All About TOEFL Exam (2021 Guide)
Exam Pattern, Cost, Dates, Scores , Format , Exam Center's, Registration & Validity

Do you feel nervous when you think about your TOEFL exam? Well – everybody else does too.
But the first step towards an excellent score is knowing what the TOEFL is all about right from why/who needs TOEFL, how to prepare, the exam pattern, different TOEFL sections, to exam dates, fees and centers!
You might be having alot of questions like:
- What is a good score on TOEFL?
- Is TOEFL easier than IELTS?
- How much does TOEFL cost?
- How long is the test and how long is TOEFL valid for?
- How many times can I take TOEFL
- How tough is TOEFL?
And so much more questions! We’ll answer all that here. Here’s your Ultimate TOEFL guide. Let’s get to it.
Table of Contents
1. What is the TOEFL Exam?
• Difference between TOEFL iBT and PBT
• What is eligibility for TOEFL exam?
• How to register for TOEFL?
• TOEFL Exam Overview (TOEFL sections, Questions, Format, Test Length)
2. Who accepts TOEFL scores?
• Countries that Accept TOEFL Scores
• How to view your TOEFL results? How to send your TOEFL scores?
• TOEFL to IELTS Score Comparison
3. How many times is TOEFL iBT test conducted ?
• Find available TOEFL dates and test center
4. What is the TOEFL Exam Fee?
5. What is the TOEFL score validity?
6. What is the TOEFL Exam pattern/TOEFL Section?
• TOEFL Reading Section
• TOEFL Listening Section
• TOEFL Speaking Section
• TOEFL Writing Section
7. TOEFL Sample Papers/ Practice Test
8. TOEFL Coaching
1. What is the TOEFL Exam?
• TOEFL iBT vs PBT
• Eligibility for TOEFL?
• How to register for TOEFL?
• TOEFL Exam Overview
2. Who accepts TOEFL scores?
• Countries that Accept TOEFL
• View your TOEFL results?
3. How many times is TOEFL iBT test conducted ?
• TOEFL dates and TOEFL exam centers
4. What is the TOEFL Exam Fee?
5. What is the TOEFL score validity?
6. What is the TOEFL Exam pattern?
• TOEFL Reading Section
• TOEFL Listening Section
• TOEFL Speaking Section
• TOEFL Writing Section
1.What is the TOEFL Exam?
TOEFL Full Form:
The full form of ‘TOEFL’ is – ‘Test of English as a Foreign Language’, and it is a test conducted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). That’s right, the same people that conduct the GRE every year.
The TOEFL exam is conducted in two versions: Internet-based test (iBT) and Paper-based test (PBT). The TOEFL iBT which was introduced in 2005 is considered an upgraded version of TOEFL CBT(Computer Based Test). Even though scoring on each section for both versions (iBT and PBT) is distinct, both versions have the same exam pattern. Of the two, 97% of students prefer to take the TOEFL iBT.
Difference between TOEFL PBT and TOEFL IBT:
Classification | TOEFL PBT | TOEFL iBT |
---|---|---|
Full Form | Paper Based Test | Internet Based Test |
Exam Duration | 4 hours | 3 hours |
Venue | Locations where the iBT® is not available | Online |
Frequency of conducting | 4 times a year | Over 50 times a year |
Exam Fee | US$180 | $160 - $300 |
Score range | 310 to 677 | 0-120 |
Exam Pattern | Reading, Writing, Listening and Structure | Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking |
What is the importance of the TOEFL Exam?
A TOEFL score is something that you need for applying to any college in the U.S. or in Canada, and it is something that is required for all non-native English speakers who wish to apply for an undergraduate or postgraduate course.
But here’s the kicker:
Who can take the TOEFL Exam?
We know that a lot of universities ask for the TOEFL Score as a part of their admissions process, but where else are these scores used? Here’s a look:
- Students planning to pursue an academic course in an English-speaking country
- Working professionals applying for a visa to move abroad
- Students applying for scholarships and other certifications
- Those learning the English-language can also take the TOEFL Exam to measure their progress
- Certain jobs ask for a TOEFL Score when screening candidates
There are universities and businesses in other English speaking countries, like the U.K or Australia, France, Germany and so on who do accept a TOEFL score for various other purposes.
TOEFL Eligibility:
From the passages above, it is clear now that the TOEFL exam is taken by those who want to study abroad or work abroad. With regards to ‘TOEFL eligibility’, the good news is there is no eligibility criteria so to speak. Anybody could technically write the TOEFL exam.
TOEFL Eligibility : Anyone with a passport (Identity Proof) can take it. There are no limitations or eligibility factors for this exam. Source : https://galvanizetestprep.com/blogs/toefl-exam/ Click To TweetInterestingly enough, there is no age limit to take the TOEFL test! But in order to attempt the exam, you need to carry a valid passport as proof of identity at the time of the exam.
Even though there is no limitation to giving the TOEFL exam, if you plan to pursue your higher education at any university/college abroad, you do need to check eligibility criteria set by the university.
TOEFL Registration:
You can register for the TOEFL exam at any time of the day and on any day of the week. You need to pay close attention while you are entering your details. ETS specifically mentions that the name with which you register for the TOEFL exam should be an exact match with the identification that you bring to the exam center.
TOEFL registration closes 7 days before the test date but you can still register for the exam with a late fee of $40 up until 4 days before the exam.
- The first step to registering for the TOEFL exam is creating an account by visiting the “TOEFL login” page.
- Enter your personal information, address and other important information regarding your country, language and Background (like your field of interest, current education and countries you wish to study, work or settle)
- Log in with the username and password you created and click on “Register/Find TOEFL Test Centers, Dates”.
- Enter your location and select the 2-month period that you’d like to take the exam in. You can also search through a restricted reservation code provided by the institution if applicable.
- Once you select the date you’ll be provided with the address of the test centers using which you can register immediately by providing proof of ID (Passport) and making the payment.
- You can also select four universities to which you want to send your TOEFL scores. You do have the option to add more universities with an additional payment of $20 USD for each university.
TOEFL Exam Overview:
TOEFL Full Form | Test of English as Foreign Language |
Conducted By | Education Testing Servies (ETS) |
Well-known as | English Proficiency Test |
TOEFL Exam Fee | $160 - $300 |
Eligibility | No specific Eligibilty Criteria |
TOEFL Score Validity | 2 Years |
Official wesite | https://www.ets.org/toefl |
TOEFL Exam Pattern | Click Here |
TOEFL Exam Update: ( TOEFL Sections, Questions, Format, Test Length)
The ETS TOEFL exam has received a few updates starting August 1, 2019! These updates include changes in the TOEFL exam duration and the number of questions in each section. Before you worry, know that overall test takers will benefit from these changes!
For starters, the TOEFL exam duration has been shortened by 30 minutes. So the test will now be 3 hours long with no changes in question types and format. However, the number of questions in the reading, speaking and listening sections were reduced to lower the time.
Here is a quick comparison between the old and new versions of the TOEFL exam.
Section | Old Version | New Version |
---|---|---|
Reading | 3-4 passages 12-14 questions/passage 60-80 minutes |
3-4 passages 10 questions/passage 54-72 minutes |
Listening | 4-6 Lectures, 6 Questions/lecture 2-3 Conversations, 5 Questions each 60-90 minutes |
3-4 Lectures, 6 Questions/lecture 2-3 Conversations, 5 Questions each 41-57 minutes |
Speaking | 6 Tasks 20 minutes |
4 Tasks 17 minutes |
Writing | 2 Tasks 50 minutes |
No change |
2.Who accepts TOEFL scores?
There are 10,000+ colleges, agencies and other institutions, and over 150 countries that accept TOEFL scores as of today and every year, over 50 computer-based tests are being administered via the Internet all over the globe.
Apart from universities, other organizations too accept the TOEFL Score for different purposes.
As per ETS,
- Immigration departments use them to issue residential and work visas.
- Medical and licensing agencies use them for professional certification purposes.
- Individuals use them to measure their progress in learning English.
Even though the TOEFL Exam score is used for so many purposes, it is mainly used by universities in English-speaking countries as a part of their admission process.
So, let’s see where these TOEFL Scores are accepted across the world.
Countries that Accept TOEFL Scores:
- United States of America – Approximately 9 out of every 10 universities in the USA accept TOEFL scores and it is the most widely taken English-language test in the country.
- Canada – Over 75% Canadian Universities accept the TOEFL Scores
- United Kingdom – More than 95% Universities in the United Kingdom accept these scores
- Germany – The TOEFL Exam is preferred over any other English-language test
- New Zealand and Australia – All universities in Australia and New Zealand consider a TOEFL Exam score a reliable metric in their admission process
How to view your TOEFL results?
The TOEFL exam underwent a few upgrades on August 1, 2019. ETS has now included a section called “My Best Scores” which will give you the best individual scores of the writing, listening, speaking and reading sections from all attempts in the last 2 years.
Even though most schools don’t accept these scores, there are a few schools that do.
So how do you check your score?
There is an advantage to taking the TOEFL exam in this regard. You will receive a mail after the exam with information of when you scores will be available. Typically, it takes 10 days to get a TOEFL score report.
You can login to your ETS account and check your results by clicking on “view scores”. You can also download your PDF score report.
How to Check TOEFL Scores : Typically takes 10 days, You will receive an email after the exam regarding this Source : https://galvanizetestprep.com/blogs/toefl-exam/ Click To TweetHow to send your TOEFL scores?
You can choose to send your TOEFL scores to 4 institutions before taking you test i.e., while registering for the test. The exam fee you pay during registration includes these 4 TOEFL destinations.
You can send your TOEFL scores to more than these 4 destinations at any time with a fee of US$20 per report. Approximately after 13 days, your score reports will be sent to destinations you have chosen.
Follow these steps to send your TOEFL scores to additional institutions.
- Log in to your ETS account and select send additional score reports.
- Choose the destinations and make the payment via credit/debit card, e-check or Paypal.
- You can send you score report for 2 years from your test date after which your TOEFL scores are not valid.
You can also send through fax to +1-610-290-8972 by filling out the additional score report request form.
TOEFL to IELTS Score Comparison:
As per ETS, most of the test scores in the range of 46 to 109 on TOEFL iBT and 5.5 to 7.5 on IELTS exam.
Below is the ETS report for detailed score comparison on IELTS and TOEFL.
TOEFL Score | IELTS Score |
---|---|
118‐120 | 9 |
115‐117 | 8.5 |
110‐114 | 8 |
102‐109 | 7.5 |
94‐101 | 7 |
79‐93 | 6.5 |
60‐78 | 6 |
46‐59 | 5.5 |
35‐45 | 5 |
32‐34 | 4.5 |
0‐31 | 0-4 |