Administration and Scoring for the TOEFL ITP® Test

Flexible Administration
The TOEFL ITP® assessments are reliable, convenient and flexible to use. The tests are
administered by your institution using your own facilities, staff and resources, or by an ETS
Preferred Network office. Scores are provided for your own internal use to assess student and
curriculum development and are not shared with other institutions.

Because you can use your own staff and facilities to administer the tests, you can choose when
you want to test, as well as the size of the group. Multiple test forms allow you to administer the
tests throughout the year and as often as you need. You'll have an instruction manual to guide
you through the test administration.

Test Taker Handbook

Download the new Test Taker Handbook for the TOEFL ITP test for information on what to do
before the test, what to expect on test day, getting ready for the test, score reporting, and policies
and guidelines.

Download the Test Taker Handbook (PDF).

Note-taking Policy Change

Note taking during TOEFL ITP test administrations has not been permitted in the past. This
decision was made several decades ago based on research studies and the testing conditions
available at that time. Since then, the ETS Research and Development teams have conducted
extensive reviews of research studies that investigate various aspects of note taking. This literature
does not provide a definitive conclusion that note taking has a positive or a negative impact on
student scores. However, note taking does make students more confident when taking a test. The
ability to take good notes is a useful skill in academia, and it is allowed in the TOEFL iBT® test.
For these reasons, note taking is now allowed during TOEFL ITP test administrations, and ETS
will no longer cancel student scores if a student takes notes during a test after December 2015.
This policy is not retroactive.

Starting in 2017, this new note-taking policy will be reflected in the instructions provided in test
books and in the audio instructions. However, institutions are welcome to implement this policy
immediately. Those who choose to do so need to inform TOEFL ITP test proctors and test takers
about this new policy, as 2016 test books and audio materials will continue to state that note taking
is not allowed.

Scratch paper

Test takers should use the blank spaces in the test book for note taking. Test takers are not allowed
to bring their own scratch paper, nor will the test administrator distribute scratch paper. Answers
must be marked on the answer sheets.

Test Procedures
Test administration procedures for the TOEFL ITP test, security concerns and other important
information can be found in the following documents:

 Supervisor's Manual (PDF) — provides step-by-step instructions for test administrations

 Supervisor's Report Form (PDF) — use this form to account for used and unused test
materials
 Supervisor's Irregularity Report (PDF) — use to report procedural irregularities during
testing
 Supervisor's Comment Sheet (PDF) — use to provide comments on the test for future
improvements

Testing Accommodations
Students with Disabilities and Health-related Needs

ETS is committed to providing access to test takers with disabilities and health-related needs by
providing reasonable accommodations. Some accommodations we offer include extended testing
time, extra breaks, a reader, a scribe for answers, braille, large print and a separate testing room.

For students who have difficulty filling in the bubbles on answer sheets, we suggest that students
who are able to do so circle their answers in the test book. After the testing session, the test
administrator would need to transfer the answers to an answer sheet for processing by ETS. The
student's test book should be attached to the answer sheet.

Students Requiring Additional Time

A student should be granted additional testing time for the TOEFL ITP test only if the same
student receives similar accommodations for other exams and has previously demonstrated and
documented the need for the accommodation.

Reliable Scoring
After administration, tests are scored locally and reported to the institution by total and section
scores. Segmenting the scores provides greater insight into which specific skills need
improvement and enables teachers to tailor their instruction accordingly. Scores are returned
quickly, usually within seven days of receipt of the answer sheets. They should not be used as
substitutes for actual TOEFL iBT test scores.

Detailed Score Reports

All TOEFL ITP score reports include:

 individual information for your program to distribute to students

 institutional information and a score roster for internal use only
 each section is scored separately to assist you in determining which skills need more
work, enabling you to tailor learning activities to meet the needs of each student

TOEFL ITP test forms should not be substituted for the TOEFL iBT test. Individuals who wish
to have score reports sent to other institutions or agencies must take the TOEFL iBT test.

TOEFL ITP scores are valid for two years. Because language proficiency can change
considerably in a relatively short period of time, scores more than two years old cannot be
reported or verified.

TOEFL ITP Score Descriptors

To help you interpret the scores, a Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)
mapping study was conducted in 2011 and a score descriptor study in 2014. Results of the CEFR
mapping provide the minimum TOEFL ITP section scores for four of the levels defined in the
CEFR (A2, B1, B2 and C1). The 2014 score descriptors by section are designed to provide more
accurate information on the true meaning of TOEFL ITP test scores, which will provide
institutions, teachers and test takers with a better understanding of students' English-language
proficiency, including areas of strength and areas that need improvement.

Find out more about the 2014 Test Score Descriptors (PDF).
Test Content

A Reliable Assessment of Academic English

The TOEFL ITP® tests are paper-based and use 100 percent academic content to evaluate the
English-language proficiency of nonnative English speakers, giving you confidence about your
students' ability in a real-world academic setting. All questions are multiple choice and students
answer questions by filling in an answer sheet. The tests evaluate skills in three areas:

 Listening Comprehension measures the ability to understand spoken English as it is used in

colleges and universities
 Structure and Written Expression measures recognition of selected structural and grammatical
points in standard written English
 Reading Comprehension measures the ability to read and understand academic reading
material in English

Learn more about the seven ways you can use the TOEFL ITP assessments in the classroom.

The TOEFL ITP® Tests at a Glance

Level 1 (intermediate to advanced): 2 hours

Section Number of Questions Admin. Time Score Scale

Listening Comprehension 50 35 minutes 31–68
Structure and Written Expression 40 25 minutes 31–68
Reading Comprehension 50 55 minutes 31–67
TOTAL 140 115 minutes 310–677

Level 2 (high beginning to intermediate): 1 hour and 10 minutes

Section Number of Questions Admin. Time Score Scale

Listening Comprehension 30 22 minutes 20–50
Structure and Written Expression 25 17 minutes 20–50
Reading and Vocabulary 40 31 minutes 20–50
TOTAL 95 70 minutes 200–500
Content and Settings for the TOEFL ITP Tests
Academic Topics

 Arts: fine arts, crafts, theater, dance, architecture, literature, music, film, photography
 Humanities: history, political science, government, philosophy, law
 Life Sciences: paleontology, biochemistry, animal behavior, ecology, anatomy,
physiology, genetics, health science, biology, agriculture
 Physical Sciences: geology, astronomy, chemistry, geology, earth science, engineering,
meteorology, energy, technology, oceanography, physics
 Social Sciences: anthropology, sociology, education, geography, archaeology,
psychology, economics, business, management, marketing, communications

Campus-life Topics

 Classes: class schedules, class requirements, library references, assignments (papers,

presentations, readings), professors, studying, field trips
 Campus administration: registration, housing on and off campus, study abroad,
internships, university policies
 Campus activities: clubs, committees, social events

General Topics

 Business: management, offices, official documents, law

 Environment: weather, nature, climate, environment
 Food: types of food, restaurants
 Language and communication: mail, email, telephone use, leaving messages, requests
for information
 Media: TV, newspapers, Internet
 Objects: descriptions of objects, equipment
 Personal: family members, friends, health, emotions, physical characteristics, daily
routines
 Planning and time management: future events, invitations, personal schedules
 Purchases: clothing, shopping, banking, money
 Recreation: sports, games, concerts, plays, art, books, photography, music, parties and
gatherings, public lectures
 Transportation: travel, driving, parking, public transportation, travel reservations
 Workplace: applying for a job, on-campus employment, work schedules
Sample Test Questions
Here are some sample questions and directions for each section similar to those you will find in
the TOEFL ITP® tests.

Just follow these easy steps:

Step 1 — Print an answer sheet on which to mark your answers. Then click the back button to
come back to this page where you can work through the sample questions using the links below.
If you don't have access to a printer, you can use a plain piece of paper as an answer sheet for
these practice questions. During the actual full-length test, test takers are not allowed to take
notes or write in the test book.

Step 2 — Try a set of sample questions for Level 1 (TOEFL ITP test) or Level 2 (Pre-TOEFL
test) by following one of the links below.

Level 1:

 Section 1, TOEFL ITP Test, Listening Comprehension (Flash)

Note: You will hear the reading passages and the questions.

 Section 2, TOEFL ITP Test, Structure and Written Expression

 Section 3, TOEFL ITP Test, Reading Comprehension

Level 2:

 Section 1, Pre-TOEFL Test, Listening Comprehension (Flash)

Note: You will hear the reading passages and the questions.

 Section 2, Pre-TOEFL Test, Structure and Written Expression

 Section 3, Pre-TOEFL Test, Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension

Step 3 — If you would like more practice materials, you can download free TOEFL sample
questions.