The TOEFL IBT exam is an English language proficiency test. It measures your ability to understand and use English at university level. It tests all four skill areas - reading, speaking, listening, and writing - on academic tasks.

TOEFL is a standard requirement for entry into many universities around the world, specifically in the United States, Canada, France, and Germany. More than 35 million people take this test every year.

The exam is divided into four skill areas. This makes the test a complete assessment of you English language skills.

• Reading: You have 60-80 minutes for this paper. It has 36-56 questions in it. There are 3-4 reading passages with questions for you to answer about them.
• Listening: This paper is 60-90 minutes long. It has 34-51 questions and you will listen to a variety of recordings. These include lectures, classroom discussions, and conversations.
• Speaking: There are 6 oral tasks to complete in 20 minutes. You will be asked to express an opinion on a familiar topic, and speak on topics from the listening and reading tasks.
• Writing: There are 2 tasks in this paper and you have 60 minutes to complete them. You will be asked to write an essay response and support an opinion. The topics are connected to those in the reading and listening tasks.

You can find out more on the guidelines for the TOEFL IBT test on the blog.

Each skill area receives an individual score and you are also given an overall score for the TOEFL exam. Each section is out of 30 and the total being out of 120. You must answer at least one question in each paper to be given a score.

There is no pass or fail score in TOEFL. It is a test of your English language ability at the time you are taking it. You can take the TOEFL as many times as you want, but there is a waiting period of 12 days between tests. This is why the score is only valid for 2 years, as your language ability can change over time. Many institutions will ask for a specific minimum score.

Doing your best in the exam is the most important thing. This can also be achieved with practice and not putting too much pressure on yourself. You have a score goal and you work hard to achieve it. Just don’t fall into the trap of negative pressure on ‘I must get this score’ and distract yourself from really studying for the test.

Each section is given a score, this also means you can see where you are strong and where needs improvement.

The TOEFL scores also have an equivalence with the CEFR levels. The TOEFL is graded out of 120 points:

• Between 42 and 71 points, it equivalent to the B1 level: it is a basic level which is not sufficient to apply for a university abroad.
• Between 71 and 94 points, it equivalent to the B2 level: it is already a more acceptable level as far as we consider that your language ability is good enough. Indeed, the majority of universities worldwide ask for a score which varies between 80 and 94 points.
• Over 94 points, it equivalent to the C1 level: this shows an excellent language level, asked by the most prestigious higher education institutes in the world such as Harvard or the London Business School.

You can register for the exam through ETS. This can be done by phone, snail mail (post) or over the internet. On the ETS website you can find all the information you need for the application from, as you need to choose a test centre and exam date. Make sure to fill out all the sections carefully and have a copy of your ID ready to send too.

There are many test centres around the world. We have some articles to help you find test centers in Germany, in Canada, in Belgium, in Switzerland, in Ireland, in UK and in the Netherlands.

Studying for the exam is the only way to improve. You need to learn what is in each test paper, how the test day is structured, develop exam skills to complete work in time limits, and keep practicing your English.

GlobalExam can help you prepare for the TOEFL IBT exam. Our online programme has many areas for you to gain the skills and practice you need to achieve the score you want. It has language development tasks, exam skill training, progress tracking, and you can even take complete TOEFL tests under exam conditions. You will also find vocabulary and grammar study sheets to complete your training, along with testimonies and tips. By working through all this content you should be well prepared for the real exam. Sign up and get access to a sample TOEFL test for free!