TOEFL is one of the prestigious English language certificates, has global value, and is a tool to help you find a job, apply for a scholarship, study abroad, immigrate, to name a few. To get a TOEFL certificate, you need the effective method of TOEFL exam preparation. If you don't know where to start, let's learn about this exam with Eclass.

Learn more about TOEFL iBT

TOEFL iBT® includes 4 sections corresponding to 4 skills in English - Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. During the test, you will perform tasks that combine these 4 English communication skills, such as reading, listening, and then speaking to answer a question; listening and then speaking to answer a question; Read, listening, and then writing to answer a question. The test time is about 3 hours but you should plan on 2 and a half hours to spend 30 minutes to double-check the selected result.

Before taking the TOEFL iBT® test, understand the structure of the test. The test has four parts - reading, listening, speaking, and writing.

Summary of the exam structure:

The first is the Reading Comprehension section. This section has three academic reading passages, each with 10 multiple-choice questions. Next is the Listening section. This section has five listening passages. Three are academic lectures with six questions each and two are campus conversations with five questions per conversation. After the end of the 2 sections, there is a 10-minute break.

After the break, you will take the Speaking and Writing test. In the Speaking section, there are four questions for you to answer in the microphone. The Writing section has two essays. You can answer by typing on the computer or writing on paper depending on the test option you have chosen. All four sections use real-world academic content so you can demonstrate your English proficiency.

Specific details about each section

Reading section:

Exam time: 54–72 minutes

Number of questions: 30–40 questions

Requirements: Read the passages and answer the questions

The Reading Comprehension section of the TOEFL iBT® is designed to assess a candidate's level of reading and understanding of the type of material used in an academic setting. The test consists of 3 or 4 reading passages, each approximately 700 words long with 10 questions for each passage. You have 54 to 72 minutes to answer all the questions in this section.

Reading passages are excerpts from college textbooks that will be used in an introduction to a major or topic. The passages cover a variety of topics. Don't worry if you don't know the topic of the passage because all the information you need to answer the questions will be included in the passage.

Listening test:

Exam time: 41–57 minutes

Number of questions: 28–39 questions

Required: Answer questions about short lectures or class discussions

The Listening section of the TOEFL iBT® is designed to assess a candidate's ability to understand English conversations and lectures. The purpose of this test is that you should be able to listen and understand basic, pragmatic understanding (i.e. speaker's attitude and certainty), make connections, and synthesize information to answer questions.

There are two types of listening lessons in the Speaking section: lectures and conversations. Both use academic language.

3–4 lectures, 3–5 minutes each, with 6 questions per lecture

2-3 conversations with 2 speakers, 3 minutes each, with 5 questions per conversation

You can take notes while listening and have 41 to 57 minutes to complete this section.

---10 minute break---

Speaking test:

Exam time: 17 minutes

Number of questions: 4

Ask: Talk about a familiar topic and discuss material you've read and heard.

The TOEFL iBT® Speaking section is designed to assess a candidate's ability to speak English effectively in an academic setting. The test consists of four tasks that resemble real-life situations that you may encounter in and out of the classroom.

The first question is the "independent speaking task", asking you to build your ideas based on your perspective and experience to answer.

Questions 2–4 are "integrated speaking tasks", asking you to combine English skills - listening and speaking, or listening, reading and speaking - just as you would in or out of the classroom.

You will have 15–30 seconds to prepare each answer in advance, and the answer will be 45 or 60 seconds long.

To answer, you'll speak into the microphone. The answers are recorded and sent to the examiner. You have 17 minutes to complete the Speaking section.

To practice speaking effectively, please refer to the courses to study English with native speakers.

Writing test:

Exam time: 50 minutes

Number of questions: 2

Requirements: Read a passage, listen to the recording, type/write the answer

The Writing section of the TOEFL iBT® test is designed to assess a candidate's ability to write in English in an academic setting, and you'll be able to present your ideas in a clear, organized manner.

There are 02 tasks for the writing test.

Integrated writing task (20 minutes) - read a short passage and listen to a short lecture, then write in response to what you have read and heard.

Independent Writing Task (30 minutes) - write an essay based on personal experience or opinion in response to a topic.

You will enter your answers on a computer (or write them by hand). The answers are sent to the marking unit. You will have 50 minutes to complete the Writing section.

For a suitable test preparation method, please contact the English learning tutors quickly. Eclass with a team of professional, experienced teachers will support and help you achieve your desired goals.