The TOEFL® Test
The TOEFL® Test Gives You an Advantage: Most Widely Accepted, Most Popular and Most Convenient Choice
The TOEFL test is the most widely respected English-language test in the world, recognized by more than 9,000 colleges, universities and agencies in more than 130 countries, including Australia, Canada, the U.K. and the United States. Wherever you want to study, the TOEFL test can help you get there.
TOEFL iBT® Test Content
The TOEFL iBT® test is given in English and administered via the Internet. There are four sections (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) which take a total of about four and a half hours to complete, including check-in.
Combining All Four Skills: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing
During the test, you are asked to perform tasks that combine more than one skill, such as:
TOEFL iBT Test sections
| Section | Time Limit | Questions | Tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 60–80 minutes | 36–56 questions | Read 3 or 4 passages from academic texts and answer questions. |
| Listening | 60–90 minutes | 34-51 questions | Listen to lectures, classroom discussions and conversations, then answer questions. |
| Break | 10 minutes | — | — |
| Speaking | 20 minutes | 6 tasks | Express an opinion on a familiar topic; speak based on reading and listening tasks. |
| Writing | 50 minutes | 2 tasks | Write essay responses based on reading and listening tasks; support an opinion in writing. |
The test you take may include extra questions in the Reading or Listening section that do not count toward your score. These are either questions that enable ETS to make test scores comparable across administrations or new questions that help ETS determine how such questions function under actual testing conditions.
Please read the timing instructions for the Reading Section carefully. The instructions will indicate how many passages you will receive and the amount of time you have to respond to questions for those passages. Be sure to pace yourself so that you have time to answer all the questions.
A standard English language (QWERTY) computer keyboard is used for the test. We recommend that you practice typing on a QWERTY keyboard before taking the test.
The Listening and Speaking sections of the TOEFL iBT test include other native-speaker English accents in addition to accents from North America. You may hear accents from the U.K., New Zealand or Australia.-
ETS added these accents to better reflect the variety of native English accents you may encounter while studying abroad.
Below are examples similar to what you might hear in the Speaking and Listening sections.
Listening Section
Listen to a talk about the greenhouse effect (MP3). The lecturer is from Great Britain.
TOEFL iBT Test sections
Speaking Section
In the Speaking section, only items 1 and 2 of the six tasks may have accented speech. Below are two examples similar to what you might hear. The speakers are from Great Britain. In each instance, the example is 15 seconds long, and you would have 45 seconds to respond.
| Audio File | Transcript |
|---|---|
| Item 1 (MP3) | If friends from another country were going to spend time in your country, what city or place would you suggest they visit? Using details and examples, explain why. |
| Item 2 (MP3) | Some people enjoy taking risks and trying new things. Others are not adventurous; they are cautious and prefer to avoid danger. Which behavior do you think is better? Explain why. |
More than 9,000 colleges, agencies and other institutions in over 130 countries accept TOEFL® scores. Other organizations rely on TOEFL scores as well:
To learn more about how the TOEFL test can be your passport to study anywhere English is spoken, watch our video, The TOEFL® Test: Your Passport to the World(Flash).
Institutions that Accept TOEFL Scores
4 out of 5 admissions officers who were surveyed* — and who stated a preference — were more satisfied with using the TOEFL test compared to other English-language tests. Search for institutions that rely on TOEFL scores as the most accurate measure of English-language skills.
Use the TOEFL® Destination Search to find institutions and available score requirements.
Visa Requirements
For Australia, TOEFL iBT® test scores can be used to satisfy the required language component for student, post-study, skilled migration and business visas. Please visit Australian Visas for more information.
For the U.K., TOEFL iBT test scores are accepted for Tier 4 student visas under certain conditions. Please visit U.K. Visas for more information.
* Source: https://www.ets.org/toefl
