TOEFL Exam Structure

TOEFL iBT Test Content, Structure, and Administration

The TOEFL test measures all four academic skills — reading, listening, speaking, and writing — the way they’re used in the classroom.

The language used in the test closely reflects how English is used in everyday academic settings, and the test contains 100% academic content with integrated tasks.

Content sections and structure
The TOEFL iBT test is broken up into four sections and takes about 3 hours to complete.

Reading
3–4 passages, each 700 words
multiple-focus passages (compare/contrast, cause/effect)
10 questions for each passage
Time: 54–72 minutes
Score scale: 0–30

Listening
3–4 lectures, some with classroom discussion, each 3–5 minutes, 6 questions each
2–3 conversations, each 3 minutes, 5 questions each
Time: 41–57 minutes
Score scale: 0–30

Speaking
4 tasks
1 independent task to express an opinion on a familiar topic
3 integrated tasks based on what is read and heardUp to 30 seconds to prepare the response, up to 1 minute to respond
Time: 17 minutes
Score scale: 0–30

Writing
2 tasks:
1 20-minute integrated task based on what is read and heard
1 30-minute independent task to support an opinion on a topic
Time: 50 minutes
Score scale: 0–30