Thinking about taking the TOEFL?

I wasn't entirely sure whether to drop this thread in the student life and career section or over in the legal sub, but it felt like the right spot, even if we aren't diving deep into specific statutes or legal theory today.

So, I’m planning to sit for the ILEC (TOEFL) this coming fall, and I was hoping to pick the brains of anyone who has already gone through the process or successfully passed.
My English is hovering somewhere around the B2 level right now, so my plan is to track down some study materials—textbooks, practice exams, that sort of thing—to get myself ready for the November testing window. There is an option in May, but that feels a bit too far off for my liking.
I did consider enrolling in a prep course, but the only local academy here in Indianapolis offering it hasn't been able to pull a full group together yet, so everything is basically on hold until enough people sign up.

Because of that, I'm leaning heavily on self-study and hoping it'll be enough to get the job done. I'd love to know how difficult the exam actually is, and specifically, just how demanding that oral component can be.

The local university in Indianapolis actually runs an Indianapolis course, so you can find all the specifics on their official website.

You'll be studying from the Amy Krois Lindner book, and you should be able to pick up a copy at a local Barnes & Noble, I think it’s roughly $23. Definitely make sure to go through some of the older practice exams too... you can download them ovjde.

Honestly, the oral exam is usually the easiest part of the whole thing, especially if you already have a decent handle on the language...
The real grind is just the sheer amount of memorization because the legal terminology is so heavy. My best advice is to just power through every single exercise in that textbook, even the ones that feel totally pointless or way too easy...

crimsonsailor7 said:The local university in Indianapolis actually runs an Indianapolis course, so you can find all the specifics on their official website.

You'll be studying from the Amy Krois Lindner book, and you should be able to pick up a copy at a local Barnes & Noble, I think it’s roughly $23. Definitely make sure to go through some of the older practice exams too... you can download them ovjde.

Honestly, the oral exam is usually the easiest part of the whole thing, especially if you already have a decent handle on the language...
The real grind is just the sheer amount of memorization because the legal terminology is so heavy. My best advice is to just power through every single exercise in that textbook, even the ones that feel totally pointless or way too easy...

It’s actually not 70, it's $93, at least according to what I've heard around town.
And there are plenty of other options out there too...
Is it demanding? For sure. But I've always found it pretty engaging personally.

crimsonsailor7, do you happen to have any openings at your firm?

Yeah, those prep courses for the bar exam over in Indianapolis are already underway, and since new groups probably won't start until the fall, the timing isn't exactly ideal for me.

I think I'll just grab that book along with some extra study guides and hope I can get everything squared away by autumn. Honestly, I've just been killing time ever since graduation anyway.🙄

Frank Walker7 said:It’s actually not 70, it's $93, at least according to what I've heard around town.
And there are plenty of other options out there too...
Is it demanding? For sure. But I've always found it pretty engaging personally.

crimsonsailor7, do you happen to have any openings at your firm?

Sorry about the mix-up 😁 I just double-checked my textbook, $55 and yeah, it comes with two CDs included.
Which one are you looking at for $280? 😕
There are other books out there, obviously, but this specific one is the one approved by Legal Research, so everyone basically uses it and nothing on the exam falls outside what's covered in there...

No work coming my way from colleagues lately, I don't think my job security is in danger just yet... 🙄

crimsonsailor7 said:Sorry about the mix-up 😁 I just double-checked my textbook, $55 and yeah, it comes with two CDs included.
Which one are you looking at for $280? 😕
There are other books out there, obviously, but this specific one is the one approved by Legal Research, so everyone basically uses it and nothing on the exam falls outside what's covered in there...

No work coming my way from colleagues lately, I don't think my job security is in danger just yet... 🙄

Man, Microsoft really ripped me off.
There are plenty of other exams besides just this book, so I think I'll stick with Legal Research instead; I honestly can't stand the thought of dealing with the International Chamber of Commerce after how I felt passing my CPA exam—it was such a frustrating experience.

Swing by Chicago sometime, I'd love to catch up!

haha... honestly, I thought you were talking about books 😁

The oral part at the International Chamber of Commerce is super short, and the examiners are all British 😁 the weirdest thing about that whole exam is that it doesn't even qualify you to be a court interpreter 🙄 like, you pass the legal English portion and they still demand you have a CPA🙄

crimsonsailor7 said:haha... honestly, I thought you were talking about books 😁

The oral part at the International Chamber of Commerce is super short, and the examiners are all British 😁 the weirdest thing about that whole exam is that it doesn't even qualify you to be a court interpreter 🙄 like, you pass the legal English portion and they still demand you have a CPA🙄

Well, I actually *was* talking about books! That one from Amy Krois Lindner came my way $93, and a few others did too $150.
Actually, it makes sense why the International Chamber of Commerce wouldn't recognize the CPA, because the CPA is just general English proficiency. It's similar to how specialized exams for medical or business English aren't usually accepted for other roles.
And man, let me tell you, the CPA is brutally difficult—it is honestly such a grueling exam.

I get why it’s optional, which is why it doesn't really sit right with me, but honestly, it feels like I'm the only one seeing it this way... 😁

crimsonsailor7 said:I get why it’s optional, which is why it doesn't really sit right with me, but honestly, it feels like I'm the only one seeing it this way... 😁

Oh, don't be so hard on yourself!
To me, it makes perfect sense, because when you're working as a certified interpreter, you aren't just translating legal jargon—you're translating everything from technical manuals to medical reports.
So, having an International Chamber of Commerce certification is great for contracts, much like how specialized medical or construction terminology helps when you're handling expert witness testimony,
And I've always felt that a CPA qualification covers all those subtle linguistic nuances, so it seems to me that someone with that background might actually have a bit of an edge over someone who just has a standard CPE.
Anyway, I'm probably just overthinking things... besides, you have to shell out five grand just for the interpreter training anyway.

Finding a well-paid junior interpreter out in a coastal city like Miami is practically like hunting for a unicorn these days.

And look, if we go by my logic, language majors wouldn't just be sitting through the legal portion of the exam either... 😁
To actually pass the International Chamber of Commerce exam, you really need to have a rock-solid foundation in English.

Could you maybe write up a bit more about the CPA credits? It would be awesome if people could find all the info they might actually need in one spot... 😉

Frank Walker7 said:Oh, don't be so hard on yourself!
To me, it makes perfect sense, because when you're working as a certified interpreter, you aren't just translating legal jargon—you're translating everything from technical manuals to medical reports.
So, having an International Chamber of Commerce certification is great for contracts, much like how specialized medical or construction terminology helps when you're handling expert witness testimony,
And I've always felt that a CPA qualification covers all those subtle linguistic nuances, so it seems to me that someone with that background might actually have a bit of an edge over someone who just has a standard CPE.
Anyway, I'm probably just overthinking things... besides, you have to shell out five grand just for the interpreter training anyway.

Finding a well-paid junior interpreter out in a coastal city like Miami is practically like hunting for a unicorn these days.

🤣

well, well 😁

Anyway, my office is going to be spitting out a massive amount of $1333 for legal translations from English this week... boom...

I definitely need to start studying for Comcast as soon as possible.🙄