Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL, pronounced ‘toh-fle’), measures one’s ability to use and understand English at the university level and it also evaluates how well one combines his listening, reading, speaking and writing skills to perform academic tasks.
Sections | Questions | Duration | Tasks |
Reading | 36–56 | 60–80 minutes | Read 3 or 4 passages from academic texts and answer questions. |
Listening | 34–51 | 60–90 minutes | Listen to lectures, classroom discussions and conversations, then answer questions. |
Speaking | 6 tasks | 20 minutes | Express an opinion on a familiar topic; speak based on reading and listening tasks. |
Writing | 2 tasks | 50 minutes | Write essay responses based on reading and listening tasks; support an opinion in writing. |
Reading
The Reading section measures one’s ability to understand academic passages written in English. 4 – 5 passages are presented and there are overall 36 – 56 questions on the same. In the test, one would have 20 minutes to read the passage and answer the questions. Test takers with disabilities can request a time extension.
Listening
The Listening section measures one’s ability to understand conversations and lectures in English. In all there are 6 – 9 conversations, talks and lectures. The questions typically ask about the main idea and supporting details. Some questions ask about a speaker’s purpose or attitude. Most questions are worth one point. If a question is worth more than one point, it will have special directions that indicate how many points one can receive. In the test, one would be able to take notes while he listened and use his to help him answer the questions. Notes would not be scored.
Speaking
The Speaking section in the test measures one’s ability to speak about a variety of topics. For questions 1 and 2, response will be scored on ability to speak clearly and coherently about familiar topics. For questions 3 and 4, one would first read a short text and then listen to a talk on the same topic. One would have to combine appropriate information from the text and the talk to provide a complete answer. Response would be scored on one’s ability to accurately convey information, and to speak clearly and coherently. For questions 5 and 6, one would listen to part of a conversation or lecture. Then, he would be asked a question about what he has heard. Response would be scored on one’s ability to accurately convey information, and to speak clearly and coherently. One would be able to take notes while he read and while he listened to the conversations and talks. One would be able to use his notes to help prepare his responses. Preparation and response times are noted in this text. Test takers with disabilities may request time extensions.
Writing
Writing section measures one’s ability to write in English in an academic environment. There will be 2 writing tasks. For the first task, one will read a passage and part of a lecture about an academic topic. Then he will write a response to a question that asks about the relationship between the lecture and the reading passage. The question does not ask one to express his personal opinion. Response would be judged on the quality of writing and on how well response presents the points in the lecture and their relationship to the reading passage. For the second task, one will demonstrate his ability to write an essay in response to a question that asks to express and support his opinion about a topic or issue. Essay would be scored on the quality of writing. This includes the development of ideas, the organization of essay, and the quality and accuracy of the language one uses to express his ideas. During the test, one would be able to take notes while he listened and use his notes to help him answer the questions.
Scores are based on performance on the questions in the test. At least one question must be answered each in the Reading and Listening sections, at least one essay must be written, and at least one Speaking task must be completed to receive an official score. For the TOEFL iBT® test, administered via the Internet, four scaled section scores and a total score are reported.
Nature of the test : Computer-Based Test frequency : 4 times a month
Exam Fee : $ 170 (till 30/06/2016) Score Validity Period : 2 years
Rescheduling Fee : $ 60/- Score Reporting Time : 13 days
Free Score Reports : 4 Extra Score reporting Fee : $ 19
Official Website : www.toefl.org
Deadline for Free Score Reporting : until 10 p.m. (local test center time) on the day prior to the test date
through the TOEFL iBT® online registration system
Coaching for TOEFL always begins with a mock test. The test result allows an individual to know where he stands and consequently provides him an idea of how much effort is required to achieve a desirable score.
From second session, our faculties start with a specific module. For Listening sessions, audios are played and students answer the questions using their question booklets. Towards the end of the Listening test, answers are provided while focusing on concentration and retention skills. Then our teachers replay the entire Listening test taking pauses at every answer and explaining the same to students. In this way, we complete 6 – 8 listening tests with our students. For Reading sessions, our teachers provide strategies with regard to how to do reading. Then the passages are taken individually from tests and discussed with the students. In this way, 15 – 21 passages are practiced in class. For Writing part, initially the two types of tasks are discussed and guidelines are provided with regard to composition of essays. Then students are asked to write actual essays on Integrated Task and Independent task topics. Students’ essays are graded and strategies are provided to make the essays better. In this way, our teachers complete 6 – 8 essays on Independent and Integrated tasks each. For Speaking, we conduct one-on-one interview session, exactly simulating testing conditions. We conduct 6 – 8 mock sessions on interviews. Scores are given and strategies are provided to enhance the scores.
After completing classroom sessions, we conduct 7 full-length mock tests exactly on the lines of actual TOEFL test, so that our students get the feel of the testing environment.