TOEFL

We can help International students navigate the college admissions process. Most International students must take and pass a English proficiency test. But which test should the student take? There are two commonly offered English proficiency tests available – TOEFL and IELTS. Some schools accept IELTS scores, other schools will consider IELTS scores, and some schools only accept TOEFL scores. Which test you decide to take will depend on the universities you are considering.

TOEFL® stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language, and the test is the most commonly accepted English-language test in the world, recognized by more than 9,000 colleges, universities and agencies in more than 130 countries, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The TOEFL iBT (Internet Based Test) measures your ability to use and understand English at the university level, and it evaluates how well you combine your listening, reading, speaking and writing skills to perform academic tasks. In some countries you may be able to take the TOEFL PBT (paper-based test), but that is being phased out. The TOEFL test is taken during one day, and takes approximately four hours. There is no passing or failing test score — each university sets their own minimum score on the TOEFL that is acceptable for admissions purposes. The score requirement ranges from a low of 60 (Bowling Green State University) to a high of 90 (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), although MIT recommends a score of 100.

Many universities do not have English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. These universities will require certain TOEFL scores to insure that students can succeed in a high-level English only program. There are some universities that will admit foreign students conditionally based on TOEFL scores, but will require students to enroll in their ESL program. We can help direct you to the right program for you.

The cost of taking the TOEFL can range from US$160 to US$250 and varies between countries. For information on registration, fees, test dates and locations, select your test location.

Your scores are based on your performance on the questions in the test. You must answer at least one question each in the Reading and Listening sections, write at least one essay, and complete at least one Speaking task to receive an official score. For the TOEFL iBT® test, administered via the Internet, you will receive four scaled section scores and a total score:

Reading Section (Score of: 0–30)

Listening Section (Score of: 0–30)

Speaking Section (Score of: 0–30)

Writing Section (Score of: 0–30)

Total Score (0–120)

What is the Reading section like?

• The Reading section includes three or four reading passages.
• There are 12 to 14 questions per passage. You have from 60 to 80 minutes to answer all the questions in the section.
• TOEFL iBT Reading passages are excerpts from university-level textbooks that would be used in introductions to a discipline or topic. The passages cover a variety of different subjects. Don’t worry if you’re unfamiliar with the topic of a passage. All the information you need to answer the questions will be in the passage.

What is the Listening section like?

• The Listening section includes questions about academic lectures and longer conversations in which the speech sounds very natural. You can take notes on any audio material throughout the entire test.
• The Listening section is composed of:
• Four to six lectures, each three to five minutes long, six questions per lecture, 60 to 90 minutes; Two to three conversations, each three minutes long, five questions per conversation, 60 to 90 minutes.

What is the Speaking section like?

• The Speaking section is approximately 20 minutes long and includes six questions.
• The first two questions are called “independent Speaking tasks” because they require you to draw entirely on your own ideas, opinions and experiences when you respond.
• The other four questions are called “integrated Speaking tasks” because they require you to integrate your English-language skills — listening and speaking or listening, reading and speaking — just as you would in or out of a classroom.
• You will speak into the microphone on your headset and your responses will be recorded and sent to the ETS Scoring Network, where they will be scored by certified human raters

What is the Writing section like?

• The total time for the Writing section is 50 minutes.
• You are asked to write responses to two writing tasks: an integrated writing task and an independent writing task: 1. Integrated Writing task (20 minutes) — read a short passage and listen to a short lecture. Then write in response to what you read and listened to; 2. Independent Task (30 minutes) — write an essay in response to a writing topic.