Test Content

The TOEFL iBT test has four sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. The total test takes just under 2 hours to complete.

Reading Section (Test time: 35 minutes)

The Reading section assesses how well you can read and understand materials used in an academic environment.

It includes 2 reading passages, each approximately 700 words long, with 10 questions per passage.

Listening Section (Test time: 36 minutes)

The Listening section measures your ability to understand conversations and lectures in English.

You’ll hear lectures and conversations in this section. Both use campus-based language.

• 3 lectures, some with classroom discussion, each 3–5 minutes; 6 questions per lecture
• 2 conversations, each 3 minutes; 5 questions per conversation

You are allowed to take notes on any audio item throughout the test to help you answer questions.

Speaking Section (Test time: 16 minutes)

The Speaking section measures your ability to speak English effectively in academic settings.

• Question 1: Independent Speaking Task — requires you to draw entirely on your own ideas, opinions and experiences when you respond.
• Questions 2–4: Integrated Speaking Tasks — require you to combine your English-language skills — listening and speaking, or listening, reading and speaking — just as you would in or out of a classroom.

You will get 15–30 seconds of preparation time before each response, and your response will be 45 or 60 seconds long. To respond, you will only need to speak into the microphone and your responses will be recorded.

This section uses multiple human raters who do not know test takers’ identities. This prevents the bias that can occur in other tests that use a face-to-face interview with a single rater.

Writing Section (Test time: 29 minutes)

The Writing section measures your ability to write in English in an academic setting, and to present your ideas in a clear, well-organized way.

• Integrated writing task (19 minutes) — read a short passage and listen to a short lecture, then write in response to what you read and listened to.
• Writing for an Academic Discussion task (10 minutes) — read a question from the professor and responses from other students in an online academic discussion, then write a post to express and support your opinion and contribute to the discussion.