Very bad news from ETS...

We've been expecting this for years...but every year they continued adding 6 more PBT exams in Mexico.  Now the official announcement is posted on the ETS web site that the paper-based official TOEFL test is being phased out.  We thought maybe they would add more PBT tests just because there are not enough iBT options in Mexico City--so many applicants have to leave the city to take the test.  But that does not seem to be the case...it's now May 7, the last scheduled PBT was May 5, and no new test dates are appearing on the ETS site.  So now you will have to take the iBT if ITP is not accepted.  Or travel to some very faraway land where limited PBT's might be administered due to lack of Internet capabilities...perhaps some Latin American countries will still offer it--we'll have to see.  We will continue preparing students for ITP (which we administer) and iBT.  We'll also add a IELTS prep program soon--some applicants find the speaking section is easier since it's administered as a live interview, not just speaking to a pc.  Here's the announcement:

TOEFL® Paper-based Test to Be Phased Out

The TOEFL® PBT test, administered in a paper-based format, will be phased out starting in mid-2012. In some regions, the last TOEFL PBT test administration will be in May 2012. You can take the TOEFL PBT test until that time and submit your scores to institutions and agencies for two years after your test date.

When the TOEFL iBT® test was launched in 2005, ETS established a transition period to allow continued use of the paper-based test in countries where infrastructure issues limited our ability to offer the TOEFL iBT test. These issues included unreliable electrical service, Internet connectivity issues and other factors.

Currently, 96 percent of TOEFL test takers worldwide take the TOEFL iBT test and access continues to expand. Also, the TOEFL iBT test is desired by universities because it measures all four communication skills — reading, writing, listening and speaking. For these and other reasons, we feel it is time to end paper-based testing.

ETS remains committed to providing access for anyone who wants to take the TOEFL test. Please be assured that ETS is making every effort to ensure that individuals living in areas where the TOEFL PBT test is currently administered will be able to test.

Learn more about the TOEFL iBT Test.

Visit 130 colleges without leaving home!

Virtual College Fair

Join EducationUSA’s Inaugural Virtual College Fair this November!

The inaugural EducationUSA Virtual College Fair will take place during International Education Week this November, featuring over 130 U.S. colleges & universities from more than 11 states across the U.S.!  Each institution will be presenting for approximately 30 minutes during the event in virtual meeting rooms. So, during this 5-hour event there will be 13 different institutions presenting every half hour. If you cannot make it to see all your favorite colleges live, don’t worry. We will be recording each presentation and making these sessions available on our website by early 2012, as well as podcasting each session on iTunes!

Join us live on  Tuesday, November 15, from 9am-2pm (EST) and Thursday, November 17, from 9pm-2am (EST) (click on either link to see when these events will take place in your time zone)

Comexus offers 20 scholarships for indigenous students...

If you or someone you know is a Mexican national of indigenous descent, please check out the following scholarship info.  Applicants must speak an indigenous language and score 450 on the Institutional TOEFL (which Britt can prepare you to take then apply the exam).

Taller de preparación para Estudiantes Indígenas interesados en cursar un posgrado en Estados Unidos

El Taller está orientado a potenciales candidatos mexicanos de origen indígena interesados en cursar un posgrado (Maestría o Doctorado) en los Estados Unidos. Se busca apoyar estos candidatos para que conozcan a detalle el proceso que deberán seguir para ingresar a un programa de posgrado en una universidad estadounidense y solicitar becas y apoyos que les permitan cubrir el costo de sus estudios, entre ellos la Beca Fulbright-García Robles de Posgrado.

Requisitos:

 □ Ser de nacionalidad mexicana, de origen indígena, residir en el país y ser hablantes de una lengua indígena.

 □ Haber terminado una carrera universitaria a nivel Licenciatura y/o Maestría o estar en los últimos semestres.

 □  Tener un promedio mínimo de 8.5 en el último grado de estudios cursado (Licenciatura o Maestría según corresponda).

 □ Tener interés en estudiar una Maestría o un Doctorado en los Estados Unidos.

 □ TOEFL institucional* de 450 puntos.

 □ Llenar el formato de solicitud.

 □ Carta de auto adscripción a un grupo indígena.

 Presentar una carta de alguna autoridad de su comunidad que hable de los vínculos del candidato con la misma. 

Princeton & Yale undergrad info. session this week...

Interested in Princeton or Yale? Don't miss this info. session!


When: Sept. 28, 2011, 4 to 5:30 p.m.

Where:EducationUSA Advising Center in the Benjamin Franklin Library

Learn more about undergraduate studies at Princeton and Yale.  Amin Gonzalez from Yale and Chris Burkmar from Princeton will give an overview of the concept of a liberal arts education, discuss the residential experience, and offer information about the highly selective admissions process and financial aid. 

EducationUSA Mexico City 

EducationUSA

dentro de la Biblioteca Benjamin Franklin

Liverpool, 31 Col. Juarez

Mexico DF, 06600

Tel. 5080-2801, 2802

EducationUSA Mexico City     EducationUSAMX

6 new PBT TOEFL exams are scheduled for Mexico City

ETS has announced that 6 new PBT (paper-based official) tests 
have been planned for Mexico City!

There are six PBT's now available for registration.  We think this is important because the exam (and the preparation) is a bit easier--and there's no Speaking section, which is hard for some.  Nearly all universities that require official TOEFL (yes, there are a few exceptions now) will accept either iBT or PBT.  To register go to www.toefl.org, where you can choose your date, make your payment, and reserve your place before the tests are full!  (You reserve for iBT dates at the same site).  The fee for both formats is the same, $160 USD.

The new PBT dates are: 


Aug. 13
Oct. 15
Nov. 12
Jan 14, 2012
Mar. 09
May 05

To prepare for this course, contact us for options--you can take the same course for PBT and ITP (Institutional, which we apply)

Need help with your MBA applications?

2bschool -- Get accepted to the MBA program that's best for you.

Britt recommends the personalized college admission services of 2bschool.  They help MBA applicants to make persuasive and successful applications, because only e-2bschool helps applicants to define and articulate what business schools want most: self knowledge.

Stefan Bielski, 2bschool founder and managing director lived in Mexico, DF several years after earning his own MBA at Monterrey's Duxx Escuela de Graduados en Liderazgo Empresarial/Graduate School of Business Leadership.

He's helped many Mexicans attend leading MBA programs in the US and Europe.

Mention you're a student of Britt Servicios Lingüisticos for a no-cost, no-obligation consult.  Check out the 2bschool web site or email Stefan:

e-mail: stefan@2bschool.com

web: http://2bschool.com

ITP, PBT, iBT, CBT, pre-ITP, TOEFL, TOEFL, TOEFL!

  
ITP ...    PBT...    iBT...

                      
                      So many TOEFL formats,  
                      So little time . . .
      
Welcome to TOEFL Formats 101, your express course in understanding the various TOEFL exam options.  It's really not that hard...basically we have the Institutional TOEFL (ITP) which we apply in the Britt institute.  It's usually accepted in Mexico for scholarship applications and graduation/admission requisites...Then we have two official tests for international college admission, the Paper-based (PBT) and the Internet-based (iBT).  To make matters a bit more confusing, you might hear about a "Computer-based" test (CBT), no longer administered in Mexico, and the "pre-ITP" an Institutional version for adolescent applicants.  And the score ranges can be a little confusing too.  The old official exam had a 650 range.  Then the CBT changed to 300.  Now the iBT is 120.  But for our purposes, just remember this:  the ITP and PBT are still in the old, original 650 range, while the iBT is at 120.    600=100, 550=80.


You can prepare for the ITP and PBT at the Britt institute by taking the same program.  The only difference in the 2 tests is the inclusion of an essay on the PBT.  But the iBT is quite different and requires a separate prep course.  We usually recommend that iBT students first take our basic ITP/PBT course before starting iBT prep, to make sure they have the grammatical foundation they need.


For those who need an official test, we sometimes suggest they take the PBT instead of the iBT.  It's probably an easier test for most, and easier to prepare for...and no Speaking section!  We've had many students even travel to cities outside the D.F. to take this format.


However, at the moment there are no PBT tests scheduled in Mexico.  Last year there were tests scheduled in Aug., Oct., Nov., then in 2010, Jan. Mar., May.  We have written ETS numerous times, asking if we can expect more PBT tests to be scheduled in Mexico...the most useful response from them was:

"Unfortunately, there are no PBT test dates scheduled in Mexico for the 2010-2011 testing year.
We do not know what will be scheduled beyond the 2010-2011 testing year."

So, for the moment, we just keep our fingers crossed that we will still have a few PBT's scheduled in the next year.  If you hear something, let us know!  We have to keep our eyes on the ETS web site,  www.toefl.org, where currently only iBT dates are listed.