Houston College of Education Information and Career Counselling
TOEFL iBT Test
Test of English as a Foreign Language is a standardized test to measure the English language ability of non-native speakers wishing to enroll in English-speaking universities. The test is accepted by many English-speaking academic and professional institutions.
TOEFL is one of the two major English-language tests in the world, the other being the IELTS. The TOEFL iBT test measures your ability to use and understand English at the university level. And it evaluates how well you combine your reading, listening, speaking and writing skills to perform academic tasks.
Accepted and preferred by universities worldwide, the TOEFL® test is a high-quality, high-standard test that assures admissions officers of your readiness for the classroom and beyond. More than 35 million people worldwide have chosen the TOEFL test to demonstrate their English-language proficiency.
Who Takes the TOEFL Test?
More than 35 million people from all over the world have taken the TOEFL test to demonstrate their English-language proficiency. The average English skill level ranges between Intermediate and Advanced.
Where and when to take TOFEL iBT test?
The TOEFL test has over 50 test dates per year at authorized test centers around the world. You can retake the test as many times as you wish, but you cannot take it more than once in a 12-day period. If you already have a test appointment, you cannot register for another test date that is within 12 days of your existing appointment.
Who Accepts TOEFL Test Scores?
More than 10,000 colleges, agencies and other institutions in over 130 countries accept TOEFL scores. For more information, including using your scores to satisfy visa requirements in Australia and the U.K., how to find institutions that accept TOEFL scores, and more, see Who Accepts TOEFL Scores.
Exam Format
The TOEFL iBT® test has 4 sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. During the test, you’ll perform tasks that combine these 4 English communication skills, such as:
- Read, listen and then speak in response to a question
- Listen and then speak in response to a question
- Read, listen and then write in response to a question
The total test takes about 3 hours to complete, but you should plan for 3½ hours, allowing 30 minutes for check in.
- Reading
- Listening
- Break
- Speaking
- Writing
Time Limit: 54-72 minutes
No. Of Questions: 30-40 Questions
Tasks:
- Read passages and respond to questions
What's in Reading?
The TOEFL iBT® Reading section is designed to assess how well you can read and understand the kind of materials used in an academic environment. It includes 3 or 4 reading passages, each approximately 700 words long, with 10 questions per passage. You have 54 to 72 minutes to answer all the questions in the section.
Time Limit: 41-57 Minutes
No. Of Questions: 28-39 Questions
Tasks:
Answer Questions about brief lectures or classroom discussions
What's in Listening?
The TOEFL iBT® Listening section is designed to measure your ability to understand conversations and lectures in English. It includes listening for:
- basic comprehension
- pragmatic understanding (speaker's attitude and degree of certainty) and connecting and synthesizing information
There are 2 types of listening items in the Speaking section — lectures and conversations. Both use campus-based language.
- 3–4 lectures, each 3–5 minutes long, with 6 questions per lecture
- 2–3 conversations with 2 speakers, each 3 minutes long, with 5 questions per conversation
You can take notes on any audio item throughout the test to help you answer questions. You have 41 to 57 minutes to complete the section.
Break Time: 10 Minutes
Time Limit: 17 Minutes
Questions: 4 Tasks
Tasks:
Talk about a familiar topic and discuss material you read and listened to.
What's in Speaking?
The TOEFL iBT® Speaking section is designed to measure your ability to speak English effectively in academic settings. It is composed of 4 tasks that resemble real-life situations you might encounter both in and outside of a classroom.
- Question 1 is called an "independent speaking task" because it requires you to draw entirely on your own ideas, opinions and experiences when you respond.
- Questions 2–4 are called "integrated speaking tasks" because they require you to combine your English-language skills — listening and speaking, or listening, reading and speaking — just as you would in or out of a classroom.
You'll get 15–30 seconds of preparation time before each response, and your response will be 45 or 60 seconds long.
To respond, you'll speak into the microphone on your headset. Your responses are recorded and sent to ETS, where they will be scored by a combination of AI scoring and certified human raters to ensure fairness and quality.
You have 17 minutes to complete the Speaking section.
Time Limit: 50 Minutes
Questions: 2 Tasks
Tasks:
Read a passage, listen to a recording, type your response
What's in Writing?
The TOEFL iBT® Writing section is designed to measure your ability to write in English in an academic setting, and you're expected to be able to present your ideas in a clear, well-organized manner.
There are 2 writing tasks.
- Integrated writing task (20 minutes) — read a short passage and listen to a short lecture, then write in response to what you read and listened to.
- Independent writing task (30 minutes) — write an essay based on personal experience or opinion in response to a writing topic.
You'll type your responses on a computer keyboard. Responses are sent to ETS, where they are scored by a combination of AI scoring and certified human raters to ensure fairness and quality.
You'll have 50 minutes to complete the Writing section.