study at colleges and universities in the United States. The council supported the development of the TOEFL test for use starting in 1963 - 64. Financed by grants from the Ford and Danforth Foundations, the TOEFL program was first administered by the Modern Language Association. In 1965, the College Board and Educational Testing Service (E T S) assumed joint responsibility for the program. Because many who take the TOEFL test are potential graduate students, a cooperative arrangement for the operation of the program was entered into by E T S, the College Board, and the Graduate Record Examinations Board in 1973. Under this arrangement, E T S is responsible for administering the TOEFL program with guidance from the TOEFL Board.

The TOEFL Board is comprised of 16 members. Some are affiliated with such institutions and agencies as undergraduate and graduate schools, community colleges, nonprofit educational exchange organizations, and other public and private agencies with an interest in international education. Other members are specialists in the field of English as a foreign or second language.

Development of the Test The test originally contained five sections. As a result of extensive research, a three-section test was developed and introduced in 1976. In July 1995, the test item format was modified somewhat within the same three-section structure. In recent years, various constituencies called for a new TOEFL test that would (1) be more reflective of communicative competence models; (2) include more constructed-response tasks and direct measures of writing and speaking; (3) include tasks that integrate the language modalities tested; and (4) provide more information than the paper-based TOEFL test (TOEFL PBT) about the ability of international students to use English in an academic environment. Accordingly, the TOEFL Board initiated a broad effort under which language testing will evolve in the twenty-first century. The introduction of the computer-based TOEFL test (TOEFL CBT) in 1998 was the first incremental step in this broad test-improvement effort.

The next step was the introduction of the TOEFL iBT test, delivered via the Internet, in September 2005. The TOEFL iBT test assesses all four language skills (reading, listening, speaking, and writing) that are important for effective communication. The test emphasizes integrated skills and provides better information about test takers ability to communicate in an academic setting and their readiness for academic coursework. The test was first launched in the United States and was gradually rolled out worldwide during 2005 and 2006.

As the TOEFL iBT test was introduced in an area, TOEFL CBT testing was discontinued after a period of overlap to ensure a smooth transition. The final administration of the TOEFL CBT test was held in September 2006. TOEFL PBT testing is being phased out and is currently offered only in locations where testing via the Internet is not available. This TOEFL Test and Score Data Summary contains information about TOEFL iBT and TOEFL PBT test takers.

4

The TOEFL iBT Test

more than 4,500 TOEFL iBT test centers in over 165 countries, and the number continues to grow. Speaking and writing tasks receive multiple ratings to provide unbiased, objective evaluations of the responses.

Test Preparation Everyone registered to take the TOEFL test receives test preparation materials free of charge. Those who register to take the TOEFL iBT test receive a link to a TOEFL iBT Sampler. The Sampler includes questions from all four sections of the test. The Reading and Listening sections are interactive and sample responses are provided for the Writing and Speaking questions.

Other test preparation products, including sample test questions, are available for free and for purchase. For more information, visit the TOEFL website at www.ets.org/toefl.

Visit the TOEFL website at www.ets.org/toefl for the most up-to-date information.

The TOEFL iBT test was introduced in the United States in September 2005 and w a s g r a d u a l l y introduced worldwide during 2005 and 2006. The test was developed in response t o a r e q u e s t b y

institutions to provide a test that would measure nonnative speakers ability to communicate in English in an academic setting.

The TOEFL iBT test: Measures the ability to communicate by combining,

or integrating, all four language skills Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing

Is 100% academically-focused, measuring the kind of English used in academic settings

Provides fair and objective scoring Provides valid and reliable information to support

score users in making effective decisions regarding a test takers English-language proficiency

Test takers have up to four hours to complete the test, and all four sections are taken on the same day. The Reading section measures the ability to understand academic reading material, and the Listening section measures the ability to understand spoken English as it is used in colleges and universities. The Speaking section consists of six tasks that measure the ability to speak in English in an academic setting. The Writing section consists of two tasks that measure the ability to write in a way that is appropriate for college and university coursework. Some questions in the Speaking and Writing sections require test takers to combine, or integrate, information from more than one source. For example, test takers are asked to read a passage, listen to a short lecture about a topic, and then speak or write in response. These integrated tasks are designed to simulate the academic experience.

Internet delivery enables E T S to deliver the test at official test centers in more locations. There are currently

5

TOEFL iBT Test Data for 2012

Table 1. Observed Minimum and Maximum TOEFL iBT Section and Total Scores

Section Min . Max .

1. Reading 0 30

2. Listening 0 30

3. Speaking 0 30

4. Writing 0 30

Total 0 120

Table 2 presents means and standard deviations of section and total scores by gender for examinees tested between January and December 2012.

Table 2. Means and Standard Deviations for TOEFL iBT Section and Total Scores, by Gender*

Group Reading Listening Speaking Writing Total

Males 20.0 19.4 19.7 20.5 80Males 7.0 7.0 4.7 5.3 21

Females 19.8 19.6 20.6 20.9 81Females 6.7 6.7 4.6 5.0 20

*Based on examinees who responded to a question about gender group membership.

The data presented in the tables below are based on examinees who took the TOEFL iBT test between January 2012 and December 2012.

Table 1 gives actual ranges of observed scores for the period from January 2012 and December 2012.

6

Table 3. TOEFL iBT Total and Section Score Means1 All Examinees Classified by Native Language2

Tables 3 and 4 may be useful in comparing the performance on the TOEFL iBT test of a particular student with that of other students from the same native country and with that of students who speak the same language. E T S, creator of the TOEFL test, does not endorse the practice of ranking countries on the basis of TOEFL scores, as this is a misuse of data. The TOEFL test provides accurate scores at the individual level; it is not appropriate for comparing countries. The differences in the number of students taking the test in each country, how early English is introduced into the curriculum, how many hours per week are devoted to learning English, and the fact that those taking the test are not representative of all English speakers in each country or any defined popu-lation make ranking by test score meaningless.

1 Because of the unreliability of statistics based on small samples, means are not reported for subgroups of less than 30. Due to rounding, section score means may not add up to the total score mean.

2 Because of changes in region and/or country boundaries, certain languages may have been added or deleted since the previous table was published.

Native Language Read

ing

List

enin

g

Spea

king

Writ

ing

Tota

l

Afrikaans 18 18 20 20 77Akan 17 17 20 19 74Albanian 17 19 21 20 78Amharic 17 18 20 18 74Arabic 15 17 20 17 69Armenian 17 19 21 20 77Assamese 24 25 25 25 99Aymara * * * * *Azerbaijani 18 18 20 20 77Bambara 14 14 18 16 62Bashkir * * * * *Basque 24 23 22 23 92Belarusian 21 22 22 21 87Bemba 18 19 24 21 82Bengali 22 22 23 23 91Berber 16 18 20 18 72Bikol 21 22 23 22 87Bosnian 18 21 22 20 81Bulgarian 21 23 22 23 89Burmese 18 19 21 21 79Catalan 24 24 22 23 92Cebuano 20 21 24 22 87Chichewa ( Nyanja ) 17 17 19 19 71Chinese 20 18 19 20 77Chuvash * * * * *Croatian 21 23 23 22 90Czech 22 24 23 22 92Danish 22 26 26 24 98Dutch 24 26 26 25 101Dyula * * * * *Efik 18 18 20 19 76Estonian 23 25 24 24 96Ewe 17 17 20 19 73Farsi 20 20 21 20 81Fijian * * * * *Finnish 23 25 24 23 95French 21 22 22 22 86Fulah 12 14 19 16 61Ga 18 19 21 20 77Galician 25 25 23 24 97Ganda 16 17 22 20 75Georgian 18 20 22 21 81German 23 25 25 24 97Greek 22 23 22 23 91Guarani * * * * *Gujarati 20 21 23 22 86Hausa 15 16 20 18 69Hebrew 23 26 25 22 95Hiligaynon 22 23 24 24 93Hindi 23 24 24 24 95Hungarian 22 23 23 23 92Icelandic 22 26 24 23 95Igbo 19 19 21 21 79Iloko 20 20 22 21 83Indonesian 19 20 20 21 79Inupiaq * * * * *Italian 24 23 22 22 90Japanese 18 17 17 18 70Javanese 16 15 15 17 63Kannada 22 23 24 24 94Kanuri * * * * *Kashmiri 23 24 25 24 96Kazakh 17 19 21 19 76Khmer 15 15 19 19 68Kikuyu 19 20 22 22 83Kinyarwanda 15 17 21 19 72Konkani 25 25 25 26 101Korean 21 21 20 22 84Kosraean 19 19 19 20 77Kurdish 14 15 19 17 64

Native Language Read

ing

List

enin

g

Spea

king

Writ

ing

Tota

l

Kurukh * * * * *Lao 16 17 20 20 73Latvian 19 22 23 22 86Lingala 14 16 19 17 66Lithuanian 20 23 23 22 88Luba-Lulua * * * * *Luo 19 20 23 23 84Luxembourgish 23 24 24 24 95Macedonian 20 22 23 22 87Madurese * * * * *Malagasy 18 19 20 20 77Malay 21 22 22 24 89Malayalam 23 24 24 24 96Maltese * * * * *Mandingo 13 14 19 16 62Marathi 23 23 24 24 94Marshallese * * * * *Mende * * * * *Minangkabau * * * * *Mongolian 16 17 18 18 68Mossi * * * * *Nauru * * * * *Nepali 19 20 21 21 81Norwegian 21 24 25 23 93Oriya 23 23 24 24 94Oromo 16 17 19 18 71Palauan * * * * *Pohnpeian * * * * *Polish 21 23 23 22 89Portuguese 21 22 21 21 84Punjabi 21 22 24 23 89Pushto 18 19 22 21 81Romanian 22 23 23 22 90Russian 20 21 22 21 84Samoan * * * * *Serbian 20 22 22 21 86Shona 20 21 23 23 87Sindhi 22 23 24 24 94Sinhalese 20 21 22 21 84Slovak 21 23 23 22 90Slovenian 23 25 24 23 94Somali 15 17 21 17 70Spanish 20 21 22 21 84Sundanese * * * * *Swahili 17 18 22 21 78Swedish 21 24 25 23 93Tagalog 21 22 24 23 89Tajik 13 16 21 18 67Tamil 23 24 24 25 96Tatar 21 21 22 21 85Telugu 19 20 22 22 83Thai 18 19 19 20 76Tibetan 19 20 22 21 82Tigrinya 18 19 21 19 78Tonga * * * * *Turkish 18 18 19 20 75Turkmen 17 19 22 20 79Twi 18 19 21 20 78Uighur 17 17 19 18 71Ukrainian 19 21 22 21 84Urdu 21 22 24 23 90Uzbek 17 18 20 19 74Vietnamese 19 18 19 21 77Wolof 15 16 20 18 69Xhosa * * * * *Yapese * * * * *Yoruba 19 19 21 20 78Zulu 19 22 25 23 89

7 (continued)

Table 4. TOEFL iBT Total and Section Score Means1 All Examinees Classified by Geographic Region and Native Country2

Geographic Regionand Native Country Re

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AFRICA

Angola 14 16 20 17 66Benin 16 15 17 18 66Botswana 19 21 24 24 88Burkina Faso 15 15 18 17 66Burundi 16 18 20 19 73Cameroon 16 16 20 19 71Cape Verde * * * * *Central African Republic * * * * *Chad 17 17 19 18 71Comoros * * * * *Congo 14 14 18 17 64Congo, The Democratic Republic of 15 17 20 19 71Cote D'Ivoire 15 15 18 17 66Djibouti * * * * *Equatorial Guinea * * * * *Eritrea 18 19 21 19 78Ethiopia 17 19 21 19 75Gabon 14 16 19 17 66Gambia 13 15 19 17 63Ghana 18 19 21 20 78Guinea 12 14 18 15 59Guinea-Bissau * * * * *Kenya 19 20 22 22 83Lesotho 16 20 22 22 80Liberia 15 17 21 18 71Mayotte * * * * *Madagascar 19 20 20 21 80Malawi * * * * *Mali 14 15 18 17 63Mauritania 15 16 20 18 69Mauritius 22 22 24 24 91Mozambique 15 17 21 19 72Namibia * * * * *Niger 16 17 20 18 71Nigeria 18 18 21 20 78Reunion 21 21 21 21 85Rwanda 16 17 21 20 74Sao Tome and Principe * * * * *Senegal 15 17 19 18 69Seychelles * * * * *Sierra Leone 15 16 21 18 70Somalia 14 17 20 16 67South Africa 21 24 26 24 95Swaziland 19 21 25 24 89Tanzania, United Republic of 15 17 22 20 73Togo 14 14 18 16 62Tunisia 18 20 21 20 79Uganda 17 18 22 21 79Zambia 18 20 24 21 83Zimbabwe 21 22 24 23 90

AMERICA

Anguilla * * * * *Antigua and Barbuda * * * * *Argentina 23 24 23 23 93Aruba 17 20 23 19 80Bahamas * * * * *Barbados * * * * *Belize * * * * *Bolivia 19 21 22 21 82Brazil 21 22 21 21 84Canada 22 24 25 23 94Cayman Islands * * * * *Chile 21 22 21 21 85Colombia 20 20 21 20 81Costa Rica 23 24 24 22 93Cuba 19 20 21 20 79Dominica * * * * *Dominican Republic 19 21 22 20 82Ecuador 16 16 19 18 68El Salvador 19 21 23 21 84French Guiana * * * * *Grenada * * * * *Guadeloupe 17 19 19 19 75Guatemala 20 21 22 21 84Guyana * * * * *Haiti 13 15 19 17 64Honduras 20 22 23 22 86Jamaica 19 21 24 22 86Martinique 17 19 20 19 75Mexico 21 22 22 21 86Netherlands Antilles 18 22 23 21 84Nicaragua 20 22 23 21 85Panama 19 21 22 21 83

Geographic Regionand Native Country Re

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Paraguay 21 22 22 21 86Peru 21 22 22 22 86Puerto Rico 20 22 22 21 86Saint Pierre and Miquelon * * * * *St. Vincent and the Grenadines * * * * *St. Kitts and Nevis * * * * *Suriname 16 19 21 19 76Trinidad and Tobago * * * * *Turks and Caicos Islands * * * * *Uruguay 24 25 23 23 95Venezuela 19 21 22 20 82Virgin Islands (U.S.) * * * * *

ASIA

Afghanistan 14 17 22 19 72Azerbaijan 18 19 21 20 78Bangladesh 20 20 22 22 84Bhutan 17 18 23 21 79Brunei Darussalam * * * * *Cocos (Keeling) Islands * * * * *Christmas Island * * * * *Cambodia 15 15 19 19 68China, Peoples Republic of 20 18 19 20 77Hong Kong 19 20 21 22 82India 22 22 24 24 91Indonesia 19 20 20 21 79Japan 18 17 17 18 70Kazakhstan 18 19 21 20 79Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 19 19 20 21 80Korea, Republic of 21 21 20 22 84Kyrgyzstan 18 19 21 20 78Lao People's Democratic Republic 16 16 19 19 71Macao 17 18 19 20 74Malaysia 22 22 22 24 89Maldives * * * * *Mongolia 15 17 18 18 68Myanmar 18 19 21 21 79Nepal 19 20 21 21 81Pakistan 21 22 24 23 90Philippines 21 22 24 23 89Singapore 24 25 24 25 98Sri Lanka 20 21 22 21 85Taiwan (Republic of China) 20 19 20 20 78Tajikistan 14 17 21 18 70Thailand 18 19 19 20 76Timor-Leste * * * * *Turkmenistan 18 20 22 20 81Uzbekistan 18 19 21 20 78Vietnam 19 18 19 21 77

EUROPE

Aland Islands * * * * *Albania 18 19 21 20 78Andorra * * * * *Armenia 17 19 21 20 77Austria 23 26 26 25 99Belarus 20 22 22 21 86Belgium 24 25 24 24 98Bosnia and Herzegovina 19 21 22 21 83Bulgaria 21 23 22 23 89Croatia 22 24 24 22 91Cyprus 19 21 21 22 83Czech Republic 22 24 23 23 92Denmark 23 26 26 24 98Estonia 23 25 24 24 95Faroe Islands * * * * *Finland 23 25 24 23 96France 22 22 22 22 88Georgia 18 20 22 20 80Germany 23 25 25 24 96Gibraltar * * * * *Greece 23 23 22 24 92Greenland * * * * *Hungary 22 23 23 23 92Iceland 22 25 24 23 95Ireland * * * * *Italy 24 23 22 22 90Kosovo, Republic of 17 18 22 20 77Latvia 19 22 23 21 85Liechtenstein * * * * *Lithuania 20 23 23 22 88Luxembourg 22 23 24 23 93Macedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of 20 22 22 22 85

8

Table 4 (continued)

1 Because of the unreliability of statistics based on small samples, means are not reported for subgroups of less than 30. Due to rounding, section score means may not add up to the total score mean.

2 Because of changes in region and/or country boundaries, certain countries may have been added or deleted since the previous table was published.

Geographic Regionand Native Country Re

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EUROPE (contd)

Malta * * * * *Moldova, Republic of 20 21 22 21 84Monaco 22 22 24 23 90Montenegro 17 20 21 20 79Northern Ireland * * * * *Netherlands 24 26 26 24 100Norway 21 24 25 23 93Poland 21 23 23 22 89Portugal 23 25 24 23 95Romania 22 23 23 23 91Russian Federation 20 21 22 21 84SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO * * * * *Scotland * * * * *San Marino * * * * *Serbia 20 23 23 21 87Slovakia 21 23 23 23 90Slovenia 22 25 24 23 94Spain 23 23 22 22 89Sweden 21 24 25 23 93Switzerland 24 25 24 24 97Turkey 18 18 19 20 75Ukraine 19 21 22 21 84United Kingdom 22 24 25 23 94Wales * * * * *

MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA

Algeria 15 17 19 17 69Bahrain 16 19 23 20 78Egypt 19 20 22 21 82Gaza Strip * * * * *Iran, Islamic Republic of 20 20 21 20 80Iraq 15 17 20 18 70Israel 22 25 25 22 94Jordan 17 19 21 19 76Kuwait 14 17 20 17 70

Geographic Regionand Native Country Re

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Lebanon 20 22 23 22 87Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 16 19 21 18 74Morocco 18 19 21 20 79Oman 13 15 19 16 62Palestine Territories 16 18 21 19 73Qatar 16 19 21 18 74Saudi Arabia 12 15 18 15 60Sudan 16 19 21 19 75Syrian Arab Republic 17 19 21 19 77United Arab Emirates 16 18 20 18 71West Bank * * * * *Yemen 14 16 20 17 67

PACIFIC REGION

American Samoa * * * * *Australia 21 22 23 23 90Fiji * * * * *French Polynesia 20 22 21 22 84Guam * * * * *British Indian Ocean Territory * * * * *Kiribati * * * * *Marshall Islands * * * * *Micronesia, Federated States of * * * * *Nauru * * * * *New Caledonia * * * * *New Zealand 20 22 23 23 88Northern Mariana Islands * * * * *Pitcairn * * * * *Palau * * * * *Papua New Guinea * * * * *Samoa * * * * *Solomon Islands * * * * *Tonga * * * * *Vanuatu * * * * *

9

The TOEFL Paper-based Test (TOEFL PBT)

The paper-based version of the TOEFL test (TOEFL PBT) is being phased out and is currently offered only in locations where testing via the Internet is not available. Scores remain valid for two years after the test date. Each form of the TOEFL PBT test consists of three separately timed sections; the questions in each section are multiple-

choice, with four possible answer choices per question. All responses are gridded on answer sheets that are scored by computer. There is also a 30-minute essay, the TWE test, given at each administration.

Section 1 of the test, Listening Comprehension, measures the ability to understand English as it is spoken in an academic setting. The oral features of the language are stressed, and the problems tested include vocabulary and idiomatic expressions as well as special grammatical constructions frequently used in spoken English. The stimulus material and oral questions are recorded in standard North American English; the answer choices are printed in the test books.

Section 2, Structure and Written Expression, measures recognition of selected structural and grammatical points in standard written English. The language tested is formal, rather than conversational. The topics of the sentences are of a general academic nature so that individuals in specific fields of study or from specific national or linguistic groups have no particular advantage.

Section 3, Reading Comprehension, measures the ability to read and understand short passages that are similar in topic and style to those that students are likely to encounter in colleges and universities. Test takers read a variety of short passages on academic subjects and answer several questions about each passage. The questions test information that is stated in or implied by the passage, as well as knowledge of some of the specific words as they are used in the passage.

Total test time is approximately two and one-half hours; however, approximately three and one-half hours are needed for a test administration to admit examinees to the testing room, to allow them to enter identifying information on their answer sheets, and to distribute and collect the test materials. Language specialists prepare the material for the TOEFL test. The TOEFL Committee of Examiners establishes overall guidelines for test content and specifications. All item specifications, questions, and final test forms are reviewed for cultural and racial bias and content appropriateness according to established E T S procedures.

Test Preparation Everyone who registers to take TOEFL PBT receives TOEFL Practice Tests, Volume 1, which includes two complete PBT tests. In addition, sample questions are downloadable from the TOEFL website. There is no fee for these practice materials. Other TOEFL test preparation products are available for purchase. For more information about these products and ordering information, please visit the TOEFL website at www.ets.org/toefl.

10

TOEFL Paper-based Test Data for 2012

Table 5. Observed Minimum and Maximum Paper-based TOEFL Section and Total Scores

Section Min . Max .1. Listening Comprehension 31 68

2. Structure and Written Expression 31 68

3. Reading Comprehension 31 67

Total 310 677

In 2012 TOEFL PBT was administered four times at preestablished testing centers. The data presented below are based on examinees who took the paper-based TOEFL test between January and December 2012. Table 5 gives actual ranges of observed scores for the period from January 2012 through December 2012.

Table 6 presents means and standard deviations of section and total scores by gender for examinees tested between January and December 2012.

Table 6. Means and Standard Deviations for Paper-Based TOEFL Section and Total Scores by Gender*

Group

Section 1 Listening

Comprehension

Section 2 Structure and

Written Expression

Section 3 Reading

ComprehensionTotal Scale

Score

Male 52.1 52.7 52.4 524

Male 7.0 7.8 7.1 65

Female 52.9 52.5 51.9 524

Female 7.0 7.8 7.0 66

*Based on examinees who responded to a question about gender group membership.

11

Tables 7 and 8 may be useful in comparing the performance on the TOEFL PBT test of a particular student with that of other students from the same native country and with that of students who speak the same language. E T S, creator of the TOEFL test, does not endorse the practice of ranking countries on the basis of TOEFL scores, as this is a misuse of data. The TOEFL test provides accurate scores at the individual level; it is not appropriate for comparing countries. The differences in the number of students taking the test in each country, how early English is introduced into the curriculum, how many hours per week are devoted to learning English, and the fact that those taking the test are not representative of all English speakers in each country or any defined popu-lation make ranking by test score meaningless.

Table 7. Paper-Based TOEFL Total and Section Score Means1 All Examinees Classified by Native Language

Language Sect

ion

1 Li

sten

ing

Com

preh

ensi

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Sect

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2 St

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3 Re

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Afrikaans * * * *Akan * * * *Albanian * * * *Amharic 56 54 53 543Arabic 53 51 50 513Armenian * * * *Assamese * * * *Azerbaijani 52 54 54 534Bambara * * * *Bashkir * * * *Basque * * * *Belarusian * * * *Bemba * * * *Bengali * * * *Berber * * * *Bikol * * * *Bosnian * * * *Bulgarian * * * *Burmese 52 55 53 532Catalan * * * *Cebuano * * * *Chichewa 55 60 55 570Chinese 53 52 53 529Chuvash * * * *Croatian * * * *Czech * * * *Danish 62 60 58 602Dutch 58 57 55 567Dyula * * * *Efik * * * *Estonian * * * *Ewe 45 50 48 477Farsi 51 52 52 519Fijian * * * *Finnish * * * *French 51 51 52 511Fulah * * * *Ga * * * *Galician * * * *Ganda * * * *Georgian * * * *German 58 56 54 558Greek * * * *Guarani * * * *Gujarati * * * *Gwichin * * * *Hausa * * * *Hebrew * * * *Hiligaynon * * * *Hindi * * * *Hungarian * * * *Icelandic * * * *Igbo 51 55 51 523Iloko * * * *Indonesian * * * *Inupiaq * * * *Italian * * * *Japanese 54 54 53 536Javanese * * * *Kannada * * * *Kanuri * * * *Kashmiri * * * *Kazakh 51 51 52 515Khmer * * * *Kikuyu * * * *Kinyarwanda 51 55 52 528Konkani * * * *Korean 52 53 54 533Kosraean 49 45 44 461Kurdish 49 48 48 487Kurukh * * * *

Language Sect

ion

1 Li

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Com

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Sect

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2 St

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3 Re

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Lao * * * *Latvian * * * *Lingala 47 52 49 494Lithuanian * * * *Luba-Lul * * * *Luo * * * *Luxembourgish * * * *Macedonian * * * *Madurese * * * *Malagasy 50 52 52 515Malay * * * *Malayalam * * * *Maltese * * * *Mandingo * * * *Marathi * * * *Marshallese 54 52 48 513Mende * * * *Minangka * * * *Mongolian * * * *Mossi 48 54 51 508Nauru * * * *Nepali * * * *Norwegian 62 60 60 609Nyanja * * * *Oriya * * * *Oromo * * * *Palauan 55 54 51 530Pohnpeian * * * *Polish * * * *Portuguese 53 52 54 532Punjabi * * * *Pushto 53 53 52 526Romanian * * * *Russian 53 52 52 525Samoan * * * *Santali * * * *Serbian * * * *Shona 57 62 57 584Sindhi * * * *Sinhalese * * * *Slovak * * * *Slovenian * * * *Somali * * * *Spanish 55 55 56 555Sundanese * * * *Swahili 53 56 53 541Swedish 62 60 59 607Tagalog * * * *Tajik 47 48 47 472Tamil * * * *Tatar * * * *Telugu * * * *Thai 48 48 50 486Tibetan * * * *Tigrinya 54 57 55 555Tonga * * * *Turkish 51 53 53 522Turkmen 52 51 50 510Twi * * * *Ukrainian * * * *Urdu * * * *Uzbek * * * *Vietnamese 53 54 53 535Wolof 52 52 51 517Xhosa * * * *Yapese * * * *Yiddish * * * *Yoruba * * * *Yupik * * * *Zulu * * * *

1 Because of the unreliability of statistics based on small samples, means are not reported for some language subgroups.

12

(continued)

Table 8. Paper-based TOEFL Total and Section Score Means1 All Examinees Classified by Geographic Region and Native Country2

Geographic Region and Native Country Se

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AFRICA

Angola 51 52 50 511Benin * * * *Burkina Faso 45 48 47 465Burundi 47 51 48 484Cameroon 49 54 51 514Cape Verde * * * *Central African Republic * * * *Chad 48 54 50 505Comoros * * * *Congo 46 49 47 473Cote d Ivoire * * * *Djibouti * * * *Equatorial Guinea * * * *Eritrea 54 58 56 557Ethiopia 55 54 53 542Gabon * * * *Ghana * * * *Guinea * * * *Kenya * * * *Liberia 47 50 46 479Madagascar 50 53 52 517Malawi 54 60 55 563Mali * * * *Mauritania * * * *Mauritius * * * *Morocco * * * *Mozambique * * * *Namibia 56 59 54 562Niger 50 55 52 526Nigeria 51 55 52 526Reunion * * * *Rwanda 51 55 52 528Senegal 51 52 51 514Sierra Leone 50 55 49 518Somalia * * * *South Africa * * * *Swaziland * * * *Tanzania, United Republic of 55 58 55 556Togo 45 50 48 479Tunisia * * * *Uganda * * * *Zambia * * * *Zimbabwe 57 62 57 585

AMERICA

Antigua and Barbuda * * * *Argentina * * * *Aruba 58 56 54 561Barbados * * * *Belize * * * *Bolivia 54 54 54 540Brazil 54 52 55 536Canada * * * *Chile * * * *Colombia * * * *Costa Rica * * * *Cuba * * * *Dominica * * * *Dominican Republic 58 58 56 573Ecuador * * * *Guadeloupe * * * *Guatemala * * * *Guyana * * * *Haiti * * * *Honduras * * * *Martinique * * * *Mexico 55 55 57 558Netherlands Antilles * * * *Nicaragua * * * *Panama * * * *Paraguay * * * *Peru * * * *Puerto Rico * * * *

Geographic Region and Native Country Se

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St. Maarten (Dutch Part) * * * *St. Vincent and the Grenadines * * * *Suriname 58 58 55 567Trinidad and Tobago * * * *Uruguay * * * *Venezuela 56 54 54 546

ASIA

Afghanistan 52 52 50 513Azerbaijan * * * *Bangladesh * * * *Bhutan * * * *Cambodia * * * *China, Peoples Republic of 53 52 53 527Hong Kong * * * *India 58 56 56 568Indonesia * * * *Japan 54 54 53 537Kazakhstan 51 51 51 514Korea, Republic of * * * *Kyrgyzstan 52 51 51 515Macao * * * *Malaysia * * * *Maldives * * * *Mongolia * * * *Myanmar 52 55 53 533Nepal * * * *Pakistan * * * *Philippines * * * *Sri Lanka * * * *Tajikistan 47 49 47 476Thailand 48 48 50 485Turkmenistan 53 51 50 514Uzbekistan * * * *Vietnam 54 54 53 535

EUROPE

Armenia * * * *Austria * * * *Belarus * * * *Belgium * * * *Bosnia and Herzegovina * * * *Bulgaria * * * *Cyprus * * * *Denmark 62 60 58 597Estonia * * * *Faroe Islands * * * *Finland * * * *France 53 51 54 526Georgia * * * *Germany 58 55 54 556Hungary * * * *Iceland * * * *Israel * * * *Italy * * * *Kosovo, Republic of * * * *Lithuania * * * *Luxembourg * * * *Montenegro * * * *Netherlands * * * *Norway 62 60 60 608Poland * * * *Portugal * * * *Romania * * * *Russian Federation 56 54 54 546Serbia * * * *Slovakia * * * *Slovenia * * * *Spain 55 57 58 565Sweden 62 60 59 605Switzerland * * * *Turkey 51 53 53 523Ukraine * * * *United Kingdom * * * *

13

Table 8 (continued)

1 Because of the unreliability of statistics based on small samples, means are not reported for some native country subgroups.2 Because of changes in region and/or country boundaries, certain countries may have been added or deleted since the previous table was published.

Geographic Region and Native Country Se

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MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA

Algeria 51 53 53 523Bahrain * * * *Egypt * * * *Gaza Strip * * * *Iran, Islamic Republic of 51 52 52 520Iraq 50 49 49 496Jordan 59 58 56 581Kuwait * * * *Lebanon * * * *Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 50 47 49 488Oman * * * *Palestinian Territories 52 51 50 511Qatar * * * *Saudi Arabia 53 49 49 501Sudan 52 51 51 514United Arab Emirates * * * *Yemen 52 53 51 520

Geographic Region and Native Country Se

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PACIFIC REGION

American Samoa * * * *Fiji * * * *French Polynesia * * * *Guam * * * *Kiribati * * * *Marshall Islands 55 52 48 514Micronesia, Federated States of 52 49 47 495New Caledonia * * * *Palau 55 53 50 527Papua New Guinea * * * *Samoa * * * *Tonga * * * *

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