Michael Goodine's Blog, page 22

Postcard from ETS Los Angeles Office

I added this neat item to my collection of standardized testing ephemera. It’s a postcard inviting the recipient to visit the newly opened offices of the Educational Testing Service at 4640 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. I don’t know exactly when the card was printed, but it was probably in the late 50s or early […]

More TOEFL Price Changes

The cost of taking the TOEFL was adjusted in some countries this week. As was announced earlier, test takers in Japan now pay $195 to take the test (a $50 decrease). Meanwhile, their neighbors in nearby Korea must now pay $228 (an $8 increase). The price hike in Korea is the only increase I’ve been […]

How Much Are People Making From Preply?

Here’s a fun article that relates well to some recent posts about gig work in the world of TEFL.  The author (not a LinkedIn member, I think) has published annual summaries of her work on the Preply platform over the past three years.  The link below is to the most recent summary. A few things […]

You Should Read More: Part 55

I read a few fun things this month! While sitting in the Doksan Public Library, I read the March 2025 issue of National Geographic. I enjoyed a couple of articles. Specifically: The Viking Age is Welcoming a New Kind of Hero: Women, which is about the roles women may or may not have played as […]

New Test: TOEIC Link

ETS has just launched a new product called “TOEIC Link.”  Details are still a bit vague, but it looks like an at-home implementation of the TOEIC test.  You can read the press release here, but note that the actual product website is not available in certain countries. A few early details are worth mentioning: Each […]

British Council 2023/24 Annual Report

The British Council has just filed its 2023-24 annual report (56 days late). I believe this covers the 12 months ending March 2024. A few details are worth highlighting here: Income was £989 million (an increase of £26 million). Expenditures were £1.05 billion. The BC is “implementing a Transformation programme that is projected to generate […]

Grammar: Using “Suggest” and “Recommend.”

Don’t object + infinitive after “suggest.” Instead, use “that” or -ing. Do not write:   Michael suggested me to study hard for the test Instead, write the following: Michael suggested that I study hard for the test. Michael suggested studying hard for the test. Do not write: The professor suggested her to submit a proposal. Instead, […]

How to Contact ETS & TOEFL Customer Support by Phone

I hear a lot of complaints about contacting TOEFL customer support by phone. It can be challenging, mostly due to long waiting times.  Here are a few things that might help. The telephone number for customer support is 1-609-771-7100 (in the United States) and 1-877-863-3546 (toll free in the United States). Support is only available […]

How to Contact TOEFL Customer Support by Phone

I hear a lot of complaints about contacting TOEFL customer support by phone. It can be challenging, mostly due to long waiting times.  Here are a few things that might help. The telephone number for customer support is 1-609-771-7100 (in the United States) and 1-877-863-3546 (toll free in the United States). Support is only available […]

TOEFL Writing Templates, Updated for 2025

I just uploaded the 2025 versions of my TOEFL writing templates to Youtube!  Below is the video.  Scroll down for the templates themselves and some explanations. So I did things a bit differently in 2025.  For starters, I produced unique templates for all three of the integrated writing “styles” – casting doubt, problems and solutions, […]