What is the Reading section like? The Reading section includes three to five reading passages.

s. There are 12 to 14 questions per passage. You have from 60 to 100 minutes to answer all the questions in the section. TOEFL iBT Reading passages are excerpts from university-level textbooks that would be used in introductions to a discipline or topic. The passages will cover a variety of different subjects. Don't worry if you're unfamiliar with the topic of a passage. All the information you need to answer the questions will be in the passage.

What is the Listening section like? The Listening section includes test questions about academic lectures and long conversations in which the speech sounds very natural. You can take notes on any listening material throughout the entire test. The test is composed of: Four to six lectures, each three to five minutes long, six questions per lecture, 60 to 90 minutes Two to three conversations, each three minutes long, five questions per conversation, 60 to 90 minutes

What is the Speaking section like? The Speaking section is approximately 20 minutes long and includes six questions. The first two questions are called "independent Speaking tasks" because they require you to draw entirely on your own ideas, opinions and experiences when you respond. The other four questions are called "integrated Speaking tasks" because they require you to integrate your English-language skills listening and speaking or listening, reading and speaking just as you would in or out of a classroom.

You will speak into the microphone on your headset and your responses will be recorded and sent to the ETS Scoring Network, where they will be scored by certified human raters.

How are my Speaking responses scored? Your recorded responses are sent to the ETS Scoring Network, where three to six certified human raters score them holistically on a scale of 0 to 4. The average score on the six tasks is converted to a scaled score of 0 to 30. Raters do not expect your responses to be perfect, and even high-scoring responses may contain occasional errors. Your pronunciation does not need to sound like that of a native speaker of English. The raters are listening for the effectiveness of your communication and your ability to accomplish the tasks you are given. See the Speaking scoring guides (PDF) and listen to sample responses to help you understand how responses are evaluated.

What is the Writing section like? The total time for the Writing section is 50 minutes. You are asked to write responses to two writing tasks: an integrated Writing task and an independent Writing task. Integrated Writing task (20 minutes) read a short passage and listen to a short lecture. Then write in response to what you read and listened to. Independent Task (30 minutes) write an essay in response to a Writing topic.

Get The Official Guide to the TOEFL Test for a longer list of topics. Go to the ETS store to purchase The Official Guide to the TOEFL Test. You'll type your responses on the computer keyboard and then your responses will be sent to the ETS Scoring Network. See TOEFL sample questions and responses.

How are Writing responses scored? Writing responses are scored holistically on a scale of 0 to 5. The average score on the two tasks is converted to a scaled score of 0 to 30. You're not expected to produce a comprehensive essay about a specialized topic your response is recognized as a first draft. You can receive a high score with an essay that contains some errors. See the Writing Scoring Guides (PDF) and read sample responses to help you understand how responses are evaluated.