TOEFL iBT - Getting Started

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) evaluates a student’s ability to understand and use English in a college and university environment — particularly in USA and Canada. The TOEFL score is a yardstick to measure adequate English skills necessary for admission to over 5000 colleges and accredited educational institutions across 90 countries. The UK, other European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore all accept TOEFL scores.

The TOEFL is now Internet based (TOEFL iBT). TOEFL iBT is not computer adaptive as was the case with TOEFL CBT (computer based test). Here, all the test takers receive the same set of questions. The computer tutorial is absent. It has been newly designed to churn out students capable of a better academic performance than before in the same English-speaking environment.

TOEFL iBT tests students for English language communication skills such as Reading, Listening (receptive skills) and Speaking and Writing (expressive skills). The TOEFL score is equally divided between all four skills, and therefore, a student must do well in all sections.

The exam has no grammar or sentence structure section. The student’s knowledge of English grammar is tested through actual usage in speaking and writing sections. For the Speaking section, students are provided with headphones and must speak into a microphone. The digital recording is then transmitted to ETS Online Scoring Network to be rated by human scorers.

A new development is that students are allowed to take notes. They can write down points while they listen and/or read before they start to speak or write. These notes come in handy during responses. These notes cannot be carried outside the examination center.

The Writing section has been expanded to include one integrated writing task in addition to the independent writing task. The Reading section usually consists of three to five passages each of around 700 words. This section includes classifying information and/or filling in a chart or completion of a summary.

Lectures and conversations that appear in the listening section maybe longer than before, but speech is more natural. Although the focus of the listening tasks remains American, expect at least one lecture in British /Australian accent. There is a possibility of questions that measure understanding of a speaker’s attitude, degree of certainty and purpose.

TOEFL iBT has fixed test dates. Depending upon the number of test takers and the capacity, a test center will normally have 30 to 40 test dates in a year.

TOEFL iBT scores are reported online. Students can view their scores within 15 working days of the test. Score sheets will be delivered to the test-takers by mail.

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