TOEFL iBT Home Edition – Equipment and Environment
A luxury offered by no other testing agency, TOEFL iBT Home Edition is a surprising and innovative decision taken by the ETS to facilitate the TOEFL exam even during the pandemic. The primary reason for this being the closure and shut down of test centers for public safety and precaution. Test takers need not wait anymore for centers to be opened, nor do they need to travel to these centers to attend the test.
TOEFL iBT Home Edition is an internet-based English language test that you can attend at your own homes (except if you’re residing in mainland China or Iran) without having to travel anywhere else, provided you have the necessary equipment.
The Requirements
What you will need to attend the TOEFL iBT Home Edition – as required by the ETS:
- A desktop or a laptop
- MAC – Mac OS X 10.5 at the least. Mac 10.13 High Sierra is recommended.
- PC – Windows 7,8 or 10.
- A Google Chrome or a Firefox browser: Install the ETS Secure Test Browser, both Windows and Mac versions. Run a test using the ProctorU Equipment Check. Any failures in the test should be fixed before the test. Any security software like firewalls may interfere with the test software.
- An internal or an external speaker and a microphone: Headphones or earphones are prohibited from usage during the test.
- A webcam or a built-in camera enables a 360-degree view of the room, including the table surface.
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Important non-technical requirements
- Be alone while attending the test inside a locked room. Remember that the test cannot be taken in a public space.
- Your door should be visible to the supervisor before and during the test.
- Your computer or laptop should be on a surface, and the area around it should be clear of any study materials, phone, food, drinks, etc. (You are not allowed to eat or drink anything during the test).
- Sit on a standard chair and not on a sofa or a bed.
Dress code and appearance
- Proper dressing is expected as the video of you taking the test will be shared across institutions along with your scores.
- Your ears should be visible throughout the test even if a religious head-wear is worn.
- Avoid wearing unnecessary accessories like headbands, cufflinks, tie clips, or barrettes.
Requirements for Taking Notes
Only the following are allowed for note-taking purposes:
- A small desktop dry erase board with a marker (not a pen or a pencil)
- A sheet of paper stored inside a transparent sheet protector only with an erasable marker (not a pen or a pencil)
Towards the end of the test, all notes should be erased, and the same should be demonstrated to the supervisor.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Is the Toefl iBT Home Edition recognised?
Since the Home Edition is indeed a TOEFL iBT exam, grades can be recognized and treated in a similar manner as the test centre version, and thousands of colleges worldwide positively accepts and use the Home Edition results.
Q2. What is the distinction between Toefl Home Edition and Toefl iBT?
Ans. The TOEFL iBT Home Edition is also the same TOEFL iBT exam that you would undertake at a test centre, but it is administered from the comfort of home and overseen electronically by a human facilitator. It is recognized and approved by colleges all around the world.
Q3. Is the Toefl iBT Home Edition acceptable at Harvard?
Ans. Harvard have started taking TOEFL IBT Special Home Edition because of COVID-19 limits.
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