Information on the Format of the TOEFL

Structure of the TOEFL

First offered in 1964, the TOEFL has now been taken by over 27 million
international applicants to universities in the United States, Canada, United
Kingdom, Australia, and other countries. Nearly all students currently take
the TOEFL online, and this version is known as the internet-based test, or
iBT. The paper-based TOEFL (PBT) is being phased out and is only offered in
countries where internet testing is unavailable. The administration of the iBT
begins with a 60-80 minute reading section, followed by a 60-90 minute
listening section. Test-takers are then offered a 10-minute break. The TOEFL
iBT concludes with a 20-minute speaking section and a 50-minute writing
section. Total testing time can range from three hours and 20 minutes to
four hours and 10 minutes (the exact timing is determined by the number of
passages in the reading section and by the number of experimental
questions, which are unscored). Students taking the iBT receive a total score
of 0-120, which consists of the four sectional scores, each of which is
reported from 0 to 30.

TOEFL iBT Reading Section

The reading portion of the TOEFL assesses three core skills: reading to find
information, basic reading comprehension, and reading to learn. The reading
section includes 3-4 reading passages that are each approximately 700
words in length. These passages are taken from college textbooks in a
several subjects, and they are either expository, argumentative, or historical
in nature. Test-takers will see three distinct question formats, all of which
involve multiple-choice answers. Reading section question formats include
traditional multiple choice with a single correct answer, exercises that ask
test-takers to choose the most appropriate point to insert a given sentence
into reading passages, and multiple choice with more than one correct
answer. The TOEFL reading section is graded electronically.

TOEFL iBT Listening Section

The TOEFL listening section emphasizes listening for basic comprehension,
listening for pragmatic understanding, and correcting and synthesizing
information. Listening exercises include 4-6 academic lecture excerpts (each
3–5 minutes in length) and 2-3 conversations (approximately 3 minutes
each). Academic lectures can be either professor-only or classroom
discussion. Conversations are based on typical out-of-class interactions with
faculty and staff. TOEFL listening questions are given in four formats:
multiple choice with one correct answer, multiple choice with more than one
correct answer, ordering of events or steps in a process, and matching text
or objects to categories in a chart. Test-takers must be able to understand
tone of voice and other verbal cues in order to successfully complete the
TOEFL listening section. Grading for the TOEFL listening section is completed
by computer.

TOEFL iBT Speaking Section

The TOEFL speaking section measures test-takers' competence with spoken
English in classroom and non-classroom academic settings. This section is
intended to ensure that students can answer questions, contribute to
classroom discussions, summarize lectures and reading assignments,
express their own views, and function in situations commonly encountered
in university life. Students must complete six tasks in spoken form, with
responses preserved via audio recording. The first two are independent
tasks, in which test-takers answer question prompts with their own opinions
and ideas. The other four are integrated tasks, characterized by synthesis of
reading, listening, and speaking. TOEFL speaking exercises are evaluated by
3-6 human graders. Assessment criteria include clarity of delivery,
effectiveness of language use, and coherence of topic development.

TOEFL iBT Writing Section

The TOEFL writing section consists of an integrated writing task and an
independent writing task. The former task requires reading, listening, and
writing skills, and students must compose a written response to a reading
passage and a spoken lecture excerpt on the same topic, for which they are
given 20 minutes. On the latter exercise, students write an essay that
expresses and supports their own opinion of an issue raised by the essay
prompt. Typical independent essay questions ask test-takers to choose
between two sides of an argument or discuss why they agree or disagree with
a given statement. The suggested length of the independent essay is at least
300 words, and the time allotment is 30 minutes. TOEFL writing exercises
are also assessed by human graders, who consider the quality of writing in
terms of organization, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, accuracy, and
development.