{"id":2793,"date":"2016-02-07T10:25:41","date_gmt":"2016-02-07T18:25:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/?p=2793"},"modified":"2020-12-10T13:44:17","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:44:17","slug":"toefl-alternatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/toefl-alternatives\/","title":{"rendered":"TOEFL Alternatives"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There are a lot of schools that draw a hard line when it comes to the TOEFL\u2014they really want to see TOEFL scores for admissions, and nothing else will do. But there are also quite a few schools and other agencies that see the TOEFL as one of several ways to prove English ability. In this post, we\u2019ll look at alternatives to the TOEFL that are accepted in some cases.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Testing alternatives<\/h2>\n<p>The most obvious alternatives to the TOEFL exams are other exams. The Cambridge<a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/toefl-vs-ielts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> IELTS<\/a> is by far the best-known alternative English proficiency test. This alternative is nearly always available in immigration and professional licensing programs that accept the TOEFL. Australia accepts the IELTS as well as the TOEFL for skilled migrants, and most medical professions will accept the IELTS as a TOEFL alternative too. <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/the-step-eiken-exam\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Eiken exam<\/a>, which is designed primarily for native Japanese speakers, is also accepted as a TOEFL substitute in some cases.<\/p>\n<p>Certain general academic exams can also serve as TOEFL substitutes. <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The SAT and ACT<\/a> are college exams that test general academic knowledge. These exams are designed primarily for domestic students in the USA and Canada. Because they are written and administered entirely in English, some American schools view passage of these exams as sufficient proof of English ability. There are also instances where graduate schools will accept passing scores on the <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gre\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GRE<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GMAT<\/a> as a substitute for TOEFL scores. Don\u2019t assume these exams work as substitutes, though\u2014many schools require the TOEFL <em>and<\/em> a general academic knowledge exam.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Schooling alternatives<\/h2>\n<p>Sometimes providing proof of extensive schooling in English\u2014such as attendance at an English language grade-school or high school\u2014can exempt you from taking the TOEFL. This is especially true if you\u2019re from a country where English is a common lingua franca (see the countries listed in <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/are-you-from-a-toefl-exempt-country-its-more-likely-than-you-think\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this post<\/a> for possible examples). But proof of prior English learning is still valuable if you\u2019re from a country where English is not a major spoken language. If you attended an international school or English immersion school anywhere in the world, your schooling could potentially be seen as sufficient demonstration of English ability.<\/p>\n<p>Passing grades in <a href=\"https:\/\/apstudent.collegeboard.org\/home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">College Board AP<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cie.org.uk\/programmes-and-qualifications\/cambridge-secondary-2\/cambridge-igcse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cambridge IGCSE<\/a>, or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ibo.org\/programmes\/diploma-programme\/curriculum\/language-and-literature\/language-a-language-and-literature-slhl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">International Baccalaureate (IB)<\/a> courses are also sometimes seen as a replacement for TOEFL scores in school admissions. AP courses are primarily offered in US high schools, so this option is best for international high school students in America. The Cambridge IGCSE is offered in Cambridge schools and Cambridge-supported high school programs all around the world. The IB is similar to AP and IGCSE, and IB courses, like IGCSE, are available in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ibo.org\/about-the-ib\/the-ib-by-country\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">many different countries<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>And of course, colleges and universities themselves host certain courses that can be taken as a substitute for passing TOEFL scores. <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/intensive-english-programs-and-the-toefl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Intensive English programs<\/a> and class schedules based on <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/toefl-scores-and-conditional-acceptance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">conditional acceptance<\/a> are available at a growing number of US schools, including some very prestigious top schools.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are a lot of schools that draw a hard line when it comes to the TOEFL\u2014they really want to see TOEFL scores for admissions, and nothing else will do. But there are also quite a few schools and other agencies that see the TOEFL as one of several ways to prove English ability. In [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13598],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[13630],"class_list":["post-2793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-toefl-vs-other-tests"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.7 (Yoast SEO v21.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>TOEFL Alternatives - Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/toefl-alternatives\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"TOEFL Alternatives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are a lot of schools that draw a hard line when it comes to the TOEFL\u2014they really want to see TOEFL scores for admissions, and nothing else will do. But there are also quite a few schools and other agencies that see the TOEFL as one of several ways to prove English ability. 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Additionally, he's helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. David has a BS and MA from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/david-recine\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCra3KQoJlOP7RYwaCyH2qew"],"knowsAbout":["TOEFL","IELTS","TOEIC","PET","FCE","BULATS","Eiken","SAT","ACT","GRE","GMAT"],"knowsLanguage":["English","Italian"],"jobTitle":"Content Creator","worksFor":"Magoosh","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/author\/davidr\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":13630,"user_id":80,"is_guest":0,"slug":"davidr","display_name":"David Recine","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b70c17ee6f3ef87dc4cc5dbdebda911d6dd30dfe15845e4b1d459a3e1b33ef98?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"","last_name":"Recine","first_name":"David","description":"David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. Additionally, he's helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT.\r\n\r\nDavid has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. His work at Magoosh has been cited in<a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/scholar?hl=en&amp;as_sdt=0%2C50&amp;q=Recine+magoosh&amp;btnG=\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> many scholarly articles<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/minds.wisconsin.edu\/handle\/1793\/65479\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> his Master's Thesis<\/a> is featured on the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.readingwithpictures.org\/2013\/09\/research-highlight-teaching-english-language-learners-with-comics\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Reading with Pictures<\/a> website, and he's presented at the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.witesol.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/2014-WITESOL-Program-FINAL-10-28-14.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> WITESOL (link to PDF)<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/interoff\/docs\/nafsaregionv_2014conference\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> NAFSA<\/a> conferences. David has taught K-12 ESL in South Korea as well as undergraduate English and MBA-level business English at American universities. He has also trained English teachers in America, Italy, and Peru.\r\n\r\nCome join David and the Magoosh team on<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCra3KQoJlOP7RYwaCyH2qew\"> Youtube<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning\"> Facebook<\/a>, and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/magooshenglish\/?hl=en\"> Instagram<\/a>, or connect with him via<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/david-recine\/\"> LinkedIn<\/a>!"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/80"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2793"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2793\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2793"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=2793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}