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TOEFL

Guide to the TOEFL Test

What is the process of taking the TOEFL iBT Test?

Step 1

First, confirm that the university you are interested in accepts TOEFL, and what score is required

Step 2

If you would prefer to do the test from your home, check the computer and environment requirements for taking the Internet based test from your home. Alternatively you can book a test at a testing centre.

Below are the requirements for TOEFL iBT home test.

Computer

  • Can be a Desktop or laptop but the desktop can only have one screen
  • The OS should be:
    • PC windows, 8 or 10
    • Mac OS X 10.5 or higher
  • Download and install the ETS Secure Test Browser on the computer you’ll use to test. (PC version, Mac version)
  • Run the ProctorU Equipment Check from the computer you’ll use for the exam, it must be compliant

    Environment and Testing Space

    • Privacy, you must be alone in the room, with the doors closed. Public spaces like internet café’s are not permitted.
    • Table and seating: your table only have a keyboard and mouse, no cell phones, notes, or food or drink. Table and normal chare should be visible to proctor
    • Clothing & appearance: Your face and ears should be visible throughout the test, hair or hats blocking ears is not permitted
    • Note-taking materials: you are permitted a small white board or sheet protector with erasable marker. All notes much be shown to be erased at the end of the test

    View the full list of home testing requirements at ets website.

    However, you test you will need to provide valid ID

    ID Document Requirements

    Only physical, valid originals are accepted. They must include full name, photo and signature.

    Step 3

    Register and book your exam a testing centre for PBT

    TOELF iBT are available 24 hours a day, 4 days a week. With appointments as early as 24 hours after registering.

      Sitting the TOEFL iBT exam

      This depends on which test you take, TOEFL iBT or TOEFL iBT home edition, the only difference being the location of the test, a test centre or your home.

      Taking the TOEFL test from home you will start with the “checkin” which takes approximately 20 minutes where the proctor will check your ID and environment and go through the rules.
      It’s important that you comply with the rules throughout the test, you will be monitored throughout. Suspicious movement or activity could invalidate your test.

      You can expect the TOEFL exam to be similar to a school exam in how you should conduct yourself. You should bring the following with you to the test centre on test day:

      • Registration Number
      • Form of identification (e.g. passport)
      • Clear water bottle
      • Pen (more than one)

        Breakdown of the TOEFL iBT Test

        The TOEFL iBT is the same length as the one you would find in a testing centre, which works out at just over 3 hours.

        Exam Structure

        Reading

        The reading section is between 54–72 mins long. It requires candidates to answer 30-40 questions about 3-4 passages of text. These will be multiple choice questions. The texts will be academic in nature and similar to those you can expect to come across at degree level study. It does not matter what subject you hope to study, as the texts in the reading section of the TOEFL test won’t be subject-specific and therefore will not require any specialist knowledge.

        Listening

        The listening section is 41–57 mins long. It requires candidates to listen to 4-6 academic lectures and 2-3 conversations, and then answer questions, 28–39, about what the content of what you have just heard. The speakers on the audio will be very natural in tone with English accents from North America, the U.K., New Zealand or Australia.

        Speaking

        The speaking section takes just 17 mins to complete but can sometimes be the hardest as candidates are put on the spot with not as much time to think about their response. However, you only have to speak for about 45-60 secs in response to each question. You will get 15-30 seconds to prepare for each response. You should speak to appear “off-the-cuff” and spontaneous with appropriate vocabulary (i.e. without unnecessary, convoluted words). The first question will be about a familiar topic, while questions 2-4 will be “integrated speaking tasks”, speaking after listening, or speaking after reading.

        Writing

        The writing section lasts 50 mins. You will be asked to write responses to 2 writing tasks: an integrated writing task and an independent writing task.

        The integrated writing task is 20 mins long and is a written response to a short passage and lecture you’ll be asked to read/listen to. In this writing task, candidates are called on to write about how the points in the passage they have read conflict with those outlined in the audio they have listened to.
        Meanwhile, the independent writing task is 30 mins long and requires you to plan and write an essay in response to a given topic. The question will be quite open-ended in nature, to allow you to demonstrate your English skills as fully as possible. An example of the kind of question you might have is:

        ‘Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “Always telling the truth is the most important consideration in any relationship.” Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.’

        How much does the TOEFL test cost?

        The cost of a TOEFL test will depend on the location of the tester, even doing TOEFL iBT from home. You can expect to pay between US$160-US$265. Keep in mind that the paper-based test is usually cheaper than the internet-based version.

        The general breakdown of the fees

        How is a TOEFL exam scored?

        For each section of the TOEFL exam, candidates receive a score out of 30. In addition, these four individual scores, you will also receive an overall score of 120. Candidates also receive performance feedback, outlining what you can do.

        How long does it take to get your TOEFL results?

        It varies slightly depending on how the test was taken