HELP! American citizen and TOEFFL

Student Lounge International Students
1

Hello! I am an American citizen but have never studied in the US or in a school where English is taught as the primary language. Should I take the TOEFFL test? What would the advantages of taking the TOEFFL test?

2

There is no consistent policy amongst colleges as to who needs to take TOEFL, but each college should have that info on its website.

One does not get exempted from TOEFL just by virtue of being a US citizen. Since one can derive US citizenship from parents, it is possible, for instance, for a person to be born in Mongolia, not speak English at home or at school, and still be a US citizen. Check with your target colleges to see what they say.

3

I grew up in an English-speaking family, and went to an English-language high school. Before attending university in the US I still had to show the university that my English was strong enough because I came from an area where Anglophones were a minority.

I think that it is worth taking the test and not having to think about it again (other than to send the result to schools).

4

Thanks for your help! I take it that I will also have to take SAT or ACT as well? There is no test version for foreign students? I have only learned English as a foreign language and my math classes have only been taught in German or Spanish. Needless to say, I would have a difficult time trying to figure out what they will be asking bc I am not familiar with the terms. Thanks for any insight.

5

If the college requires one or the other, yes.

The test is in English. After all, the language of instruction at American universities is English. Few universities offers ESL support, so the college needs to know that a foreign applicant is able to do the work in an English-speaking environment.

6

You have to take the TOEFL as well as the SAT or the act and any subject test. Not all Universities will want both so check admission requirements and send the results appropriately.
If you are in the US attending high school you can take the SAT or act as an ESL students (with accommodations) but this is not available abroad