TOEFL, IELTS tests worry scholarship students

JEDDAH: The most worrying factor for students planning to continue higher studies in the United States is the English language proficiency testing, the TOEFL and IELTS tests.
Views vary on the easiest way to pass the tests or which of the two is easier.
Maybe the most positive thing about these two tests is that there is no defined time for sitting the tests such as the traditional midterm or final exams in schools and universities.
The firms that hold these exams fix the dates for people to take the tests all round the year.
The electronic TOEFL exam is taken by students intending to study in the United States and Canada.
The Saudi Cultural Attaché in Washington, which looks after Saudi students on scholarships, has warned more than once against the hazards of circumventing the language tests, asserting that any fraudulent attempts will be considered cheating by law and students will be deported as a result.
With the new measures taken by the Ministry of Education concerning the extension period for language proficiency abroad, students have fears concerning time pressures imposed on them.
"Extending the time period for language proficiency used to be very easy," says Saad Al-Hasan, a student on scholarship.