I Took the TOEFL Home Edition. Here’s How it Went!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (read before commenting, as there's a good chance one of these will answer your question :) ) 1) What kind of computer operating system do I need? You can take this test using Windows 7 or higher, or using Max OS X 10.5 or higher. 2) What kind of camera, microphone, and speakers do I need? Any kind of built in or external camera is acceptable. With the exception of headsets, any kind of built in or external microphone or speakers are also acceptable. 3) What can I take notes with? You may take notes on a white board or a single plastic sleeve with a single sheet of paper in it. To write your notes, you can use a dry erase marker, or a permanent marker with alcohol wipes for erasing. 4) Can I wear a head covering for religious purposes? Yes, but otherwise, headwear is prohibited. 5) How does registration and scheduling work, and what test times and dates are available? You register for the test through the official ETS TOEFL website. You then follow emailed instructions to schedule the test through ProctorU. Test times are offered every day of the week throughout the day, but there may not be many days and times available if you register very short notice. At the time this is being written, you can register about two months in advance if you like. To see exact test date availability, log in to ProctorU after registering for exam through ETS. 6) How does the ETS browser work, and how do I log into the browser to take the test? Once you download the browser, you should be able to open it, and you should call ETS/TOEFL tech support if you can't. The browser will prompt you for a username and login; your ProctorU proctor will fill in that login for you on test day. 7) How will the proctor connect to me and talk with me? On test day, your proctor will connect to you through a live chat application that you'll be prompted to download when you click to begin your test in ProctorU. After connecting to you by chat, the proctor will speak to you by both voice and chat. 8) What objects are allowed in my testing room? You can have just about any object in your testing room. However, in your immediate testing area (your desk, anything within an arms' length), you should only have your marker and note-taking board or sheet, and your testing computer/equipment. 9) Can I take the test in a computer lab? Yes, as long as you don't have prohibited items in your immediate testing area. (See the question above.) 10) Can a TOEFL Home Edition score be submitted instead of a regular TOEFL iBT score? Yes. Both scores are treated equally by universities and other organizations. 11) I had technical problems and couldn't take the test. Help! What do I do? Contact ProctorU's live chat and see if they can help. In some cases they can, and in other cases they'll refer you to ETS. In that case, I recommend calling ETS and asking to speak to a test-taker advocate.

Great explanation, thank you David!!!

Wow, you sound so soothing in this video. Literally calmed my nerves. Thank you!

Thanks for your experience! And congrats!

I took the TOEFL special home edition and I scored 101! However I have to say that taking notes with a whiteboard can make your exam tricky, because your writing rate is so much slower! So guys, train yourself and try to get used to that: write down only essential information. Moreover, during the exam there was some technical issue and I have to wait 45 minutes between the speaking part and the writing one! And the result was that the exam was interminable and my concentration went dramatically down!

Thank you Magoosh Team... Today I appeared for my TOEFL Home test. Your video helped me a lot 😌😌

Thank you very much kind sir, i was freaking out and stressed but you gave me some hope... God bless

Guys make sure you have something on hand to erase your notes super quickly during the test! There are only a few seconds time between different listening or speaking parts. For me that was really bad because I missed taking notes at some point while I was still erasing my notes and lost my concentration

Having passed this exam at home,I am sure that being in your room in silence is undoubtedly more convenient than the conditions in a special center))

Thank you David!

I want to thank you for making this video. I saw so many bad comments about it that I almost canceled. I took it May 14th and received the results yesterday. It is a bit annoying to take notes, especially if like me, you have a thick marker. However, if there is not another option then it's a good idea to take this version!

I really appreciate the whiteboard idea! Thanks a lot! How much time does it take?

This is very helpful. Thank you very much.

Thanks to this video I was prepared with everything needed for the test. That freed my mind and I did well ! I got my scores and it is 111 !

Thank you a lot for this video !

I did the home edition test and it went perfectly well! I was very worried about technical issues but ended up having no problems at all!

Thank you for your video. It is really helpful. I would like to ask if I can use both white board and the clear plastic with paper inside to take my notes??? That would be to avoid getting stuck when the clear plastic is be very small to take all notes, I need during the listening or the speaking sections.

Thank you for your video!

Thanks David!

Thank you sooo much for this video!! I have a question - may I take notes in the Speaking section (while listening to the lecture or reading an article)? so may i start prepare my answer before these 15/30 seconds?