The TOEFL, Global Mobility and Language Proficiency with John Clark

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John Clark is the Director of Strategic Initiatives at ETS, the organization behind the TOEFL and GRE. John started his professional journey as a lawyer before pivoting into international education, where he’s spent over a decade working at the intersection of admissions, assessment, student mobility, and global strategy. At ETS, he leads key initiatives to modernize English language testing for over 13,000 institutions worldwide. From AI-driven updates to score scale reforms, John is helping reshape how language proficiency is measured and how students prepare to study and work abroad. He’s especially passionate about equity and access, and how assessments can better reflect the realities of learners from all backgrounds — including those from the Global South. In this episode, we talk about his legal background, how the TOEFL is evolving, and what international students should know when choosing a language test and applying to law school abroad.

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