What is TOEFL iBT?
The TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test) is an internationally recognized standardized test that measures the English language proficiency of non-native English speakers. It is designed to assess your ability to use and understand English at the university level.
Developed and administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the TOEFL iBT evaluates how well you combine your listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills to perform academic tasks. It is accepted by more than 11,000 universities, agencies, and other institutions in over 150 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Why Take the TOEFL iBT?
- Widely respected English-language test worldwide
- Over 60 million people have taken the TOEFL test
- Scores accepted at 99% of US and Canadian universities
- Preferred by 90% of surveyed TOEFL test takers
- Fair and unbiased assessment of English skills
Who Accepts TOEFL Scores?
TOEFL scores are accepted by universities, colleges, scholarship programs, licensing agencies, and immigration authorities. In the United States, it is the most popular English proficiency test for university admissions. Many institutions in non-English speaking countries also use TOEFL scores for exchange programs or for universities where English is the language of instruction.
Test Structure
The TOEFL iBT is approximately 3 hours long and consists of four main sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. The test is designed to measure your ability to communicate in English in an academic setting.
Reading
3-4 passages
60-80 minutes
Listening
3-4 lectures
4-6 conversations
60-90 minutes
Speaking
4 tasks
17 minutes
Writing
2 tasks
50 minutes
Reading Section
The Reading section measures your ability to understand academic passages written in English. You will read 3 or 4 passages from university-level textbooks or similar academic materials on various subjects. Each passage contains approximately 700 words.
After reading each passage, you'll answer questions that test your reading comprehension, including your ability to identify main ideas, important details, inferences, paraphrasing, and sentence structure. Some questions also ask you to organize information or complete summary tables.
Listening Section
The Listening section measures your ability to understand spoken English in academic contexts. You will listen to 3-4 lectures and 4-6 conversations from university settings. Lectures are longer and more academic, while conversations typically involve interactions between students, professors, or university staff.
After listening to each recording, you'll answer questions testing your comprehension of main ideas, details, function, and speaker attitude. You may also need to understand implications and connections between ideas. Note-taking is permitted during the listening passages and is essential for success in this section.
Speaking Section
The Speaking section measures your ability to speak English effectively in academic settings. You will complete 4 speaking tasks that require you to express opinions on familiar topics as well as topics related to the reading and listening material.
For each task, you'll be given a short time to prepare your response and then respond to the prompt by speaking into a microphone. Your responses will be recorded and sent to ETS for scoring. Tasks include both independent speaking and integrated speaking where you must combine information from reading and listening materials.
Writing Section
The Writing section measures your ability to write in an academic setting. You will complete two writing tasks:
- Integrated Writing Task: You will read a short passage, listen to a short lecture on the same topic, and then write a response summarizing the lecture and explaining how it relates to the passage.
- Independent Writing Task: You will write an essay based on personal knowledge or experience in response to a given topic.
Scoring and Results
Each section of the TOEFL iBT is scored separately on a scale of 0-30 points. The total score is the sum of the four section scores, ranging from 0-120.
Reading
0-30 points
Listening
0-30 points
Speaking
0-30 points
Writing
0-30 points
Your official score report will be available online approximately 6 days after your test date. You will receive an email notification when your scores are ready. The score report includes:
- Your scores for each section
- Your total score
- Performance feedback for each skill level
- Scores considered valid for two years from the test date
How Does ETS Score Your Responses?
Reading and Listening sections are scored automatically by computer. Speaking and Writing responses are scored by multiple certified human raters to ensure fairness and reliability. ETS uses highly rigorous procedures to maintain the quality and security of the test.
What Scores Do You Need?
Score requirements vary by institution and program. Here are general guidelines:
- Ivy League and Top Universities: 100+ points
- Good Universities: 80-100 points
- Average Universities: 60-80 points
- Community Colleges: 45-60 points
Some programs may have specific section score requirements, especially for teaching assistantships or communication-intensive programs.
Retering Your Score
After receiving your scores, you can choose to retake the test if needed. You can take the TOEFL test as many times as you wish, but you must wait at least 3 days between attempts. Many universities accept the highest score among multiple test attempts as your final score for admission consideration.
