The Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL, is a test which measures people’s English language skills to see if they are good enough to take a course at university or graduate school in English-speaking countries.
The TOEFL iBT® test is given in English and administered via the Internet. There are four sections (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) which take a total of about four and a half hours to complete, including check-in.
TOEFL iBT Test Sections
| Section | Time Limit | Questions | Tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 60-80 minutes | 36-56 questions | Read 3 or 4 passages from academic texts and answer questions. |
| Listening | 60–90 minutes | 34–51 questions | Listen to lectures, classroom discussions and conversations, then answer questions. |
| Break | 10 minutes | — | — |
| Speaking | 20 minutes | 6 tasks | Express an opinion on a familiar topic; speak based on reading and listening tasks. |
| Writing | 50 minutes | 2 tasks | Write essay responses based on reading and listening tasks; support an opinion in writing. |
The TOEFL IBT test takes about 4 hours to complete. At minimum, the TOEFL IBTwill last 3 hours and 10 minutes. At maximum, it will take 4 hours and 20 minutes. The length varies because the Reading section can take from 60 to 100 minutes, and the Listening section ranges from 60 to 90 minutes.