Taiwan resumes Mandarin Test TOCFL as Covid lockdown restrictions start to ease

ACN Correspondent On Oct 3, 2021

Peters Chen, Director, Education Division TECC had group photo with students after the TOCFL test.

NEW DELHI: The Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India conducted the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL) exam on Saturday, 02^nd October 2021 in New Delhi, as lockdown starts to ease recently. 20 students appeared, following social distance rule, for the exam from different universities across India.

Anyone who wants to know their Chinese proficiency level, and anyone who wants to study, work, or do business in Chinese-speaking countries or contexts is welcome to register for the test. The test takers who reach the level requirements will receive a certificate which can serve as a credential of proficiency in Chinese for applying for the Taiwan Scholarship, applying to academic programs at colleges or Universities in Taiwan, as a reference for the subject of Chinese, providing job-required proof of language competency.

The TOCFL exam is Taiwan’s national standardized test developed by National Taiwan Normal University and ministered by Ministry of Education to evaluate and certify Chinese language proficiency of the non-native speakers. So far, it has served test takers from over 60 countries. The TOCFL exam helps one to evaluate their proficiency in Chinese language for scholarships in higher education, employment applications, setting up business in Chinese speaking countries, etc. The registration fee for each is 2000 Rupees.

Levels of TOCFL corresponds to levels used by CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, and Assessment) and ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages). This can provide a basis for recognizing language qualifications across the national boundaries. For every level, the number of words or characters required differs. TOCFL generally requires more vocabularies at every level, comparing with the HSK. The TOCFL is getting more and more popular in India now and the host institute expects to have more tests every year and in different states in the future.