TOEFL is the standardized test format which evaluates the ability of English language of an individual who is a non native speaker and willing to pursue the further studies in English speaking universities in the native English speaking countries. It is a combination of all 4 skills like Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking. TOEFL is accepted in almost all the English Speaking countries and universities which gives a plethora of opportunities to the students to select the best suitable for them. Appearing for TOEFL opens all the roadblocks in terms of studying abroad. It is one the widely accepted English Language Test which has the greater weightage. This exam plays an important role in your journey to study abroad.
Something about the History of TOEFL
The group of 30 government and private organizations was brought together to discuss the problem about the English Language Proficiency Test which may ensure the language efficiency of the native speaker wishing to study in the English speaking Universities. TOEFL Exam was the step taken by the group and developed a format and pattern to test the English Proficiency of the students.
TOEFL (IBT) Internet Based Test was the format which lately replaced all other test formats like CBT (Computer Based Test) and PBT (Paper Based Test). This exam became the basic requirement for the students who wish to study in USA, Canada, France, Germany and Italy but now it is acceptable across the globe. At the time of inception or the initial stage the demand was very high and the seats available were comparatively less so the candidates had to wait for months to appear for the exams. But now the number of centers has increased so it is possible to appear within 1 to 4 weeks in all the countries.
The basics of evaluation are in the 4 different sections:
- Reading
- Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
Test Format and Overview (Total 120 points)
| Task | Description | Points | Time |
| Reading | 3–4 passages, each containing
12–14 questions |
30 | 60 to 80 minutes |
| Listening | 6–9 passages, each containing 5–6 questions | 30 | 60 to 90 minutes |
| BREAK | Mandatory break | 10 Minutes | |
| Speaking | 6 tasks | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Writing | 2 tasks | 30 | 60 minutes |
Reading (30 points)
Reading section goes for around 60 to 80 minutes, which may extend to 100 minutes, depending upon the length of the passage you have got. Reading section has 3-5 passages of approximately 700 words each. Approximately you get 20 minutes for solving 1 passage at a stretch. You have to divide the time accordingly evaluating the difficulty level and time taken to solve them. Each passage has 12 -14 questions out of which the last question is extra long and difficult too. The passages are mostly about Science, History and Culture. It may differ, but mostly based on it. For solving the passage you require the understanding of rhetorical functions such as cause and effect, compare and contrast and argumentation. The questions require the answers about the main ideas, details, inferences, sentence insertion, and vocabulary. Few new types of questions are also added which are completing the tables and summarizing.
Listening (30 points)
Listening section goes for around 60 to 90 minutes, depending upon the number of recordings. Listening section consists of 6 to 9 recordings which are of approximately 3-5 minutes per recording with 6 questions to be answered. These passages include two student’s conversations and four academic lectures. They might be in the form of discussions also. It is not required to have specific subject knowledge to answer the questions. Each recording can be heard only once and the students can take down notes while listening which may help in answering the questions later. The questions are made in such a manner that it may evaluate the ability to understand the main idea of the conversation, important details and implications. The purpose of the conversation and the attitude of the speaker as well have to be taken care. It also tests the concentration and focus while listening and answering the questions.
Speaking (30 points)
The speaking section has 6 tasks in total for which you have 20 minutes in total.
Task 1 and Task 2 – Independent Tasks (Only Speaking)
Task 3 and Task 4 – Integrated Tasks (Reading & Listening)
Task 5 and Task 6- Listening
In the task 1 and 2 that is the independent tasks the test takers answer various kinds of answers which can be the opinion based questions on familiar topics. This section is evaluated on the ability or the fluency in speaking and the spontaneous speech that is delivered and how the ideas are conveyed. In the Integrated tasks, you may hear an academic lecture or a short passage or a small university conversation. Then you have to answer the questions accordingly. This sections evaluation is done on the basis of the harmony between the reading and listening both. How you synthesize and effectively convey the information that you have got. While listening you can make the notes hand in hand and then can take the help of the notes to answer the questions.
Writing
Writing consists of 2 essays which measure the ability to write and bring thoughts on the paper and even analyzing the things that you have heard or read. The 2 essays consist of integrated as well as independent essays. In the integrated task, you may get a passage to read or a passage to listen and then you are expected to write a summary about the topic that you have read or heard. And you have to relate it to the key areas of the passage.
In the independent task, you have to write your own opinions or choices related to the topic. It won’t be evaluated according to the correctness of the topic, but how you justify your opinion on that.
The TOEFL is accepted by more than 10,000 colleges and institutions in over 130 countries across the globe. Impel Overseas is the one-stop solution for all your queries including the VISA requirements and the guidance for scoring well in the TOEFL exams. We will help you in finding out the best institute for the best suitable course as per your requirement.
The TOEFL test has over 50 test dates in a year and you can retake the exams as many times as you wish to but not more than a 12 day gap between 2 exams. We may provide you the preparation material plus the expert guidance which will lead to the required scores definitely. The cost of the test also differs from country to country.
