Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT) is a compulsory English test conducted for every student from non-English speaking country looking for overseas education in English speaking countries like, USA, Canada, Australia, UK, etc. TOEFL is used to measure English language proficiency. A TOEFL score is valid for two years and then is deleted from the official database. The maximum score for the Internet based TOEFL is 120.

TOEFL scores will be considered together with other information you supply to the institution to determine if you have the appropriate academic and language background to be admitted to a regular or modified program of study. Often your field of study and whether you are applying as a graduate or undergraduate student will determine what scores you need.

Why TOEFL iBT test?

The TOEFL 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. Taking the TOEFL iBT test provides several benefits that help you with your overseas education application. Some of them are:

• Regardless of the place where you want to study, TOEFL test enables you to reach your desired destination. Depending on your score, you will be eligible for getting admission in any college or university in the world.
• There is much flexibility in performing a TOEFL test whenever you want to take. You will be offered practice tools and feedback, and more alternatives to study abroad than any other English-language test in the world.
• TOEFL enables you various amenities such as, listening to lectures, view films, attend seminars, read textbooks, perform online research, speak with professors and other students, write academic papers, reports, e-mails and more.

TOEFL test consists of four distinct modules, each determining the essential language proficiency that is used in the atmosphere of the academics.

Reading

The Reading section consists of 4-6 passages, each approximately 700 words in length, and questions about them. The passages are on academic topics; they are the kind of material that might be found in an undergraduate university textbook. Students answer questions about main ideas, details, inferences, essential information, sentence insertion, vocabulary, rhetorical purpose and overall ideas. New types of questions in the TOEFL iBT test require filling out tables or completing summaries. Prior knowledge of the subject under discussion is not necessary to come to the correct answer.

Listening

The Listening section consists of six passages 3-5 minutes in length and questions about them. These passages include two student conversations and four academic lectures or discussions. A conversation involves two speakers, a student and either a professor or a campus service provider. A lecture is a self-contained portion of an academic lecture, which may involve student participation and does not assume specialized background knowledge in the subject area. Each conversation and lecture stimulus is heard only once.

Test-takers may take notes while they listen and they may refer to their notes when they answer the questions. Each conversation is associated with five questions and each lecture with six. The questions are meant to measure the ability to understand main ideas, important details, implications, relationships between ideas, organization of information, speaker purpose and speaker attitude.

Speaking

The Speaking section consists of six tasks: two independent and four integrated. In the two independent tasks, test-takers answer opinion questions on familiar topics. They are evaluated on their ability to speak spontaneously and convey their ideas clearly and coherently. In two of the integrated tasks, test-takers read a short passage, listen to an academic course lecture or a conversation about campus life and answer a question by combining appropriate information from the text and the talk.

In the two remaining integrated tasks, test-takers listen to an academic course lecture or a conversation about campus life and then respond to a question about what they heard. In the integrated tasks, test-takers are evaluated on their ability to appropriately synthesize and effectively convey information from the reading and listening material. Test-takers may take notes as they read and listen and may use their notes to help prepare their responses. Test-takers are given a short preparation time before they have to begin speaking. The responses are digitally recorded, sent to ETS's Online Scoring Network (OSN), and evaluated by three to six raters.

Writing

The Writing section measures a test taker's ability to write in an academic setting and consists of two tasks:
One integrated and one independent. In the integrated task, test-takers read a passage on an academic topic and then listen to a speaker discuss it. The test-taker then writes a summary about the important points in the listening passage and explains how these relate to the key points of the reading passage. In the independent task, the test-taker must write an essay that states, explains, and supports their opinion on an issue, supporting their opinions or choices, rather than simply listing personal preferences or choices. Responses are sent to the ETS OSN and evaluated by four raters.
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