What are we getting into … ???

The TOEFL test is the most popular English test in the world. It is administered in more than 180 countries, making it the most accessible test in the world. Internet-based testing makes it possible to greatly expand the number of test centers and increase access.
The TOEFL test is also the most accepted test in the world. More than 5,000 colleges, universities, and agencies in 80 countries accept TOEFL scores. So, for example, students can use the test to study in the U.K. and other European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and Korea in addition to the U.S. and Canada.

In 2005, ETS introduced a next generation TOEFL test. It is an Internet-based test (iBT) that is delivered in secure testing centers around the world.

What is different about the TOEFL iBT test?

• It tests all four language skills : speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
Advantage iTOEFL: Two or three days before the test, just review the reading and get some pointers on the writing section. Speaking and Listening require no fuss and some quick tips can be of great help.

• Some tasks require test takers to combine more than one skill. The new integrated tasks will ask test takers to:
• read, listen, then speak in response to a question
• listen, then speak in response to a question
• read, listen, then write in response to a question

• The new TOEFL test includes a Speaking section: This section includes six tasks, and test takers wear headphones and speak into a microphone when they respond. The responses are digitally recorded and transmitted to ETS’s Online Scoring Network, where human raters evaluate them. The raters are carefully monitored for accuracy, so test takers and score recipients can be assured of the reliability of the Speaking scores.

• The new test requires test takers to write a response to material they have heard and read, and to compose an essay in support of an opinion. Human raters also evaluate the responses to the Writing tasks via ETS’s Online Scoring Network.

• The new test is approximately 4.0 hours long. All test sections will be completed in one day. Phew !!

• Note taking is allowed. Test takers can take notes on any section of the test and they can use those notes when answering the questions. After testing, notes are collected and shredded before the test takers leave the test center.
Important: Make full use of this feature. This comes in useful in approx. all the sections, so be ready to use the pens and the pencils.

• TOEFL iBT is not computer adaptive. Each test taker receives the same range of questions.This means that all questions carry equal weightage. First 10 questions are as important as the next 10 and so on. Neither does the difficulty level increase. Which means that few quick fixes can just add a few points to the overall score.

The range of questions and the timing for each section is given below. The time limit for each section varies according to the number of questions.
a) Reading : 3–5 passages, 12–14 questions each 60–100 minutes
b) Listening : 4–6 lectures, 6 questions each ( 2–3 conversations, 5 questions each )
Time Spent : 60–90 minutes

BREAK 10 minutes

c) Speaking : 6 tasks: 2 independent and 4 integrated 20 minutes

d) Writing : 1 integrated task + 1 independent task 20 minutes
Time Spent: 30 minutes


To Note:
• Once test takers click Next, they can confi rm their answers by clicking OK. In the Listening section, test takers cannot see a question again once they click OK.

The tool bar for the Reading section has some different features.

• Test takers can view the entire passage when answering questions. For some questions, they need to click View Text to see the entire reading passage.
• They can view all their answers by clicking Review. This allows them to return to any other question and change their answers. They can also see which questions they have skipped and still need to answer.
• In the Reading section test takers can also click Back at any time to return to the previous question.