An official language exam can open so many doors.
These days, a CV is not complete without a qualification showing your proficiency
in at least one international language.
This applies both for entrance to university, undergraduate and post-graduate programmes,
and for applications for employment in international environments.
Many students realise that if they pass one of these official exams,
it will really make a difference to their future.
My name is Sarah. I'm from France, and I'm 21.
When I was in France, I studied Business at university, but I decided to change.
So, I'm going to take the TOEFL test in May, which is the end of my academic year,
and I really hope I am going to have a good score like around 600 or even more.
I really hope I'm going to get there.
There are many different types of English exams that are popular in certain countries
and useful for different purposes.
EF organises preparation courses for all of the most popular exams.
TOEFL stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language,
and is one of the most well-known exams.
It measures the reading, writing, listening and speaking skills of foreign students.
The TOEFL is required by many universities, especially in the US, Canada and Australia.
EF has great expertise in preparing students for the iBT,
or internet-based TOEFL, that is becoming standard throughout the world.
TOEIC means Test of English for International Communication,
and is especially popular in the business world.
Some companies use it as part of recruitment. It's also used by American community colleges.
The Cambridge ESOL Exams are a range of certificates for learners of English.
Taken by nearly 2 million people each year,
they are used to gain entry to university or to improve job prospects.
Here at EF, we prepare students to succeed in all of them,
from the Preliminary English Test at Intermediate Level through First Certificate at Upper Intermediate.
Then there's a Cambridge Advanced English, and then finally,
the Certificate of Proficiency — the highest level of exam.
The Cambridge Business English Certificate tests students'
knowledge of the business environment.
These are available at three levels from Intermediate through to Advanced.
IELTS, the International English Language Testing System,
is an exam taken by more and more students each year.
Testing your academic English is recognised as an entry requirement
to universities in the UK, Canada, Australia and even New Zealand.
Apart from English exams, we do offer preparation in all the languages we teach.
So, the official language exams in Spanish, French, German, Italian and Chinese.
For Spanish, the most important exam is the DELE,
"Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera".
This comes in 3 different levels, so it's "Inicial", "Básico" and "Superior".
For French, most of our students try for the DELF exam,
"Diplôme d'études en langue française", which comes in 4 different levels.
For the more advanced students, there's also DALF,
"Diplôme approfondi en langue française",
and this gives access to the French speaking universities worldwide.
In German, we have the Zertifikat Deutsch, which is the most popular one.
We also have Zertifikat Deutsch für den Beruf,
which is for the students preparing for a career in business primarily.
Those who would like to study at a German speaking university
might want to go for the Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache,
or for Swiss universities, the Zentrale Mittelstufenprüfung.
But there are other language exams as well.
We do offer the official language exams in both Italian and Chinese.
Apart from the pure language exams, we also offer entry tests for universities;
SAT, for instance, and GMAT.
But we always recommend students who are interested in these exams
to contact their local EF representative.
EF offers a range of Exam Courses from 8 to 24 weeks,
and we also offer longer examination courses for Academic Year students
that run the length of an entire year.
Courses are typically 32 lessons per week with 10 lessons focusing on exam preparation
and special interest classes, which the students choose themselves.
Also, EF students enjoy general English language classes,
multimedia language lab sessions, and they have lectures by visiting guest speakers.
EF has over 40 schools worldwide in 15 countries,
and exam courses start at various points through the year.
The exams themselves are offered at specific times, typically between 2 and 12 times per year
depending on the exam.
Students should turn to their nearest EF office to find out when their favourite exam is offered,
and where.
EF will arrange the course and help the students book the exam,
and we will also help out with any student visas,
air tickets, transfers, accommodation, and activities.
International language exams are more important now than ever before.
These official qualifications open up so many opportunities to study and work around the world.
Our exam courses can help students succeed.
Not only will they master key skills and strategies for the exam of their choice,
but they will also live abroad, experience a new culture, meet new people,
and become fluent in an international language.