­­About The TOEFL

The TOEFL (“Test of English as a Foreign Language”) is a standardized test that measures a test-taker’s mastery of the English language. TOEFL scores are primarily used by universities as part of the international admissions process.  The test is administered by Education Testing Services (ETS).

The TOEFL 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.

Typically, those who take the TOEFL want to attend undergraduate or masters school abroad. But anyone who needs to demonstrate a mastery of English for an academic purpose can take the TOEFL. This includes anyone applying to a foreign high school, exchange program, community college, or for a student visa.

If you are a US citizen or permanent resident, you will not need to take the TOEFL. If you are an international applicant from a major English-speaking country such as Canada, the UK, Australia, or New Zealand, you also do not need to take the TOEFL.

Content covered on the TOEFL

The TOEFL has four sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing.

The Reading section (60-100 minutes long) assesses your ability to understand and analyze written texts on topics like science and academic discussions.

The Listening section (60-90 minutes long) makes sure you can understand information given to you orally—for example, when you listen to a lecture or speak to a professor at university. This section has four to six lectures and questions that test your understanding of the content, as well as your understanding of the motivations and emotions of speakers.

The Speaking section (20 minutes) consists of six tasks that you complete by talking into a microphone during the test. It is meant to measure how well you can express your thoughts and ideas in English.

And finally, the Writing section (50 minutes) is all about demonstrating how you can use your English in writing. Here, you will apply your knowledge of grammar and vocabulary and form clear sentences and paragraphs.

Structure of the TOEFL

Understanding TOEFL scoring

Each section has a maximum score of 30, so the maximum TOEFL score overall is 120. This means that 120 is a perfect score.

The TOEFL is  four and a half hours long with one short break in the middle, between the Listening and Speaking sections.

Many schools will provide a minimum score you must earn on the TOEFL to be accepted. All schools have different cutoffs, but you will need at least a 70 for an unconditional acceptance at almost any US school. More selective schools, however, tend to require higher TOEFL score cutoffs, since they have higher academic standards and require students to have a mastery or near-mastery of English.

Adapted from information taken from https://www.ets.org/toefl.