TOEFL or Test of English as a Foreign Language is a standardized exam to test the spoken and written English abilities of non-native speakers wishing to enroll in English-speaking universities. The test is accepted by many English-speaking academic and professional institutions. TOEFL and IELTS are the two major English-language tests in the English-speaking world.
Educational Testing Service (ETS), a private non-profit organization, designs and administers the TOEFL tests. ETS issues official score reports, sent independently to institutions, for two years following the test.
Internet-based test
Since its introduction in late 2005, the TOEFL Internet-based Test (iBT) format has replaced the computer-based tests (CBT) and paper-based tests (PBT). The paper-based testing is still used but in select areas. The TOEFL IBT test has been introduced in phases.
Initially, the demand for test seats was higher than availability, and candidates had to wait for months. It is now possible to take the test within one to four weeks in most countries.
The four-hour test consists of four sections, each measuring one of the basic language skills (while some tasks require integrating multiple skills), and all tasks focus on language used in an academic, higher-education environment. Note-taking is allowed during the TOEFL iBT test. The test cannot be taken more than once every 12 days.
The 4 Sections of the Exam-
Reading:
The Reading section consists of questions on 3-5 passages, each approximately 700 words in length. The passages are on academic topics; they are the kind of material that might be found in an undergraduate university textbook. Passages require an understanding of rhetorical functions such as cause-effect, compare-contrast and argumentation. Students answer questions about main ideas, details, inferences, essential information, sentence insertion, vocabulary, rhetorical purpose and overall ideas. New types of questions in the TOEFL iBT test require filling out tables or completing summaries. Prior knowledge of the subject under discussion is not necessary to come to the correct answer.
Listening:
The Listening section will consist of questions on six passages, each 3–5 minutes in length. These passages include two student conversations and four academic lectures or discussions. The conversations involve a student and either a professor or a campus service provider. The questions are meant to measure the ability to understand main ideas, important details, implications, relationships between ideas, the organization of information, speaker purpose and speaker attitude.
Speaking:
The Speaking section consists of six tasks. Two sections will be independent and four integrated. In the two independent tasks, test-takers have to answer opinion questions on familiar topics. They are evaluated on their ability to speak spontaneously and convey their ideas clearly and coherently.
Writing:
The Writing section measures a test taker’s ability to write in an academic setting and consists of two tasks: one integrated and one independent.
| Task | Description | Approximate time |
| Reading | 3–5 passages, each containing 12–14 questions | 60–80 minutes |
| Listening | 6–9 passages, each containing 5–6 questions | 60–90 minutes |
| Break | Mandatory break | 10 minutes |
| Speaking | 6 tasks | 20 minutes |
| Writing | 2 tasks | 50 minutes |
Paper-based Test-
The TOEFL® paper-based Test (PBT) is available in limited areas. Scores are valid for two years after the test date, and test takers can have their scores sent to institutions or face time.
- Listening (30 – 40 minutes)
The Listening section consists of 3 parts. The first one contains 30 questions about short conversations. The second part has 8 questions about longer conversations. The last part asks 12 questions about lectures or talks.
- Structure and Written Expression (25 minutes)
The Structure and Written Expression section have 15 exercises of completing sentences correctly and 25 exercises of identifying errors.
- Reading Comprehension (55 minutes)
The Reading Comprehension sections have 50 questions about reading passages.
- Writing (30 minutes)
The TOEFL PBT administrations include a writing test called the Test of Written English (TWE). This is one essay question with 250–300 words in average.
Also Read, IELTS vs TOEFL. Which One to Choose?
TOEFL Registration-
Candidates wishing to sit for TOEFL 2018 must register themselves. There are four possible ways for TOEFL Registration 2017:
They are: Online, By mail, By phone and In Person at the TOEFL test registration 2017 centre. There are many test centres available for TOEFL 2017 registration. Before doing that, a candidate has to first decide the location he/she will sit for the exam. This is so because the availability of TOEFL 2017 test dates depends on the availability of the test centre. You can register for the TOEFL iBT test online on the TOEFL official website. Online registration closes 7 days before the test is conducted.
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