WHAT IS TOEFL iBT?

TOEFL stands for Test Of English as a Foreign Language, and is a test designed to measure your English skills at the university level. The test takes place on a computer at a testing site, and you can most likely take the test in your home country. Check where you can take the test here.

The test has four sections and lasts between 3 hours and 4.5 hours, depending on the version of the test you receive.

The test measures your English abilities in four areas:

·         Reading

·         Listening

·         Speaking

·         Writing

THE READING SECTION

The reading section is designed to test how well you understand academic texts. Your test will have either three or four passages to read. For tests with 4 passages, only 3 passages will be scored, but you will not know which will be excluded, so it is important to do your best on all passages.

Depending on the number of passages, you will have between 36 and 56 questions and will have between 60 and 80 minutes to complete the test.

THE LISTENING SECTION

The listening section is designed to see how well you can understand native speakers speaking about academic topics. You will hear a lectures, classroom discussions, and conversations and then answer questions about what you heard. Unlike GMAT, you will not be asked to interpret what you have heard, but will only have to answer questions about what was stated in the listenings.

Though most of the listenings you will receive use an American accent, it is possible to hear accents from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia.

You will need to answer between 34 and 51 questions and will have between 60 and 90 minutes to complete this section.

THE SPEAKING SECTION

The speaking section is designed to test how well you speak in English. You will be tested on grammar, how easy you are to understand, your use of vocabulary, and on the structure of your answer. This is why it is one of the more difficult sections to study for!

During the test, you will read and/or listen to material, and will then be asked about the material that was presented to you. All of the material deals with academic subjects.

You will have 6 speaking tasks and will have 20 minutes to complete the entire section.

Practicing with one of our native-speaker tutors is a great way to prepare for this part of the test, as they can help you not only develop the correct strategy for answering each question type, but can also correct your English mistakes and give you tips on how to improve your speaking. Find out more about our TOEFL iBT tutoring services.

THE WRITING SECTION

The writing section tests how well you can write in English. You are scored on grammar, vocabulary and on the structure and content of your answers.

You will have two writing tasks. The first will ask you to write an essay based on a reading and listening task. The second will ask you to support an opinion on a certain topic.

You will have 50 minutes to complete both writing tasks.

This section can be difficult because many non-native English speakers do not practice writing in English very often. If you’d like to improve your score in this area, our native-speaker tutors can give you tips and lessons to help you improve your general writing abilities and strategy for this section of the TOEFL iBT test. Find out more about our TOEFL iBT tutoring services.

WHAT IS A GOOD TOEFL SCORE?

Based on your performance, you are given a score out of 120, with up to 30 points possible in each of the four sections.

If you are planning to apply for an MBA, check first to see if the school or schools you are interested in have specific TOEFL requirements. In general, you will need to score at least 100 on the TOEFL test in order to apply for an MBA.