What is the TOEFL test?
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
is recognised by more than 9,000 colleges, universities and agencies in over 130 countries around the world. TOEFL is available in two formats: internet based (iBT) and paper-based (PBT).
“The TOEFL iBT test measures your ability to use and understand English at the university level. It also evaluates how well you combine your listening, reading, speaking and writing skills to perform academic tasks.”,
ETS says.
Structure and Scoring
The TOEFL test is in English. Since March 2013, the Listening and Speaking sections include other native English accents (United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia), in addition to accents from North America, to better reflect the variety of native English accents you may encounter while studying abroad. The Internet Based Test (TOEFL iBT) is administered via the Internet in certified testing centres and takes a total of about four and a half hours to complete. The test includes the following four sections:
1. Reading
Format: 36-56 Questions Topic: Read 3 or 4 passages from academic texts, then answer questions Time: 60-80 minutes Score: 0 – 302. Listening
Format: 34-51 Questions Topic: Listen to lectures, classroom discussions and conversations Time: 60-90 minutes Score: 0 – 303. Speaking
Format: 6 tasks Topic: Express an opinion on a familiar topic Time: 20 minutes Score: 0 – 304. Writing
Format: 2 tasks Topic: Write essay responses based on 2 reading and listening tasks, support an opinion in writing Time: 50 minutes Score: 0 – 30Overall score range is between 0 and 120.
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Registration
You can register for the TOEFL test online, by telephone, by mail or in person at a TOEFL iBT Resource Centre. Register about two and a half months before the test date, especially if you are registering by mail.
Testing and Score Reporting
The TOEFL test is administered on more than 50 test dates per year in 4,500 test centres in 165 countries. The test fee varies by country and ranges between 160 and 250 USD. The test fee includes four free official score reports which will be automatically sent to institutions of your choice, selected before the test.
You can retake the test as many times as you wish, but no sooner than 12 days after the last test. Your test score is valid for two years. Allow at least two weeks for your official scores to be sent by ETS to the universities you have selected.
