About TOEFL

TOEFL stands for "Test Of English as a Foreign Language". It’s an English Proficiency test, conducted to evaluate the English speaking and understanding ability of a candidate by analysing their English ability in terms of reading, speaking, listening and writing. It's designed to measure English language skills of non-native speakers.

Who takes the TOEFL?

• Students entering into a high school in an English speaking country

• Students attending 2-year community college programs in an English speaking country

• People who are looking to be licensed or certified in a particular field

• People who need to demonstrate their mastery of the English language for immigration purposes

• Those who simply want to assess their English language skills in a formal setting 

The creators of the test recommend that students be at least in the 11th grade (or 17 years of age) before attempting to take the TOEFL. The test requires you to read some difficult passages and be familiar with some high-level vocabulary and most students are not exposed to this type of language before the 11th grade.

Everything You Need to Know About the TOEFL Exam Pattern, Explained

The 4 Major Sections of the TOEFL

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.

The TOEFL is a test that you will take all in one day. It is four and a half hours long with one short break in the middle, between the Listening and Speaking sections.

What Is the TOEFL Reading Section Like?

Each text will be followed by 12-14 questions. These questions may ask you to do one of the following tasks:

• define a word (testing your vocabulary)

• identify an idea or argument (testing your understanding)

• find a false statement (testing overall comprehension)

What Is the TOEFL Listening Section Like?

During Listening, you will be working with two different types of audio:

• recordings of lectures

• recordings of conversations

Can I Take a Break?

Yes!

TOEFL has a 10-minute break in the middle of the exam, and it is mandatory, which means that everyone must stop.

You will be asked to leave the room—and you should! Use this time to walk around, stretch your legs and your back, eat your snack and drink your beverage. Go to the bathroom, too!

After the break, it is time to start the Speaking and Writing sections.

What Is the TOEFL Speaking Section Like?

You will be given six Speaking tasks in total. Two of them will ask you to express an opinion on an everyday topic. This is the Independent Speaking section. For the Independent Speaking section, all you will hear is a question. You will not need to listen to a long recording or read any long passages.

The four remaining tasks will require you to discuss something that you read and hear. This is the Integrated Speaking section.

What Is the TOEFL Writing Section Like?

All your English skills come together in the last section of TOEFL. This last section is the Writing section. It is the section that judges your writing ability, grammar knowledge and vocabulary usage.

Writing consists of only two tasks: one Integrated Writing task and one Independent Writing task.

The idea behind these tasks is similar to the Speaking section tasks. For the Independent Writing task, you will write an opinion on a casual topic. You will get a question to answer, but you will not need to listen to a long audio recording or read a long passage.


TOEFL is a hard test, there is no doubt about it. But you can succeed.

You should register for it well in advance, giving yourself at least three or four months to study and prepare well for it.

And be sure to take a complete TOEFL practice exam at least once. Do this on BestMyTest—you’ll not only take a TOEFL practice exam that feels just like the real thing, you’ll also get feedback from certified TOEFL teachers and tons of interactive study tools. This is very important if you want to be fully prepared for the actual exam day.

The format of the test never changes, which is great news for you! This means that finding study help and resources is much easier.

You only need to learn about the format of the TOEFL once. Once you get it, you will be able to make up your own study schedule, focus on areas of your English to improve and ultimately increase your chances of success on TOEFL.