Internet Based Testing

The second most popular exam after IELTS, is TOEFL -iBT which is administered by ETS – Education Testing Service in the United States. On an average, across the 4 skills – reading, writing, listening, and speaking, the score should be above 72, equating to CEFR B2 – Upper Intermediate level in English.

Exam Format

The exam lasts a total of 3.5 hours, and consists of 4 sections, each with individual parts in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

Reading Section (54-72 minutes):

This section has around 30 – 40 questions, containing 3 -4 reading passages around 700-word length. There are 10 questions for each passage.

The reading passages consist of selected portions from university-level textbooks that are typically used to introduce different topics. These passages encompass a wide range of subjects. Even if you’re not acquainted with a particular topic covered in a passage, there’s no need to fret because all the necessary information to answer the questions will be provided within the passage. Additionally, a glossary feature is available to define less commonly used words in case you require assistance.

Listening Section (41-57 minutes):

The listening section is specifically designed to assess your aptitude for comprehending conversations and lectures in the English language. This section encompasses various listening skills, including:

1. Fundamental comprehension: Assessing your ability to understand the main points and details of the audio material.

2. Interpreting the speaker’s attitude and level of certainty: Evaluating your capability to grasp the emotions and certainty expressed by the speaker.

3. Making connections between information: Testing your proficiency in recognizing and linking related information conveyed in the audio material.

The test consists of 3 to 4 lectures, some of which include classroom discussions, each lasting between 3 to 5 minutes. For each lecture, there are 6 questions to answer. Additionally, there are 2 to 3 conversations, each lasting 3 minutes, accompanied by 5 questions per conversation. To aid in answering the questions, you are allowed to take notes on any of the audio items during the test.

Speaking Section (17 minutes):

The Speaking section of the TOEFL iBT evaluates the proficiency in effectively communicating in English within an academic context of the candidate. It presents four questions or tasks that resemble real-life scenarios commonly encountered both inside and outside the classroom.

Question 1: Independent Speaking Task – The candidate is required to rely solely on own ideas, opinions, and experiences when formulating your response.

Questions 2-4: Integrated Speaking Tasks – These tasks necessitate the integration of various English-language skills, such as listening and speaking, or listening, reading, and speaking, similar to what you would encounter in academic or non-academic settings.

Preparation time: Before each response, the test taker is given 15 to 30 seconds to prepare, and actual responses last either 45 or 60 seconds.

Writing Section (50 minutes):

The Writing section of the TOEFL iBT exam evaluates your aptitude for writing in English within an academic environment, emphasizing the ability to express ideas clearly and in a well-structured manner.

This section consists of two writing tasks:

1. Integrated Writing Task (20 minutes): You will read a brief passage and listen to a short lecture. Afterwards, you are required to write a response that integrates both the information from the reading and the listening materials.

2. Independent Writing Task (30 minutes): In this task, you will write an essay based on personal experiences or opinions in response to a given writing topic. This task allows you to express your thoughts and ideas independently without relying on external sources.