I was informed via email that I got a perfect score for the essay portion of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam when I took it more than 3 years ago. Even before the start of the exam, I was confident that I’d do good and expected a high score. But I never imagined getting it perfect.
My overall TOEFL rating reached 277 — a rating more than enough for admission to Harvard, which only admits international students with scores from 260 to 300.
The essay topic, which was randomly selected online, was about the one change that I must not forget about the 20th century. While my mind flew back to the many events that happened in the past 100 years, like the big shift in how people lived due to advancement in technology, the 30-minute time allotment to finish the essay was ticking on screen. I pondered about the invention of the automobile and other important means of transportation. I thought about space flight and every “intelligent” machines invented. Then there was the aggression among major world powers that led to world wars 1 and 2. Spain, Germany, Japan, Britain, France, Russia and the United States – influential players in world politics – quickly ran through my head. I imagined the emergence of writers, artists and the rise of music and entertainment. What about the drugs, global warming, or cloning? Without a doubt, the 20th century shaped the face of the planet in more ways than any previous century.
After 5 minutes of deep thinking, I was certain why among all the changes of the 20th century, I chose to discuss the topic on information technology, knowing that information is as essential as any other physical commodity. It can be seen that the development of the computer has led to work productivity and economic efficiency.
For the past years, computers became the platform for entertainment, universities and other industries — continuing even to this day!
Of course, thanks to Tim Berners Lee for the creation of the World Wide Web! Since it started, the internet has altered daily lives, although it came out at the end of the twentieth century.
That’s it. I cited the emergence of computerization and information technology as the one change of the past century, myself and most others, I think, cannot forget. There were lots of specific examples I elaborated to justify my choice. Blogging of course was one. (smiles)
The person who checked my essay might have liked the way I structured it and the vivid illustrations of my personal experiences, not to mention the cute humor I inserted in few paragraphs. I won’t say I had the grammar perfectly right. There was no time left to even re-read my very long essay. In fact, I was in a hurry to finish writing few of my last thoughts, and I clicked the “submit” button two seconds before the time ran out!
My blogger friend will be taking the exam sooner. When he asked me for a piece of advice, I told him not to fret. It might be quite challenging an exam, but for a blogger who writes post in English, it’s just a piece of cake. Believe me.
