TOFEL OVERVIEW

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The Test of English as a Foreign Language™ (TOEFL®) evaluates the English proficiency of nonnative speakers of English as it is spoken, written, and heard in college and university environments. It tests all four language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing which are important for effective communication. The scores are required for admission by colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. It is also used by the institutions in other countries where English is the language of instruction. In addition, government agencies, scholarship programs, and licensing certification agencies use TOEFL to evaluate English proficiency. The content of the new TOEFL test reflects the language that is used in real academic settings. The aim of the test is to enable the students to demonstrate their ENGLISH language skills.

Administration of the new test
There are fixed dates on which the test will be administered via the Internet at ETS-certified
test centers.

STRUCTURE OF THE NEW TEST

Section	Content	Number of Questions	Approximate Time
Reading	3-5 Passages	36-42	60 Minutes
Listening	2 Conversation + 4 Lectures	34	60 Minutes
Speaking	2 Independent tesks + 4 integrated - skill tasks	6	20 Minutes
Writing	1 integrated - skill task + 1 independent tesks	2	60 Minutes

READING SECTION :

You will be tested on your comprehension of major ideas, important information, vocabulary and relationship among ideas in the passages.

1. 3-5 passages, 36-70 questions.
2. Time limit: 60-100 min.
3. The computer will give you one question at a time. However, by clicking on the Review button, you may return to any previous question to review or change your answer.
4. For some questions you might earn more than 1 point

LISTENING SECTION

You will be tested on your comprehension of the general ideas and supporting details of the conversations and lectures.

1. 2 conversations; 4 lectures; 34-51 questions.
2. Time limit: 60 -90 min.
3. You will hear the conversations and lectures only once. However, you may take notes on paper while you listen and you may use your notes to help you answer the questions. Remember you cannot go back to the previous question once you have clicked the OK button.
4. For some questions you might earn more than 1 point.

SPEAKING SECTION

The speaking section measures your ability to speak in English about a variety of topics.
The format of the speaking section is given below.

1. Time limit: 20 min.
2. You may take notes on paper, and you may use them to answer your questions.

Speaking Section
Question	Reading Time	Listening Time	Preparation Time	Speaking Time
Independent Task 1	-	-	15 Seconds	45 Seconds
Independent Task 2	-	-	15 Seconds	45 Seconds
Integrated Task 1 Reading + Listening + Speaking	45 Seconds	1-2 MInutes	30 Seconds	60 Seconds
Integrated Task 2 Reading + Listening + Speaking	45 Seconds	1-2 MInutes	30 Seconds	60 Seconds
Integrated Task 3 Listening + Speaking	-	1-2 MInutes	20 Seconds	60 Seconds
Integrated Task 4 Listening + Speaking	-	1-2 MInutes	20 Seconds	60 Seconds

WRITING SECTION

The writing section measures your ability to plan and write responses to questions in essay format.

1. There are two questions in the writing section.
   Integrated: Reading+ Listening+ Writing
   Independent task : Writing an essay
2. Time limit: Integrated: 20 min
   Independent task: 30 min.
3. You may take notes on paper during both the tasks, and may use them to answer your questions.
   You will have to type your responses to both the tasks on the computer screen.
   You will not be allowed to write your responses by hand.

SCORING

The score requirement varies from institution to institution and there is no single passing score.
In the TOEFL iBT score report one can see the following:

1. A separate score of 0 to 30 for each of the four language skill;
2. A total test score of 0 to 120
3. A TOEFL CBT score comparison

Section Score Scale
Listening	0-30
Reading	0-30
Speaking	0-30
Writing	0-30
Total Score	0-120

The total score is the sum of the four skill scores.
The TOEFL iBT score is valid for 2 years.

Reading is the first section of TOEFL iBT. Reading passage appears on the right side of the computer screen whereas the questions appear on the left side. Since the passages are long, the students may need to scroll down to view the entire passage Students should practice using the tool bar on the computer screen. They can click on ‘NEXT’ to proceed to the next question, ‘BACK’ to come to the previous question, ‘REVIEW’ to view all the questions alongwith answers given/not given the particular passage, for making changes, if any. There is a glossary feature too in the Reading section. Any word/phrase marked in blue in the passage means an explanation thereof is available and can be obtained simply by clicking on the word. The Reading section may have 3-5 passages each of around 700 words. Time allowed for attempting 12-14 questions on each passage will be 20 minutes . So total time allowed for the Reading section will be 60-100 minutes depending upon the number of reading passages. Students are allowed to take notes and the same for making an answer, but they are not allowed to carry the same outside Test venue and have to surrender them before leaving. Technical terms, if any, be highlighted in the text which may be clicked on for finding the meaning in the glossary. Following are certain types of questions asked in this section:

¤ Reading for facts 8-15 Questions ¤ Reading for main ideas 2-5 Questions ¤ Reading for organization. 1-3 Questions ¤ Reading for usage. 3-5 Questions ¤ Reading for inference. 3-5 Questions ¤ Answering negative fact 2-5 Questions ¤ Identifying references. 2-5 Questions ¤ Vocabulary in context. 8-15 Questions ¤ Reading for coherence 3-5 Questions ¤ Paraphrasing/Summarizing 3-5 Questions ¤ Categorization of information(filling in a table) 1-2 Questions

Strategies

Strategies for doing your best on the Internet Based Reading Comprehension section are:

How to prepare for the Reading section

Keep following tips in mind:

Read Newspapers, magazines. Read whatever you can, whenever you can. Practice skimming -reading some leaving some- so as to get the gist of the without reading all or major portion of the reading assignment. Pay particular attention to new vocabulary words, including the use of prefixes, suffixes, and roots. Practice determining the meaning of a vocabulary word from its context.

HOW TO APPLY?

There are specific dates given by the ETS on which you can take your test.
Fee for the exam : $165
There are three ways by which you can register for the exam.

• Online
• By Phone
• By Mail

ONLINE

For the fastest and most convenient service, register online. You can get the online form by visiting the learners and test takers section of the TOEFL website at www.toefl.org. A valid credit card is required (American Express®, Discover®, JCB®, MasterCard®, or Visa® card), or an electronic check (e-check) if you have a bank account in the United States or its territories. Registration is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

BY PHONE

A valid credit card is required (American Express®, Discover®, JCB®, MasterCard®, or Visa® card), or an electronic check (e-check) if you have a bank account in the United States or its territories. When registering by phone, you are given a Registration number, which you must bring to the test center on the test day Test date Reporting time Test center address The Contact Address and the Phone Number of the Regional Registration Center is as follow: Thomas Testing Private Limited 2nd Floor DFL Infinity Tower- A, Sector 25, Phase II DFL City Gurgaon, Haryana - 122002 India Tel : 91-124-414700 Fax : 91-124-4147773, 4147774

BY MAIL

Another method is to register by mail. The form can be obtained by ordering a TOEFL bulletin. Fill in all information on the Registration Form. Mail the completed form. Mailing instructions are on the form. Registration forms must be received by ETS or your Regional Registration Center at least four weeks before your requested first-choice test date.

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