The TOEFL evaluates students’ English language proficiency levels by measuring reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills. The test is most commonly taken by non-native English speakers seeking admission to English-speaking colleges and/or universities.
TOEFL FORMAT AND TEST DATES
WHAT IS THE TOEFL?
TOEFL FORMAT
The TOEFL is a 1.5 hour exam (including a mandatory 10-minute break), consisting of four sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing.
| TOEFL Test Section | # of Questions and Types | Content | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| READING | Up to 50 multiple-choice | Academic passages plus everyday materials like articles and announcements. | About 30 minutes |
| LISTENING | Up to 47 multiple-choice | Listen to lectures, classroom discussions and conversations | About 29 minutes |
| SPEAKING | Up to 11 questions | Phrase repetition and simulated interview questions alongside traditional speaking tasks. | About 8 minutes |
| WRITING | Up to 12 short answer questions | New formats including brief emails and academic discussion forum posts. | About 23 minutes |
The TOEFL is an online test administered at authorized test centers throughout the year. The Reading and Listening Sections of the test are adaptive. Students are allowed to take the test as many times as they want, but cannot take it more than once in a 3-day period. Experimental and unscored questions are often included in the Reading and/or Listening sections and are used by TOEFL to evaluate new material. Experimental questions are not marked as unscored, so it’s best to treat every question as real.
