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TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language

The TOEFL iBT test, administered via the Internet, is an examination to study in an English-speaking country. The TOEFL iBT test measures candidate’s ability to use and understand English at the university level. And it evaluates how well he/she combine his/her listening, reading, speaking and writing skills to perform academic tasks.

More than 27 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.
  • Students planning to study at a higher education institution
  • English-language learning program admissions and exit
  • Scholarship and certification candidates
  • English-language learners who want to track their progress
  • Students and workers applying for visas
Who Accepts TOEFL Test Scores?
More than 9,000 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 United Kingdom, how to find institutions that accept TOEFL scores, and more, Click here https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/about/who_accepts_scores

TOEFL iBT dates
The TOEFL test has more test dates (more than 50 per year) and locations than any other English-language test in the world. Candidates can retake the test as many times as they wish, but they cannot take it more than once in a 12-day period. If they already have a test appointment, they cannot register for another test date that is within 12 days of their existing appointment.

How to prepare
ETS offers a variety of paid and free preparation materials to help students get ready for the TOEFL test. To watch videos click here www.ets.org/s/toefl/flash/17494/TOEFL_Resources_Web_Video.htm

Test Cost
The cost of the test can range from US$160 to US$250 and varies between countries.

TOEFL iBT Test Content
The TOEFL iBT test is given in English and administered via the Internet. There are four sections (listening, reading, speaking and writing) which take a total of about four and a half hours to complete.

Combining All Four Skills: Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing
During the test, candidates are asked to perform tasks that combine more than one skill, 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
TOEFL iBT Test Sections

Section

Time Limit

Questions

Tasks

Reading*

60–80 minutes

36–56 questions

Read 3 or 4 passages from academic
 texts and answer questions.

Listening

60–90 minutes

34–51 questions

Listen to lectures, classroom discussions
and conversations, then answer questions.

Break

10 minutes

Speaking

20 minutes

6 tasks

Express an opinion on a familiar topic;
speak based on reading and listening tasks.

Writing

50 minutes

2 tasks

Write essay responses based on reading
and listening tasks; support an opinion in writing.

Native-speaker English Accents
Beginning in March 2013, the Listening and Speaking sections of the TOEFL iBT test include other native-speaker English accents in addition to accents from North America. You may hear accents from the United Kingdom, New Zealand or Australia.

ETS is adding these accents to better reflect the variety of native English accents you may encounter while studying abroad.

Below are examples similar to what you might hear in the Speaking and Listening sections.

Listening Section
Listen to a talk about the greenhouse effect (MP3).
www.ets.org/s/toefl/audio/greenhouse_effect.mp3

Speaking Section
In the Speaking section, only items 1 and 2 of the six tasks may have accented speech. Below are two examples similar to what you might hear. The speakers are from Great Britain. In each instance, the example is 15 seconds long, and you would have 45 seconds to respond.

Audio File

Transcript

Item 1 (MP3)

If friends from another country were going to spend time in your country, what city or place would you suggest they visit?
Using details and examples, explain why.
www.ets.org/s/toefl/audio/
friends_from_another_country.mp3

Item 2 (MP3)

Some people enjoy taking risks and trying new things. Others are not adventurous; they are cautious and prefer to avoid danger.
Which behavior do you think is better? Explain why.
www.ets.org/s/toefl/audio/
adventurous_or_cautious.mp3

Reading
Click here for reading sample questions:

www.sakshieducation.com/(S(w5ozku45dhnaa5iknr3r1rbo))/
PreviousPapers/PracticePapers/TOEFLSampleQuestions.pdf


Registration Process for the TOEFL iBT Test
Candidates can register through any of the following methods
  • Register Online
  • Register by Phone
  • Register by Mail
  • Register in Person at a TOEFL iBT Resource Center
For complete details on registration, click here:
www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/register/

Click here for TOEFL iBT® Test Centers and Dates:
www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/register/centers_dates/

For more details, please visit: www.ets.org/toefl/
Published date : 23 Jul 2014 02:49PM

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