Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Mikejelai]

She is Filipina and has a bachelor degree in English education from a teachers university in the Philippines (all classes taught in English) and has passed the national teachers exam there (also given in English).

Do you think she has a good chance of passing the TOEFL? (she needs a minimum score of 80 to get into a grad program in the US)

[dongjak]

Why doesn't she take a practice test and see?

[northway]

"My Asian wife"....

[wiganer]

So is he is married to her and she is from the Phillippines (which is in Asia last time I looked) what is the offence of referring to her as his 'Asian wife' ?

[Konglishman]

Also, unless I am mistaken, Mikejelai is filipino. So, it is highly unlikely that he meant that in any sort of fetish sense.

[Mikejelai]

I am American but the reason I mentioned that my wife is Asian is because it is relevant to my question - she is Asian and English is not her first language. She is applying to some graduate schools in the US and they require her to take the TOEFL. I was just wondering if anyone else here is in a similar situation (in order to assess her chances).

[UknowsI]

From the information you gave it shouldn't be a problem. TOEFL mostly test your ability to perform in a class room environment, which is exactly what she has been exposed to already. 80 points shouldn't be very hard. I think I got 110-112 and my European friends got something similar. Since your wife has both taken classes in English and is married to a native speaker (which wasn't true for any of us) it shouldn't be any problem at all to get 80 points. If she is worried about it she should read a couple of example problems so she is prepared for the type of questions they will ask.

I think the requirements to graduate from the Korean university which I attend is 87 points. I am sure she is more fluent than most of my class mates. However, you should probably aim to get more than 80 points. If I was a professor at a US university I would never accept someone with 80 points on their TOEFL test.

[northway]

[lithium]

[Hugo85]

She just needs to practice. If it flows smoothly then it'll go well.

There are a ton of practice exams and questions. Get one of those to practice reading and listening. For speaking I suggest actually practicing with real timers and 10-15 seconds of preparation as in the exam and to not get used to more. For writing, if she understands the required structure and is able to stick by it in 90% of the allowed words she'll be fine.

[hellofaniceguy]

Gesh! Come on now!
Many folks born in the U.S. and other English speaking countries would probably have difficulty passing the TOEFL.
Makes no difference what country one is from....one has to study! Makes no difference if they are Asian/French/German, etc....
Could you pass a MD test? Sure, if you study. Lawyer test? Sure, if you study. TOEFL? Study for it. Same with a driver's license.
Are Filipinos Asian? With so many people moving around the world now it is getting so there is no difference between many so called races. Yes they are mostly Asian but not any particular local.
New flash people: Not every Asian looks Chinese. Look at the people in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.. they are darker and have different features, just like the Philippines.

[UknowsI]

[Mikejelai]

Thanks everyone. She has informed me that she needs a score of 95 or better. And, yes she is studying a little bit everyday now.

[UknowsI]

95 points will of course be considerably harder than 80 points, so be sure she familiarizes herself with the test before she takes it. She will still probably pass as long as she does her best and doesn't mess anything up. Good luck!

[T-dot]

80 is not difficult.

Just tell her to get comfortable with the format. You also need to find out if there are minimum scores needed for each section as well.