Study Abroad Exam Guide | UP-STUDY Takes You Through the TOEFL Test! | UP-STUDY Educational Center

1. Basic Introduction to the TOEFL Exam

The TOEFL exam (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is an English proficiency test administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in the United States.

Non-native English-speaking students who wish to apply to universities or graduate schools in the United States or Canada must have a TOEFL score. The TOEFL iBT is taken on a computer and requires the use of headphones and a microphone. The exam consists of four sections: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Each section is scored independently, with scores ranging from 0 to 30, and the total score ranges from 0 to 120. The total exam time is approximately three hours.

2. TOEFL Exam Content

Part 1: Reading

The reading section includes 3-4 passages, each ranging from 650 to 750 words, with 10 questions per passage. The test duration is 54-72 minutes. The question types include:

1. Fill in a Table
2. Prose Summary
3. Vocabulary
4. Reference
5. Sentence Simplification
6. Insert Text
7. Factual Information
8. Inference
9. Rhetorical Purpose
10. Negative Factual Information

Part 2: Listening

The listening section includes conversation (Conversation) and lecture (Lecture) items. The conversations simulate school office scenarios, describing problems encountered by students on campus and their solutions, with content more related to daily life. The lectures replicate the situation in an American classroom, covering topics such as social science, natural science, life science, and arts, with content being more academic. The exam includes 2-3 conversations, each lasting 2-3 minutes, with 5 questions per conversation. There are 3-4 lectures, each lasting 4-6 minutes, with 6 questions per lecture. The total listening test time is 41-57 minutes. The questions are not visible while the listening content is played, but students can take notes during the process.

The question types include:

1. Gist-Content
2. Gist-Purpose
3. Detail
4. Understanding the Function of What Is Said
5. Understanding the Speaker's Attitude
6. Understanding Organization
7. Connecting Content
8. Making Inferences

Part 3: Speaking

There are four questions in total. The first question is an independent question, which will be displayed on the screen. The preparation time is 15 seconds, and the response time is 45 seconds. For the second and third questions, you will first read a 70-100 word passage in 45 seconds, then listen to a 1.5-minute related audio, and finally answer related questions. You will have 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to answer. The last question involves a 1.5-minute listening section, where you will answer questions based on the listening content. You will have 20 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to answer. The total speaking test time is 20 minutes.

Part IV: Writing

The writing test lasts 50 minutes and is divided into two sections. The first section is Integrated Writing Task, where the test taker must first read an academic article for 3 minutes, then listen to a 2-minute listening passage. After the listening passage is played, the test taker must write an essay within 20 minutes, with a word count requirement of 150-225 words. The second section is Independent Writing Task, where the test taker must write an essay of more than 300 words on a given topic within 30 minutes.

III. TOEFL Registration Information

1. The exam fee is 190 USD. (The price is subject to the ETS website's published fee)
2. Before registering online, you must become an ETS member and prepare your passport and credit card.
3. The registration deadline is seven days before the exam date. If registering within seven days of the exam date, an additional 40 USD late registration fee will apply. If registering by phone, the late registration deadline is the day before the exam date.
4. To change or cancel your registration, you must apply at least four days before the exam date. If you fail to change or cancel within the deadline, the registration fee will not be refunded, and the date cannot be changed. The fee for changing the date is 60 USD. If you cancel within the specified period, 50% of the registration fee will be refunded.

IV. TOEFL Exam Information

1. Students can log in to the ETS website to check their scores within two weeks after the exam, and the scores are valid for two years.
2. The TOEFL test fee includes the option to send scores to four additional schools. Students can modify the schools to which their scores are sent by 10 PM the night before the exam through the online registration system. Students can also apply to send scores to additional schools later, at a cost of 20 USD per score report.
3. Since August 2019, TOEFL score reports not only provide the test taker's single test score but also list the highest scores for reading, listening, speaking, and writing within the past two years, along with a new cumulative score called MyBest Scores.