Test of English as a Foreign Language or TOEFL is a standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers wishing to enroll in U.S. universities. The test is accepted by many English-speaking academic and professional institutions. TOEFL is one of the two major English-language tests in the world, the other being the IELTS. TOEFL is a trademark of ETS (Educational Testing Service), a private non-profit organization, which designs and administers the tests. The scores are valid for two years; then they are no longer reported.
| Section | Time Limit | Questions | Tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 54–72 minutes | 30–40 questions | Read passages and respond to questions |
| Listening | 41–57 minutes | 28–39 questions | Answer questions about brief lectures or classroom discussions |
| Break | 10 minutes | — | — |
| Speaking | 17 minutes | 4 tasks | Talk about a familiar topic and discuss material you read and listened to |
| Writing | 50 minutes | 2 tasks | Read a passage, listen to a recording, type your response |
The Reading section includes three or four reading passages. There are 12 to 14 questions per passage. You have from 60 to 80 minutes to answer all the questions in the section.
TOEFL iBT Reading passages are excerpts from university-level textbooks that would be used in introductions to a discipline or topic. The passages will cover a variety of different subjects. Don’t worry if you’re unfamiliar with the topic of a passage. All the information you need to answer the questions will be in the passage.
The Listening section includes test questions about academic lectures and long conversations in which the speech sounds very natural. You can take notes on any listening material throughout the entire test. The test is composed of:
Your recorded responses are sent to the ETS Scoring Network, where three to six certified human raters score them holistically on a scale of 0 to 4. The average score on the six tasks is converted to a scaled score of 0 to 30.
Raters do not expect your responses to be perfect, and even high-scoring responses may contain occasional errors. Your pronunciation does not need to sound like that of a native speaker of English. The raters are listening for the effectiveness of your communication and your ability to accomplish the tasks you are given.
The total time for the Writing section is 50 minutes. You are asked to write responses to two writing tasks: an integrated Writing task and an independent Writing task.
| Type: | Internet based or paper based test |
| Developer: | ETS |
| Skills tested: | Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing of English Language |
| Purpose: | To assess the English Language Proficiency of non-native English speakers |
| Duration: | Internet Based Test spans 3 hours 10 minutes to 4 hours 20 minutes |
| Score range: | For internet based test (0-30 on each of 4 sections). Total is out 120 |
| Score validity: | 2 years |
| Offered: | More than 50 times a year |
| Countries accepted: | Worldwide |
| Language: | English |
| Fee: | US $160 to US $250(depending on country) |
| Website: | www.ets.org/toefl |