In English language proficiency assessments, TOEFL stands tall as a pivotal test for non-native speakers. Tailored for those eyeing academic or professional endeavours in English, it encompasses four key sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. With scores spanning from 0 to 120, TOEFL serves as a gateway to international education and career prospects. Join us as we dig deeper into the TOEFL exam pattern.
The test is conducted by the Educational Testing Service and is accepted by more than 11,000 universities in countries like Australia, Canada, the UK, and the USA. TOEFL exam pattern consists of four sections- listening, reading, writing and speaking. The test lasts for approximately three hours, including a ten-minute break in between. The TOEFL exam pattern consists of four main sections which are separately scored on a scale of 0-30. The four sections are as follows:
TOEFL exam pattern breakdown
Reading
The reading section aims to assess the applicant's ability to interpret the given text in the form of a comprehension passage. The test comprises three or four passages with approximately thirty to forty questions. The entire section lasts approximately between fifty-four to seventy-two minutes.
Writing
The writing section assesses the applicant's ability to express their views and feelings in written form, based on a particular text or the recordings they hear. This section consists of two tasks that last for around fifty minutes.
Speaking
Candidates will be able to effectively use their English-speaking skills to express their views on various topics in this segment. It consists of four tasks that take a total of seventeen minutes to complete.
Listening
Candidates are asked questions based on the recordings they hear in this segment. These may be general conversations or specific classroom discussions. It takes about forty-one to fifty-seven minutes to complete and consists of twenty-eight to thirty-nine questions.
Decoding TOEFL Scores: Your Path to Proficiency
One may wonder what is TOEFL? To understand more about it let's dive into it. To ensure uniformity and fairness, TOEFL scoring is handled via a central scoring system. The testing service uses artificial intelligence to ensure consistency and minimize the amount of bias. Candidates can access their score report through their ETS account six days after taking the test. Applicants can choose up to four score recipients for free through their ETS account, and they can add more recipients at an additional cost of $20 per institution.
TOEFL scores remain valid for two years, with universities and organizations automatically receiving reports within 6-10 days post-exam. The exam comprises four sections, each scored from 0 to 30, culminating in an overall score of 0-120. Universities set diverse score requirements, both overall and for individual sections. ETS administers the TOEFL, assessing candidates against predefined proficiency levels.
Exploring the TOEFL Exam Pattern
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|
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| Reading |
Advanced (24–30) High-intermediate (18–23) Low-Intermediate (4–17) Below Low-Intermediate (0–3) |
| Writing |
Advanced (24–30) High-intermediate (17–23) Low-Intermediate (13–16) Basic (7–12) Below Basic (0–6) |
| Listening |
Advanced (22–30) High-intermediate (17–21) Low-Intermediate (9–16) Below Low-Intermediate (0–8) |
| Speaking |
Advanced (25–30) High-intermediate (20–24) Low-Intermediate (16–19) Basic (10–15) Below Basic (0–9) |
Exploring the TOEFL Exam Syllabus: What's Inside?
The TOEFL exam pattern and syllabus are structured to evaluate an applicant's ability to communicate in English by assessing four primary skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. To prepare for the exam, students can enrol in a short online course or an offline course. They can also prepare at home using interactive apps and keep up with the latest details by participating in online TOEFL forums. Here is some information about the TOEFL exam practice questions and syllabus
1. Reading
The reading portion of the exam mainly consists of three to four comprehensions. These reading passages are usually taken from university textbooks and are based on a wide range of subjects. This section consists of questions in which the students have to pay close attention to the minute details and interpret the given texts meaning. It will enable them to take on questions about:
Vocabulary: This includes finding the meaning of the words mentioned in the reading comprehension.
Text completion: This entails identifying and analyzing the main ideas of a passage and their logical positioning.
Text interpretation: These types of questions require candidates to pay close attention to figure out the subtle differences between closely related statements.
Summarization: Candidates must determine the meaning of the passage based on recurrent themes in such questions.
2. Listening
This section will test the candidate's ability to be an active listener and retain critical information. Due to the variety of accents used in the recordings, this part may be a little trickier than the other sections. The recordings that you will hear will be a combination of three—to five-minute lectures and conversations about any academic discipline. The goal is to pay attention to the primary purpose of the conversation and draw relevant inferences based on the factual information provided by the speakers.
3. Writing
Whether applying for international education or a global career, strong writing skills are essential. In TOEFL, writing tasks come in two types: independent and integrated. The integrated task demands response to provided material, while the independent task prompts personal opinions. Here are some question types for the independent task:
TOEFL exam pattern:
Opinion-based questions (multiple choice)
Agree or Disagree questions
Essays with paired options
Descriptive questions
4. Speaking
The primary aim of the speaking segment is to evaluate a candidate's ability to express ideas fluently in English. It assesses your capacity to engage in discussions and how well you express your views on specific subjects using relevant justifications. According to the TOEFL exam pattern, the speaking section has two question types:
Independent task: This question will enable you to offer your thoughts and opinions. Independent speaking questions are divided into two categories. For the first task, you'll have to pick one option from a list of many and then choose between two options for the other one.
Integrated task: This task tests the candidate’s excellence across a range of areas in addition to his English-speaking ability.
Conclusion
To sum it up, it's super important to understand the TOEFL exam pattern if you want to do well and get the score you're aiming for. When you know the exam pattern, you can work on improving your weak spots and get a feel for what the test will be like. The TOEFL exam is tough, but totally worth it if you want to achieve your academic and career dreams. By using the helpful tips and tricks we've provided, you can feel more confident and increase your chances of success.
