suzanne, others~take tse or the new toefl-ibt?

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Specializes in rehab; med/surg; l&d; peds/home care.

hi everyone....this is for my roommate.

she has been in US for three years, petitioned by current employer and on a working visa. has the CGFNS certificate, passed the NCLEX-RN, and now is trying to get her documents collected for VisaScreen. However, she is having difficulty passing the TSE. She scores 45, and needs a 50.

She has tried workbooks, she watches a ton of american tv, and she speaks only english here at the house and at work. very rarely she speaks her own language anymore, usually just when talking to her mom back in the philippines or to her couple of friends here.

she does not understand the new toefl which contains the speaking part. is this supposed to replace the tse? she has completed everything else but the speaking portion. i was wondering if someone can explain the new test to me (us) since she reads over my shoulder...lol. i'm trying to get her used to my computer but she's a little shy in that regard. she read that the new toefl ibt was easier to pass than the old tse, so she wants to try it.

thanks to anyone who can help. :balloons:

p.s. and can anyone share your secrets for tackling this tse? other than doing what she's already done in regards to speaking only english, etc.

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If she is from the Philippines, she really should do the IELTS series. She will have much better results on the speaking section. She will actually speak to a human, not a machine.

I am hearing that the new exam is actually harder in the speaking section, but I have not seen any of the details about it as of yet. Have only heard from a few that have taken it.

I definitely would go the IELTS route, and forget about the TSE.

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Specializes in rehab; med/surg; l&d; peds/home care.
If she is from the Philippines, she really should do the IELTS series. She will have much better results on the speaking section. She will actually speak to a human, not a machine.

I am hearing that the new exam is actually harder in the speaking section, but I have not seen any of the details about it as of yet. Have only heard from a few that have taken it.

I definitely would go the IELTS route, and forget about the TSE.

yes, she's from the philippines. it just seems like such a waste to go through a whole set of exams when she is just having trouble with one. but i value your judgement a whole lot more than my own, as i have no idea about immigrant issues. she told me however, that she is going into her 4th year on a working visa, and she said after 6 years, she can't work anymore without a visa screen. i will pass along your information, thank you so very much.

can you tell me anything about the ielts series?

thanks so much!!!!!:balloons:

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The exam is done on in the one sitting and the most important is that you actually talk to a human examiner for the speaking section and not a machine. This has been the most beneficial to the Filipino applicants, many have issues with the TSE.

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How long was her inital visa for, and has she renewed it and when? Working visas are no longer in existance, and if she needs to renew before the 6 years, she will definitely need the Visa Screen Certificate, as that is required now even for the temporary work visa.

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Specializes in rehab; med/surg; l&d; peds/home care.
How long was her inital visa for, and has she renewed it and when? Working visas are no longer in existance, and if she needs to renew before the 6 years, she will definitely need the Visa Screen Certificate, as that is required now even for the temporary work visa.

she came here in april 2002. her original visa started in 2001, and it said it is good for 6 years and must be renewed yearly.

she researched the ielts, and she will register to take that in january. she's hoping she can get it done so her file will be complete for visascreen.

thanks so much for your replies!

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she came here in april 2002. her original visa started in 2001

suzanne, does that mean that prior to 2001, the US was issuing working visa for nurses? since when did the US stopped issuing working visas? :uhoh21:

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About two years ago. They now have the same requirements for the green card, meaning that you need the full series of English exams and the Visa Screen Certificate. In th epast, you only needed the basic TOEFL and passing score on the NCLEX exam. There were many issues with speaking skills of the nurses, etc. PLUS the biggest issue is that with the temporary permit, the employer qa not required to pay you at the same rate as the American nurses, and they weren't. With a green card, you must get the same salary, as well as benefits.

The other issue is that there was a ton of paperwork involvement on the part of the employer and most no longer want to go thru that.

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Specializes in rehab; med/surg; l&d; peds/home care.

hi suzanne~

yes, to me, an outsider, it seems like a ton of paperwork. but from her side also. she also has a complication in that when she was around 9 years of age, her dad moved to the US and petitioned for her and her family and mom to come here. so her dad has just now obtained US citizenship and he is still trying to petition her mother (his wife) back home in the philippines. very confusing. it just seems like she is always having to copy something, file something, etc. hopefully when she takes ielts she can finally finish up her visa screen and be done with all this. :balloons:

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