The TOEFL exam (Test of English as a foreign language) is an English proficiency test used to assess your ability to speak and understand English. If you’re planning to study abroad, exams like TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE, are an absolute must. In this blog, find out all about the TOEFL exam and also take the TOEFL sample test.
The TOEFL exam is conducted by the Educational Testing Service throughout the year because of its importance for students wishing to study abroad. Gathering all the required information on TOEFL exam preparation or syllabus can be hectic for a student already occupied with getting the required grades for his dream school. This is where we can help – by telling you all that you need to know about the exam pattern, syllabus, and tips, and giving you a TOEFL sample test!
What’s it about?
The TOEFL exam was first administered in 1964 in the USA. With the passage of time, many institutions have grown to accept it as their official English proficiency tool. While the TOEFL exam is available in both internet-based (TOEFL iBT) and paper-delivered formats, 98% of TOEFL test takers worldwide opt for the TOEFL iBT test due to the convenience and ease of the testing manner. Some of the top countries that accept TOEFL include:
- The United States of America
- Canada
- Australia
- New Zealand
- The United Kingdom
- And many other institutions across Europe and Asia
Eligibility Criteria for TOEFL
The student must have completed high school qualification or equivalent from recognized institution such as XIIth
General Facts about TOEFL
- The TOEFL exam conducts 50 tests every year at its authorized centre
- TOEFL results are valid for up to 2 years
TEST FORMAT:
TOEFL Test format is divided into 4 sections namely-
Reading
Read 3 or 4 passages from academic texts and answer 10 questions each in 54 - 72 minutes.
Listening
3 - 4 lectures 6 questions each
2 – 3 conversations 5 questions each 41 - 57 minutes (for both)
Speaking
Express an opinion on a familiar topic; speak based on reading and listening tasks, the students have to perform 4 tasks (1 independent - 3 integrated) in 17 minutes.
Writing
Write essay responses based on reading and listening tasks; support an opinion in writing, Such 2 tasks are to be completed in 50 minutes.
The Total duration of the entire Test Format is 4 Hours.
SECTIONS:
Reading
Reading tests candidates' ability to read and comprehend the passages, and answer the questions based on the same. It consists of 3-4 passages and each passage having 10 questions on it. It lasts for approximately 54-72 minutes.
Listening
Listening tests candidates' ability to understand spoken English that is typical of interactions in academic environment. It includes the talks and lectures of generally American speakers. There are 3-4 lectures comprising 6 questions each and 2-3 conversations comprising 5 questions each. The overall duration of the test is 41-57 minutes.
Speaking
Speaking tests, a candidate's ability to converse in English. Speaking has 4 questions prompts which include 1 independent speaking question and 3 integrated speaking questions. Candidates are given few seconds to think and the time allotted to speak keeps changing as per the question format. Approximately 45 seconds - 1 minute is the time limit, per question in speaking. Overall speaking test lasts for 17 minutes.
Writing
Writing tests, a candidate's ability to express himself through written text. It comprises of 2 tasks. In Task 1 i.e., Integrated Writing, candidates are required to read a passage, listen to a lecture and compose a technical essay based on the passage and the lecture. Time allotted is 20 minutes. In Task 2 i.e., Independent Essay, students are given a general topic to write an essay on. Time allotted is 30 minutes
SCORING
We offer intensive and comprehensive training services to people aspiring to obtain a desirable score in TOEFL. We have qualified, experienced and trained teachers, who impart training to our students.
How we train our students
We conduct a mock test on the first day of training, simulating the testing conditions, to gauge where the person stands in terms of his English abilities. The individual is given the scores after the test is over. Subsequently, we start the classroom training.
We use Princeton TOEFL Book, a standard book for TOEFL to conduct classroom sessions. For Reading, our teachers provide the details about various question types and explain the approach to answer the same. After introductory discussion, the passages are assigned and students are asked to complete the same.
Towards the end of each test, every question is discussed with the students and answers are explained. In this way, all seven tests are completed with students. Discussion is an integral part of Reading sessions.
Each section of TOEFL is graded on a scale of 0 – 30 in 1 point increment. Composite score is addition of all the scores. TOEFL is scored out of 120. 100+ is considered to be a good score.
TRAINING
For Listening, firstly the test is played non-stop and students answer the questions as they listen. Once the test is over, the answers are given explaining marking scheme. Then the same test is replayed taking pauses at every answer and explaining the same to students. In this way, the practice on seven tests is completed.
For Writing part, firstly the types of questions are explained with essay-writing guidelines. Students are made to practice all the essays of Integrated and Independent types from the book. Each essay is assessed and guidelines are provided to make the essay better.
For speaking part, one-on-one sessions are conducted exactly on the lines of test and the answers are discussed after the session. Scores are given and guidelines are provided to improve the scores. After classroom sessions, mock-tests are conducted simulating the testing conditions and scores are given for each mock test.
- 30 hours of intensive and comprehensive training
- Princeton TOEFL, a standard book for TOEFL issued as courseware.
- Faculty trained by ETS
- Maximum 10-15 students per batch, making the sessions personalized
- Teaching pedagogy involving a very strong focus on enhancing the performance in all the i.e., Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing.
- Guiding with approach towards different question types and providing sufficient practice test
- Qualified, experienced and trained faculties
- 5 full-length mock tests
- Well stocked library
- Availability of Weekdays (Tuesday to Friday, 2 hours per day) and Weekend Batches (Saturday and Sunday, 4 hours per day) under Regular Mode
- Availability of Fast Track Mode (Tuesday to Sunday, 4 hours every day) for people who want to complete the course at the earliest.
- Facility of shifting to any branch throughout India.