The table below gives an overview of the TOEFL test.
| Section | Time | No. of Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 54 — 72 minutes | 30 — 40 questions |
| Listening | 41 — 57 minutes | 28 — 39 questions |
| Speaking | 17 minutes | 4 tasks |
| Writing | 50 minutes | 2 tasks |
The Reading section tests your ability to read and understand written material. This section consists of 3 to 4 reading passages, each approximately 700 words long. Each passage has 10 questions. You have 54 to 73 minutes to answer this section. The excerpts of the reading passage are taken from university course material. You don’t require prior knowledge on the topic of the passage to answer the questions on the reading section.
The listening section tests your ability to understand conversation and lectures in English. You need to listen to lecture /conversation and then answer the questions based on the lecture/conversation.
The listening section consists of:
To help you answer the questions, you can take notes on any audio item. This section has to be completed in 41 -57 minutes.
The speaking section tests your ability to speak English effectively. It consists of 4 tasks.
Task (Question) 1
This is an independent speaking task. You have to answer this question based on your own ideas, perspective, and experience.
Task (Question) 2 – 4
Task2, 3, and 4 are Integrated tasks. You have to use more than one skill to answer these questions. Few tasks require you to listen and then speak, while the others require you to listen, read and then speak.
You get 15-30 seconds to prepare for each response. You r response should be 45 or 60 seconds long. You have to complete this section in 17 minutes
The Writing section tests your ability to write in English. This section consists of 2 tasks.
Independent writing task – In response to a topic, you have to write an essay bases on your personal experience or opinion. You have 30 minutes to complete this task.
Integrated Writing Task .
You have to read a passage and listen to short lecture, and then write you response based on what you have read and what you have heard. You have 20 minutes to complete this task.
You will types your response on computer keyboard. You should be able to present your ideas in a clear and well organised manner.
Each of the four sections (Reading, listening, speaking, and writing) has a score range of 0 -30.
The four section scores are added to give a total score of 0-120.
The reading and the listening section are scored by the computer based on the number of correct responses. The speaking and the writing section are scored by a combination of automated AI and trained human raters.
The TOEFL test scores are valid for two years.
My Best Scores are test takers highest section scores from all the valid TOEFL score in the last two years. This is only available if you have taken the test multiple times. If you have taken the test twice in the last 12 months, your My Best score for each section will be top scores for Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. The sum of the top scores will be your total score.
Example:
| Attempt | R | L | S | W | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One | 20 | 25* | 19 | 15 | 79 |
| Two | 26* | 21 | 24* | 21 | 92 |
*Top Section Score in both the tests
My Best Score
| R | L | S | W | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 96 |
This feature allow test taker to show their best performance to the universities by combining the highest section score from all the tests taken in the last two years. My Best scores are also included in your score report. To know the list of schools that accept My Best scores, visit:www.ets.org/toefl/test-takers/ibt/scores/understanding