Official Guide

to the TOEFL Test

Contents
Title Page

Introduction 2

About the TOEFL iBT Test 3

TOEFL Exam Pattern

-Reading
-Listening
-Speaking
-Writing 4

Test Day tips 8

How to register for the TOEFL exam 9

What to expect on the test day 10

Score Reports 11

Scoring Guide 12

Common FAQs 15

About UpGrad Abroad 16

01
Introduction
TOEFL test is one of the most preferred tests taken by test-takers. Also known as the Test of English as a
Foreign Language, TOEFL is a standardized English language proficiency test that assesses the capability of
non-native speakers to undertake a course of study in English. More than 11,000 universities and institutions
recognize TOEFL in over 150 countries worldwide, including the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, Europe,
and Asia.

02
About the TOEFL iBT test:
TOEFL is conducted by Educational Testing Service (ETS), a non-profile organization. The test is designed to
evaluate a person’s reading, writing, speaking, and listening capabilities.

There are three different ways through which you can take the TOEFL Test. These are
TOEFL iBT Test: You can take this test on the computer system at a test centre
TOEFL iBT Home Edition: You can take this test on your personal computer at home
TOEFL iBT Paper Edition: This test is conducted in 2 sessions - Reading, Listening and writing on the paper at
the test centre, and Speaking on a computer at home.

Note: The registration fee for taking the TOEFL is $190.

Section Number of Questions Time

03
TOEFL Exam Pattern
The TOEFL iBT test consists of four sections - Writing, Reading, Listening and Speaking. The test duration is
3 hours, and the possible total score ranges from 0-120. Candidates are required to respond to questions as per
instructions, and all these tasks combine a test of key English communication skills.

Reading Listening Speaking Writing

Questions: 30-40 Questions: 30-40 Questions: 4
Number of Questions Questions: 2
Minutes: 54-72 Minutes: 41-57 Minutes: 17 Minutes: 50

Reading
The reading section of the TOEFL iBT test measures a candidate’s ability to read passages and respond to
questions. The questions are designed based on excerpts from university-level textbooks to understand their
potential to perform in an academic environment. There are three or four reading passages with 10 questions
per passage, each consisting of 700 words. A candidate receives 52 to 72 minutes to answer these questions and
is scored on a scale of 0-30. Different subjects are included in the passage, and here are the types of questions
asked in the reading section.

Reading factual information:

These questions require candidates to recognize information mentioned in the text explicitly and include
definitions, supporting ideas, and significant ideas. In negative factual information questions, three out of the
four answers are accurate, and the candidate needs to determine which of them is false.
Reading vocabulary:
These questions are designed to identify the meaning of words and phrases mentioned in the reading passage.
Vocabulary questions are highlighted in the reading passage, and words or phrases closest in meaning to it have
to be identified.

04
Reading vocabulary:
These questions are designed to identify the meaning of words and phrases mentioned in the reading passage.
Vocabulary questions are highlighted in the reading passage, and words or phrases closest in meaning to it have
to be identified.

Insert text:
The candidate’s understanding of the logical order of ideas in a reading passage is put to the test in this question.
Every reading passage has one insert text question, and they need to insert the correct text into the paragraph by
clicking on one of the four black squares.

Inference and rhetorical:

Any information or idea that has not been explicitly mentioned in the reading passage needs to be identified.
The words ‘infer’, ‘imply’ or ‘suggest’ makes it easier to spot an inference question. On the other hand,
rhetorical questions require them to answer why the author has presented a piece of information.

Sentence simplification:
A sentence with the same meaning as the one present in the reading passage must be identified in this question.
The correct answer is the sentence that includes the main ideas in the passage in a crux.

Prose summary:
The candidate’s ability to recognize the importance of information and significant ideas in a reading passage is
measured under the prose summary question. Out of the six answer choices, three correct options have to be
chosen to demonstrate an understanding of the most important ideas in a passage.

Listening
The TOEFL iBT Listening section tests a candidate on basic comprehension, connecting and synthesizing
information, and pragmatic understanding. A candidate receives 41 to 57 minutes to complete the test; during
this duration, he can take notes from audio items to answer the questions. The speaking section consists of two
types of listening items - lectures and conversations, which include the following.
Two to three conversations with two speakers consisting of five questions for a duration of three minutes each
Three to four lectures consisting of six questions per lecture, each 3-5 minutes long

Here are the types of questions asked in the Listening section of TOEFL iBT.

Gist-content:
The main point or key idea of the listening conversation or lecture has to be identified in a gist-content question.

05
Using phrases like ‘mainly discussing’, ‘mainly about’, ‘what is the main purpose’, or ‘why does the student’
makes it easier to recognize a gist-purpose question.

Function:
A statement can have different meanings in different situations. The function question measures the candidate’s
ability to determine the meaning of a statement in a particular context because many of them might confuse the
real meaning with surface or literal meaning.

Detail:
This is one of the most straightforward listening questions that require remembering specific facts about the
lecture or conversation. Phrases like ‘what is’ and ‘according to’ make it easier to recognize these questions, and
they might be asked to recall an important conceptual detail.

Organization:
Candidates are required to show their understanding of how a lecture is structured through organization
questions. Phrases like "Why does the professor discuss…?" or "Why does the professor mention…?" helps in
recognizing these questions.

Attitude:
The speaker’s attitude or feelings about a topic in context has to be assessed by the examinee. The presence of
phrases like ‘What can be inferred…?’, ‘What does the student think about…?’, or ‘What is the professor's
attitude…?’ indicates an attitude question. The candidate has to explain how valid the argument of the speaker
is.

Inference:
The meaning of a phrase might not be mentioned in the lecture or conversation, and the listener has to identify
it. When phrases like ‘What can be inferred…?’, ‘What does the professor imply…?’, or ‘What are the
implications of …?’ are present, it is an inference question.

Connecting content:
Connecting content questions require a candidate to demonstrate their understanding of the link between ideas
in a lecture. They might have to fill up a chart or table or answer ‘What is the likely outcome …’. He would
have to gather information from different sentences of the lecture.

06
Speaking
The TOEFL iBT Speaking section evaluates how effectively a candidate can speak English in an academic setting.
He has a total duration of 17 minutes to complete the speaking section. Before responding to a question, he would
receive 15–30 seconds of preparation time, each of which would be between 45 to 60 seconds long. The speaking
section comprises four tasks resembling situations students might encounter in an academic environment.

Q1 Independent: In response to the Independent Speaking question, the candidate would have a topic to speak
about without supporting any additional listening or reading passage. There will be two situations or opinions in
front of him, and he would have to state their preference along with an explanation.

Q2 Integrated: A campus-related topic would be presented to the examinee, and he would have to listen to the
conversation. The speaker's opinion in the listening passage has to be ascertained, and the candidate has to explain
how that opinion relates to the reading passage's issues. He would receive 30 seconds to prepare his answer and
60 seconds to speak on it.

Q3 & Q4 Integrated: Contrary to Q2, which is about campus situations, Q3 & Q4 are about academic courses.
For question three, the candidate has to read a passage related to an important academic term or concept generally
found in the first-year study material and then listen to a part of a lecture on the same subject. The time to prepare
the response for Q3 and speak the answer is the same as Q2.

For question four, he would listen to a part of a lecture and has to come up with its summary, which would be 60
seconds long and should be prepared within 20 seconds.

Writing
The TOEFL iBT test Writing section evaluates the candidate’s ability to communicate his ideas in a
well-organized manner while writing in an academic style. A Candidate has to complete this section within 50
minutes and answer two questions which are as follows.

Integrated writing task: An examinee is presented with a short passage to read and a short lecture to listen
to, after which he needs to respond to the question. He has 20 minutes to type the response on the computer.
Though there is no maximum word length for the answer, an ideal one should have at least 150 to 225 words.

Independent writing task: Upon receiving the writing topic, the examinee has to express his opinions in
response to an issue, for which he has 30 minutes. He must also use specific reasons backed with relevant
examples to support his answer. While there is no word limit for the response, it is better to keep it within 300
words.

07
Test day tips
On the test day, check-in is done, followed by verification of ID, for which a candidate has to reach at least 30
minutes before the test begins. Here is a guide on what they should carry on the test day so that there is no hassle
involved before appearing for the exam.

• A valid ID card
• A student must carry a mask
• For the TOEFL Paper edition test, you must bring a printout of your order confirmation email
• HB pencils and erasers.

Note: Unless a pre-approved health accommodation exists, you cannot take food or drink into the testing room. You cannot carry a
mobile phone, watch, or other electronic devices into the testing room.

Valid ID Card requirements:

It is necessary to ensure that the name used while creating an ETS account should be the same as the one on the
ID card. A student won’t be able to take the test if the name doesn’t match. Here are some requirements that an
ID should meet to be allowed to take the test.
• It should be an original document, not a photocopied one
• It should be carried to the examination hall physically, not on any electronic device
• The identity card must be issued by the government
• It should include the full name and date of birth
• A recent, recognizable photograph

Besides the criterion mentioned above, here is a list of documents that are not acceptable:
• Any temporary ID card
• Birth certificate
• Notary-prepared letter or document
• International driver’s license
• Mobile driver’s license
• International student license
• Employee ID card
• Diplomatic, consulate, or embassy ID card

08
How to register
for the TOEFL exam?

SIGN UP

Sign Up Create Profile Login to Register for Select Test Institution Enter Agency Make Payment
(if you are new user) Your Profile the Test Date & Centre Information Code

Listed below are the steps to register for the TOEFL exam

Sign up on ETS’s website to create a new

01 account or log in to an existing one. 07 Enter the passport number and continue.

Create a profile by entering the username and

02 08
Choose the score reporting preferences and
password and agreeing to the terms and
conditions. click “Continue”.

Log in to the profile after it has been created

03 09
Answer demographic questions and agent
and click on “Go”. details.

Access the home page and click “Register for Make payment by clicking on the payment
04 a Test" under “My Tests”. Select “TOEFL
services” if additional score reports are needed. 10 method and “Continue”.

05 Select a test center location and the test dates.

11 Receive confirmation of the payment.

06
Add details about the institution and confirm
the registration.

09
What to expect
on the test day?
Check-in procedure and electronic scanning of the candidate
On the test day, examinees are encouraged to reach at least 30 minutes before the commencement of the test to
accommodate the check-in procedure. The check-in procedure involves submitting required identification,
ensuring test security by electronic scanning of the test-takers, signing a confidentiality agreement, and getting
to know which testing station has been assigned to them.

The total test duration is 200-230 minutes, out of which a 10-minute break is allocated to the students. The
reason for having a variable testing time is the listening and reading sections. While taking the test, candidates
would be offered questions in the following order - reading, listening, speaking, and writing, and they would be
able to take a break after attempting the first two sections. They can sign out once the test is over, but they would
get a chance to cancel their scores if they want to and can leave the test center 4 to 4.5 hours after arriving.

Preparations to take on the test day

You can keep a major deal of stress away on the test day by preparing in advance. This would lead to better
performance during the test. Before the test day, pack essentials and get acquainted with the route to the test
center. Take adequate nutrition and rest before the day of the test, or else fatigue and hunger can affect the
scores. It is advisable to use the restroom before the test begins, or else going to the restroom while it is going
on would waste the time.

Rules and Regulations of the Test Center

Candidates are allowed to carry a bag with their personal items that would be inspected and stored in on-site
lockers. They are not permitted to carry personal items in the testing room except for identification documents.
Once the candidate furnishes their documents the signatures will be compared, followed by a biometric voice
identification and thumb printing. Even the test sessions are video recorded. Test takers are prohibited from
communicating with other examinees, and violating the same might lead to dismissal.

10
Score reports:
The TOEFL iBT score is presented on a four-scale section andPay attention to clues in the passage. They can
a total score. The scores for each section vary
help you with less clear aspects of the RC.
from 0-30, which, when added together, make a total score of 0-120. Each of the skills is marked on four or five
proficiency levels. There is no pass or fail marks in TOEFL, and each institution has its cut-off set, which
implies that the candidate is eligible for admission.

The score report automatically includes MyBestScores, also known as super scores. It lists all the best overall
performances of the past 2 years by combining the highest score received in each section. Therefore, it becomes
easier to meet the score requirements of institutions by taking fewer tests and achieving the target score faster.
Nowadays, there are a lot of colleges and universities abroad that accept MyBestScores.

How is the TOEFL test scored?

The test scores for iBT help in projecting an accurate picture of the candidate’s ability, thereby eliminating
chances of the rater’s bias that could have occurred in face-to-face interviews. A centralized scoring network
does the marking for the TOEFL test. While the scoring for listening and reading scores is done through a
computer, the writing and speaking sections are marked by a combination of multiple, highly trained human
raters and automated AI scoring. However, the writing section for TOEFL iBT Paper edition scoring is done by
humans only.

Sending the TOEFL test score

The fee paid for taking the TOEFL test includes four free official TOEFL score reports. The candidate has to
select the recipients before the test, including agencies, institutions, or any other beneficiary. The recipients in
your ETS account can be deleted or added until 10 p.m. on the day before the test.

The time taken to receive the scores depends on the way the test is taken and the process through which the
score recipients receive it. Enlisted below are the approximate days within which the TOEFL score is delivered.

• ETS® Data Manager: 4–8 business days for the Online Edition, and 11–13 business days for Paper Edition
• Postal mail: It takes 10-12 business days along with the mailing time, whereas for mail delivery, an additional
4 to 6 weeks is required
• Server feeds: 8-10 business days for the Online Edition, and 11-16 business days for Paper Edition

To get additional score reports, the examinee has to pay a fee of $20 per institution or agency, and the best way
to apply for it is through the ETS account.

11
Scoring Guide
Speaking section:
A good score in the Speaking section would contribute to a higher overall TOEFL score. Generally, a score
range of 26-30 is considered a good score level; however, scoring anywhere between 18-25 indicates a fair score
level’s range point.

The scoring of the TOEFL Speaking section is based on a specific TOEFL speaking score system. The examiner
would rate a candidate on a band score of 0 to 4, which would be derived from their raw score. If the band score
is between 4-3.5, it is considered good, fair for 2.5-3, limited for 1.5-2, and weak for 0-1.

Average raw point scores

Scaled speaking scores
in the speaking section

30 4

23-29 3

15-22 2

8-14 1

0-6 0

Writing section:
Scoring anywhere between 24-30 in the Writing section implies a good score range. However, if the score
ranges from 17-23, then it means that the candidate possesses an adequate level of writing. The scoring is based
on a specific TOEFL writing score system, and the raters would mark the candidate in a range of 0 to 5.

Scaled writing scores Average raw point scores

30 5

25-29 4

20-24 3

12-18 2

8-11 1

0-7 0

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Listening:
In the TOEFL listening section, students have to answer 28 questions, each carrying one point. Therefore, 28 is
the raw score for the listening section. Then, it would be converted on a scale of 1-30, known as the scaled
listening score, and displayed on the score report. Here is a raw-to-scaled conversion for the listening section.

Raw point total Scaled score Raw point total Scaled score

32-33 30 17 13-19

31 29-30 16 11-18

30 28-30 15 10-17

29 27-28 14 8-16

28 26-29 13 7-15

27 25-28 12 5-13

26 24-27 11 4-12

25 23-26 10 2-10

24 21-25 9 1-9

23 20-25 8 1-7

22 19-24 7 0-5

21 18-23 6 0-4

20 17-22 5 0-2

19 15-21 4 0-1

18 14-20 3 or below 0

Reading:
In the TOEFL reading section, students have to answer 30 questions that are awarded a maximum of 33 points,
which constitutes the raw reading score. Then, it would be converted on a scale of 1-30, known as the scaled
reading score, and displayed on the score report. Here is a raw-to-scaled conversion for the reading section.

13
Raw point total Scaled score Raw point total Scaled score

28 30 13 10-15

27 29-30 12 9-14

26 27-30 11 7-13

25 25-30 10 6-12

24 24-29 9 5-10

23 23-27 8 3-9

22 22-26 7 2-7

21 21-25 6 1-6

20 19-24 5 1-4

19 18-23 4 0-2

18 17-21 3 0-1

17 16-20 2 0

16 14-19 1 0

15 13-18 0 0

14 12-17

Skill Score (0-30) Proficiency Level

Reading 0-3 Below Low-Intermediate

4-17 Low-Intermediate
18-23 High-Intermediate
24-30 Advanced

Listening 0-3 Below Low-Intermediate

4-17 Low-Intermediate
18-23 High-Intermediate
TOEFL Scoring Guide 24-30 Advanced

Writing 0-3 Below Low-Intermediate

4-17 Low-Intermediate
18-23 High-Intermediate
24-30 Advanced

Speaking 0-3 Below Low-Intermediate

4-17 Low-Intermediate
18-23 High-Intermediate
24-30 Advanced

Total 0-120

14
 Q.1 What is the registration
procedure forfeeobtaining
for the TOEFL?
a student visa in Germany?

The registration fee is USD 190.

Q.2 How many times is the TOEFL exam held in a year?

TOEFL is offered on specific days of the year. One can access the whole schedule, which can
vary depending on the country, by following the link https://www.ets.org/bin/getpro-
gram.cgi?test=toefl.

Q.3 How many times can I take the TOEFL Test?

You cannot take it more than once in a 12 day period.

Q.4 For how long the TOEFL test is valid?

Your TOEFL score is valid for 2 years from the date the test was taken.

If I take the TOEFL more than once, which score will be considered by the universities?

Generally, the best TOEFL score is considered by the universities.

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15
About upGrad Abroad
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transition on-campus with one of the upGrad destination academic partners. upGrad students also have the
support of our student services team to assist with the application process, visa assistance, as well as support
upon arrival to campus.

Study Abroad
Booster Program
upGrad Abroad’s Booster Program is designed to offer support to students in
preparation for IELTS, Academic Writing, Profile Building, International Faculty
Masterclass, University Application, Education Loan, and Visa Support. To enroll,
visit https://www.upgradabroad.com/study-abroad/booster-program/apply-now

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https://www.upgradabroad.com/

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