TOEFL Section Wise Test Pattern 2023

TOEFL Exam

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) is the body that conducts the TOEFL exam with an aim to measure the level of proficiency of a non-native English speaker to communicate in English in all forms, whether reading, writing, speaking or listening.

To assess your ability to communicate, the test is divided into four sections, namely Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing which extend over the duration of four and a half hours.

The TOEFL exam total score ranges from 0 to 120

The overall score and sectional scores will be sent to you after you complete the test

As a test taker, you will be required to solve integrated tasks that combine more than one skill. For example, a section might have a passage to read after which an audio recording of a lecture or a discussion based on the passage will be played, and then you might be asked to verbally answer the questions or summarize depending on the section. Let us have a synopsis of each of the sections.

TOEFL Test Pattern

The TOEFL test Format includes four sections: listening, reading, speaking and writing.

It’s imperative for an aspirant to have a clear understanding of all the sections and the exam structure in order to prepare effectively for the test.

TOEFL Reading

• Duration: 54-72 minutes
• Score range: 0 to 30
• Total number of questions: 30 to 40
• May have three or four passages
• Each passage is followed by a set of questions based on the passage which need to be answered.

TOEFL Listening

• Duration: 41-57 minutes
• Score range: 0 to 30
• Total number of questions: 28 to 39
• You will be required to carefully listen to audio recordings of academic lectures, classroom discussions, and conversations
• Each recording will have questions based on the lectures/discussions which will need to be answered.

TOEFL Speaking

• Duration: 17 minutes
• Score range: 0 to 30
• Total number of speaking tasks: 4
• You will be required to express your opinion on a familiar topic
• You will be required to speak based on the listening and reading tasks
• 3 sections with 2 questions in each section.

Section 1 –

Part 1: Personal Preference

Part 2: Choose an option. You will get a few seconds to prepare and then speak.

Section 2 –

Part 1: Campus Conversation – Reading + listening and then speaking – You will be required to read a short passage, listen to a conversation between two people on the topic read and then speak. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) is the body that conducts the TOEFL with an aim to measure the level of proficiency of a non-native English speaker to communicate in English in all forms, whether reading, writing, speaking or listening.

Part 2: Academic Lecture – You will be required to read a short passage about a specific topic, listen to a lecture related to the topic read and then speak or summarize the topic that was read and heard.

Section 3 –

Part 1: Listening and Speaking – Campus Conversation – You will be required to listen to a conversation and then speak about the problem discussed and provide your opinion on the problem discussed.

Part 2: Academic Lecture – You will be required to listen to an academic lecture and summarize the lecture.

TOEFL Writing

• Duration: 50 minutes
• Score range: 0 to 30
• You will be required to write essay responses based on the reading and listening tasks
• You will be required to support an opinion in writing
• Total number of writing tasks: 2.

Task 1 – You will need to read a passage on a specific topic, listen to a lecture about the topic read and then write an essay summarizing the points in the passage and the lecture.

Task 2 – You will be required to provide your viewpoints or provide a response as required for the specific task.

You will get a mandatory break for 10 minutes after the Reading and Listening sections. According to a certain modification done in March 2013, the Listening and Speaking sections of the TOEFL iBT includes different accents of Native English speakers besides those from North America. You may listen to people with different accents from the UK, New Zealand or Australia. The test and scoring patterns remain unchanged and are consistent across the globe. The TOEFL does not follow any particular syllabus, so the test-takers need to focus on developing the skills required to complete the modules/sections successfully and need not refer to any particular subject.

How Many Colleges and Universities Accept TOEFL Scores?

TOEFL scores are accepted by over 130 countries and 11,000 international universities, colleges, and educational institutes worldwide. TOEFL scores are accepted by educational institutions in major international education destinations like as the US, Canada, Australia, and UK. Candidates can easily register for the TOEFL exam and schedule appointments at TOEFL Test Centers at their convenience.

TOEFL Test Scores

Candidates must grasp how each section of the TOEFL exam is scored in order to comprehend their TOEFL exam score. Candidates receive an email from ETS when their exam scores are available six days after taking the exam. TOEFL scores can be accessed online. Candidates’ printed score reports are emailed to them 11 days after the TOEFL exam date.