Prepaway – What Is TOEFL? Guide to Explore TOEFL Test

Prepaway – What Is TOEFL? Guide to Explore TOEFL Test

When it comes to preparing for any exam, the understanding of the pattern and style of questions is a must. The case is not different for TOEFL. It is crucial that the candidates are aware of the test structure, its pattern, the number of questions, and the scoring method. In this guide, we will go over some aspects of this test to give you an edge in preparing for it.

Overall Exam Pattern of TOEFL Test

Learn English TOEFL , (iBT), is a 4-hour computer-based exam that covers four different sections. These are Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. All the sections of the test are timed. The Speaking partlasts 20 minutes while the Writingsection– 50 minutes. The Listening and Reading sections differ in length because of the un-scored questions that are included. The Listeningpart is timed between 60-90 minutes while the Reading area is allotted 60-80 minutes. It is important to mention that there is no indication of which question is un-scored and which is scored. Therefore, it is important that you do your best in answering all the questions appropriately.

In the course of the exam taking, you will have a break of 10 minutes and this comes between the Listening and Speaking sections. Note that this is the only compulsory break in the exam and all candidates are required to take it. You also have the option to take other breaks while sitting for the test. However, you cannot put a pause to the exam timer while taking any optional break.

Highlights of TOEFL Test

Reading Section

This is the first section of the exam. The length varies depending on whether you get experimental questions or not. With experimental questions, you can expect between 48 and 56 questions and you have 80 minutes to complete them. Without the experimental ones, there will be between 36 and 42questions. You will have 60 minutes to complete this part. The main task in this section is to read some passages and provide answers to them. Each of the reading passages is about 700 words long and you can come across up to four of such passages. The topics covered within the passages range from science and psychology to history and art. Each of the passages has between 12 and 14 questions.

 

There are three types of questions.The multiple-choice onescome with four possible answers to choose from. The Reading to Learn questions require that you summarize the main point in a passage by clicking and dragging some sentences or arrange the main points in a passage on a chart. The Inserting a Sentence question comes with a new sentence with four possible locations to insert it within the passage. You have to insert the sentence in a place where it makes the best sense. To work round this part of the exam, it is recommended that you learn to manage your time effectively. Do not spend too much time on any of the questions so that you can answer all of them before the time runs out.

Listening Section

Just like the Reading section, the questions in the Listening part also vary in number. You can receive 34 questions witha time duration of 60 minutes or 51 questions with 90 minutes. This section evaluates your English listening skills. You may receive up to six lectures and up to three conversations. Each conversation takes about three minutes, and each lecture is about five minutes. The conversation part has about five questions, and the lecture part had six questions. Note that you will listen to each audio clip just once before you begin to answer the questions. The question types to expect include multiple choice, multiple answer, and replay. The multiple-choice questions are the basics with four possible answers and one is the most appropriate. The multiple-answer questions are like multiple-choice ones, but you may have more than one answer choice. The question may request that you select two answers from the four possible options. The replay questions follow a model where the questions reproduce a part of the audio clip and ask a multiple-choice question about the part you listen to.

Speaking Section

This is the part where you need the microphone. Thissection is the shortest one in the TOEFL exam. It takes about 20 minutes to complete. You have a total of six tasks to work on. The first two tasks are independent ones and require that you speak for 45 seconds on your opinion about specific familiar topics. The remaining four tasks, which are integrated tasks, require that you speak for a period of 60 seconds about the audio clips and passages you have listened to.For the independent task, you have to choose one from many options of topics in task one and choose one from two options in task two. For both of the tasks, you will read a prompt and have fifteen seconds to get your response ready. When the time is up, you will speak for 45 minutes. Your speech must clearly support your opinion with reasons and enough examples. For the integrated task, you have to combine your listening and reading skills with speaking skills. Task 3 and 4 require that you listen to an audio clip, read a passage, and answer the question about the audio clip and passage. You have from 45 to 50 minutes to read the passage and one minutes to listen to the clip. 30 minutes are allocated for preparing your response and you speak for 60 seconds. Task 5 and 6 require you listen to an audio clip and answer the question. The clip is about 2 minutes long and you have 20 seconds to prepare your answer and 60 seconds to speak.

Writing Section

This section requires that you write two essays: independent and integrated. You have 50 minutes to complete your writing tasks. The first essay is allotted 20 minutes, and the second one – 30 minutes. The independent writing task has no audio clips or reading passages. You will only get prompts, which will focus on familiar topic, and you will be asked about your opinion. You are expected to write your opinion, which takes about 30 minutes to prepare and write. You should write a minimum of 300 words. The integrated writing task gives you an academic passage of 300 words long to read. After this, you will also listen to a lecture audio clip for about two minutes. You will have to write an essay to explain how the passage and lecture challenge or support each other. You have 20 minutes to write your response. The essay should be between 150 and 225 words.

Conclusion

The candidates have the opportunity to take notes all through the test. You will receive a scratch paper and pencils for this purpose. In addition to this, you will also receive headphones with a microphone to listen to the audio clips and to record your speaking answers. Each of the sections is scored on a scale of 30 points. All scores are then collated to generate a total score for your TOEFL test. Your score point is on a scale of 120. The students can expect to receive their official score report within 10 days after the exam date.Find all the necessary details at theofficial website.

By Jasmine Summer