What is TOEFL?

TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language

The TOEFL test is one of the most widely respected English-language test in the world, recognized by more than 9,000 colleges, universities and agencies in more than 130 countries, including Australia, Canada, the U.K. and the United States.

The TOEFL iBT test, managed on a computer, is essential for you if you plan to study further in an English-speaking country. The TOEFL iBT 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. For more information, please visit http://www.ets.org/toefl.

The test format is as follows:

Section	Time	Task	Remarks
Reading	60-80 mins 36-56 ques	Read 3 or 4 passages from academic texts and answer questions.	The questions are all MCQs, with a couple of questions requiring 2 answers instead of just 1.
Listening	60-90 mins 34-51 ques	Listen to lectures, classroom discussions and conversations, then answer questions.	Again all MCQs that you have to answer after listening to an audio clip. You may be required to choose 2 answers in some questions.
(break)	10 mins
Speaking	20 mins 6 ques	Express an opinion on a familiar topic; speak based on reading and listening tasks.	Que 1 and 2 are independent speaking tasks, and 3-6 are integrated, requiring you to answer after reading a text and listening to an audio.
Writing	50 mins 2 ques	Write essay responses based on reading and listening tasks; support an opinion in writing.	An integrated writing task (20 mins: 250-300 words) requires you to write an essay after reading a text and listening to an audio. The independent task (30 mins: 350-400 words) requires you to write an essay on the topic given.

Note: It is very important that you learn to take quick and relevant notes. As you are going to hear audio clips that won't be replayed, a lot of your task responses are going to be determined by the accuracy of the notes you've written.