TOEFL

The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is an internet based test which is given to demonstrate English language proficiency and is often a requirement for students applying to US Universities.

General Overview

The TOEFL is about four and half hours long and is taken entirely online. The scores are out of 120 and are valid for two years. The test is offered about 30-40 times in a year and has about 4500 test centers in 165 countries. The TOEFL measures your ability to use and understand English at the university level and evaluates how well you combine your listening, reading, speaking and writing skills to perform academic tasks.

The Content

Listening

• The listening section is a 60-minute section with 34 questions. It measures ability to understand English as it is spoken in North America.
• You will use headphones to listen to the conversations and talks. While you are listening, pictures of the speakers or other information will be presented on your computer screen. There are two parts to the Listening section, with special directions for each part.

Reading

The reading section is a 60-minute section with 36-42 questions.

The section measures ability to read and understand short passages similar in topic and style to those that students are likely to encounter in North American universities and colleges. This section contains reading passages and questions about the passages.

Speaking

• This is a 20-minute section with 6 questions. It measures ability to speak English by asking you to express an opinion on a familiar topic or speak based on reading and listening tasks.

Writing

• It is a 60-minute section with 2 questions. The section measures ability to write in English on an assigned topic. In this section, you will have an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to write in English. This includes the ability to generate and organize ideas, to support those ideas with examples or evidence, and to compose in standard written English in response to an assigned topic.