The TOEFL test is designed for those who don’t speak English as their primary language and are planning on attending a school in the United States. The TOEFL practice test measures a person’s ability of how well they understand and use the English language. There are two different versions of the TOEFL test: one is called the PBT and it’s taken on paper and one is called the IBT and it’s taken on a computer. Usually, the students will not be able to pick which version they will take, the determination is made by the country that they live in.
The iBT computer version will contain four sections:
- Reading: in the reading section you will read about 5 passages and then you will answer questions about each passage. The reading section takes about 2 hours to finish.
- Listening: in the listening section you will listen to 6 lectures and then answer questions about each lecture. The listening section takes about 90 minutes to finish.
- Speaking: in the speaking section, you will have to convey all your thoughts orally which means will have to speak out loud. This section might also combine other sections such as listening, writing, and reading, but this section generally only takes about 20 minutes to finish.
- Writing: in the writing section you will have to write an essay and you will have 50 minutes to finish the essay.
The paper-based test will be slightly different and it will contain the following:
- Listening comprehension: in this section, the teacher or the administrator will play for you some recorded statements as well as some conversations in English. Then you will answer questions right away after each recording. You are not allowed to take notes and you will have 50 questions in total that you will need to answer.
- Structure and written expression: in this section, you will see some sentences that will contain bad spelling, usage errors as well as grammatical and then you will have to identify all the mistakes that are made. There are about 40 questions.
- Reading comprehension: in this section, you will read some passages in English, and then you will answer questions about each passage.
- Writing: you will just have to write an essay.
Your TOEFL test scores are an accurate reflection of how well you are doing with the English language and the score is good for up to 2 years after you take the TOEFL test. If you end up waiting more than two years to apply to college after you take the test, then you will just have to retake the test again.
How To Register For The TOEFL Test?
You can register for the TOEFL practice test by calling or on your computer online. Online registration is the fastest way to register. You are allowed to register from 3 to 4 months before the actual test day. Early registration is recommended because there could be a very high demand for places. Plus, registering early will give you more time to prepare and to study.