The vast TOEFL exam syllabus can intimidate even the best of students. But when you break it down into categories and understand the exam pattern, the syllabus becomes easier to manage.
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is one of the most reputable English language proficiency tests that students appear for to study in the USA, Canada, the UK, etc. The TOEFL has undergone significant changes to cut down the total exam duration and improve the overall experience.
These updates are expected to go live on July 26, 2023.
Based on these newer enhancements, here’s an overview of the exam pattern and syllabus:
|
Sections |
Duration |
Number of Questions |
Description |
|
Reading |
Current – approx. 54 – 72 minutes
New – 35 minutes |
Current – approx. 30-40
New – 20 |
You must read around 3 or 4 passages related to academic content and answer questions related to them. |
|
Listening |
Current – approx. 41 – 57 minutes
New – 36 minutes |
Current – approx. 27 – 40
New - 28 |
You must listen to audio files that include dialogues, monologues, classroom lectures, etc. and answer questions. |
|
Speaking |
Current – approx. 17 minutes
New – approx. 16 minutes |
Current – 4 tasks
New – 4 tasks |
You will be provided 4 tasks where you must speak on the given topic and articulate your thoughts. |
|
Writing |
Current – approx. 50 minutes
New – 29 minutes |
Current – 2 tasks
New – 2 tasks |
The writing section includes essays based on the reading and listening tasks. |
To check whether your English skills as a non-native speaker meet international standards, the TOELF tests the following –
Therefore, the entire syllabus is divided into four sections as well. The estimated number of questions and time taken for each section is based on the current syllabus.
The reading section is designed to assess your ability to read and comprehend materials used primarily in an academic environment. It involves reading through 3-4 passages (each approximately 700 words long) and answering the questions related to the passages.
The topics for the passages can be related to any academic field. But you won’t face any issues even if you’re unfamiliar with the topic.
The listening section of the TOEFL is specifically designed to check whether you will be able to keep up with daily conversations in an English-speaking country. It tests your ability to comprehend English instructions, synthesize information and connect what you’ve heard to your knowledge.
There are two question types in this section:
Type I – 3-4 class discussions of approximately 3-5 minutes in length (approx. 6 questions asked from each discussion)
Type II – 2-3 conversations between two or more people of approximately 3 minutes in length (approx. 5 questions asked from each conversation)
The speaking section checks whether you have sufficient English skills to carry out a fluent conversation with minimum mistakes. The tasks are related to conversations you’re likely to encounter in the academic or general everyday context.
Independent Speaking Task 1: You receive a prompt where you are expected to talk about your own experiences and use your own ideas to maintain a conversation.
Integrated Speaking Tasks 2-4: The prompts for the integrated speaking tasks require you to combine all your English skills when delivering your answer.
The writing section is the final step of the TOEFL, where your ability to present ideas in written form is tested. You’ll encounter two essay-type tasks in this section –
You must read a short passage (3 minutes), listen to a lecture (2 minutes), and then write your response to what you’ve read and heard (15 minutes).
You must write an essay based on your personal experience or highlighting your opinions about any one of the topics provided (30 minutes).
Now that you have a better idea of the section-wise syllabus for the TOEFL, you can predict the questions you’re most likely to encounter on the main test.
Since the TOEFL is one of the most popular English language proficiency tests globally, the competition to secure excellent scores is always cut-throat. The TOEFL score falls between 0-120, and although 65-79 is considered a good TOEFL score, the minimum score has been hiked significantly in some of the top educational institutions in the USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, and the UK.
Of course, with a thorough understanding of the TOEFL exam syllabus and question pattern, you can take the necessary preparations to ace your exam in one go. When you solve sample papers based on the same pattern as the official TOEFL, you can easily figure out your shortcomings and fix them before the main exam.
You’ll find a hundred exam guides that explore the entire TOEFL exam syllabus in great detail. But one preparation method that suits one student might not suit you the best. That’s why we're going to list all the exam tips that we could think of.
It’s up to you to try them out and figure out the ones that suit you the most.
And finally, don’t forget to take good care of your health. Because if you’re not healthy, you won’t have the energy or motivation to study for the TOEFL.
The Educational Testing Service (ETS) has not limited the number of times you can appear for the TOEFL. Due to the difficulty level of the examination and intense competition, there’s a high chance your scores after the first attempt do not meet your expectations. In such situations, you can register for the TOEFL again to improve your scores.
However, you cannot appear for the exam more than once within 3 days.
Instead of being in a hurry to retake the exam, you should revise your answers, figure out the sections where you must improve, and prepare thoroughly before appearing for the exam again. Ideally, you should take the exam at least three or four weeks after your previous attempt.
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The total number of hours for the current TOEFL is approximately 3 hours (approx. 162-196 minutes). However, effective from July 26, 2023, the ETS has decided to shorten the total duration of the TOEFL to just under 2 hours (approx. 116 minutes).
Since the TOEFL is one of the oldest and most reputable English language proficiency tests recognized globally, it is highly competitive. So, if you want to pass the TOEFL on your first attempt, you should focus on improving your English speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills. Begin your preparations early and solve sample papers regularly to understand the exam better.
The main purpose of the TOEFL reading section is to assess your ability to read and comprehend materials in the academic context. The questions asked in this section check whether you can read complex English sentences, understand the meaning, and form connections to ideas while answering the questions. The topics of the passages provided are generally taken from university textbooks.
The TOEFL syllabus for the speaking section includes four tasks, which you can divide into two parts –
Part I: 1 Independent speaking task, where you must speak your mind on a particular topic, highlighting your own experiences and opinions.
Part II: 3 Integrated speaking tasks, where your recording will assess your mastery over the basic English skills, check your fluency, use of language, vocabulary choice, and delivery.
The TOEFL is considered one of the more challenging of the available English language proficiency tests. However, 'difficulty' is subjective and depends on the students. If you begin your TOEFL preparations early, solve multiple sample papers, and take the necessary preparatory steps, it should not be too difficult for you.
It’s hard to determine whether the TOEFL is harder than the IELTS because student experience regarding this matter varies. Some students believe that the reading section of the IELTS is significantly easier compared to the TOEFL, while others are of a different opinion. However, based on objective variables such as test duration, question types, and number of questions, the TOEFL is harder than the IELTS.
To prepare for the TOEFL, you should follow these steps diligently:
The results for the TOEFL iBT exam are published approximately six days after the date of the exam. But if you’ve opted for the Special Home Edition of the exam, your results will be available after 6-10 days from the date of the exam.
The total duration of the TOEFL, including the 10 minutes of break, is approximately 3 hours (162-196 minutes). However, from July 26, 2023, ETS has decided to reduce the TOEFL duration to under 2 hours (116 minutes).
The TOEFL exam format is as follows –
Reading Section - Includes 3-4 passages
Listening section - Includes 3-4 lectures and 2-3 conversations
Speaking section – Includes 1 independent task and 3 integrated tasks
Writing section – Includes 1 integrated task and 1 independent task
The TOEFL contains a total of 66-86 questions across the four sections. They are divided as –
However, from July 26, 2023, the ETS plans to reduce the total duration of the TOEFL to just under 2 hours. As a result, the number of questions for each section will become approximately 54.
