The TOEFL exam is one of the most popular English proficiency exams accepted at American and Canadian universities and education institutions abroad. The full form of TOEFL is the Test of English as a Foreign Language and the TOEFL exam tests international students’ usage and understanding of English as it is spoken, written, and heard in college and university surroundings. The conducting body of the TOEFL exam, ETS (Educational Testing Services) is responsible for the TOEFL test, conducting the TOEFL IBT test, and sending each examinee their scorecard.

Given the pandemic, the TOEFL test is also available for students from the safety of their homes with the launch of the TOEFL at the Home version of the TOEFL test. ETS has also launched a shorter but equally effective version of the TOEFL test called the TOEFL Essential Test that is available to students from August 21, 2021, onwards. Recently, ETS has also agreed to accept Aadhar Cards as part of student ID for candidates registering for the TOEFL exam from India.

The registration fee for the TOEFL exam varies from location to location. The TOEFL exam fee in India is US$190 or Rs. 14,242. Apart from this, candidates also need to pay extra for other services like late registration, rescheduling the exam, or score review.

TOEFL test registration can be done via phone, online, mail, or in-person on the official website. One can register for the TOEFL exam throughout the year. There are various test center’s available for the TOEFL applicants who are opting for the TOEFL exam from a designated TOEFL test center. Before filling the application, one should choose the venue of the exam. Kindly Note: Candidates can register online up to two days before the test, though a late fee applies to registrations made seven days before the test. Check Steps to Register online, here.

TOEFL IBT Online Application

Candidates are required to visit the TOEFL login page and create an online profile. Then they’ll be required to pay the exam fee of US$190 (test takers who register online can choose to pay in Indian Rupees, based on that day’s exchange rate, as calculated in the registration system.). Online registration on the ETS website is the fastest and easiest method. Through the online method, you can register anytime and on any day. Be sure to spell your name exactly as it appears on the identification you will bring on the test day, which for Indian students should ideally be their Passport. You will be required to pay with a credit/debit card. Steps include,

· Go to the official website of ETS and create your profile.

· Fill in all the information like your name, address, email id, etc.

· Make sure the information you provide is the same as it is on your passport ( Most important, your name must match your ID exactly.)

Proceed to pay the application fee.

TOEFL Registration by Phone

Candidates are required to go through the registration form before they call. Spell your name correctly and exactly as it appears on your passport. Call the Regional Registration Center on this number – 91-124-4147700. Pay with a credit/debit card as directed. Test takers can register by phone until 5 p.m. local test center time on the business day before the test. A late fee (US$40) applies to registrations made seven days before the test.

TOEFL Registration by Mail

Candidates are required to download and print the registration form. Then fill out the form. Spell your name exactly as it appears on the identification you will bring on the test day. Send the form with your payment to the address on the form or to the Gurgaon center address, mentioned above. Forms must be received at least four weeks before your test date.

Candidates should be aware that the TOEFL test is held in three formats, viz. TOEFL iBT (Internet-based Test), TOEFL Paper-delivered test, and TOEFL at Home test. The TOEFL iBT is a more preferred mode of the exam and represents more than 98% of the TOEFL tests given worldwide. The TOEFL Paper-delivered test has been re-launched keeping student safety and the pandemic in mind. And the third, TOEFL at Home is the TOEFL test that is being conducted from the safety of the home with a proctor to supervise during the entire duration of the TOEFL test.

The ETS TOEFL exam is mostly undertaken by students who are planning to pursue higher education abroad. Appearing for the TOEFL test would also allow students to be eligible for several scholarships and also help students and candidates looking for employment abroad with their visa application process. Accepted in over 11,000 universities and institutions worldwide, including universities in Australia, universities in Canada, universities in New Zealand, universities in the UK, universities in the United States, and across Europe and Asia, TOEFL is one of the most preferred English-language tests for students wanting to study abroad.

Similarly, TOEFL is a more preferred English test among countries as more TOEFL scores are sent to German, French, US, and Canadian universities than other English tests. ETS – the conducting body of the TOEFL also guarantees students a fair and unbiased process of score reporting, making the test more authentic in nature.

Candidates would be relieved to know that ETS - the conducting body of the TOEFL iBT has not specified any age criteria or education qualification or prerequisites to appear for the TOEFL test.

The TOEFL examination is divided into four sections and each section is important. Each section of the TOEFL examination tests an aspect of the English language. The following are the TOEFL syllabus which is divided into four sections-

Reading Comprehension

In the reading section, the candidate will be provided with 3-5 passages (250-500+ words) and 12-14 questions each related to the passage. The candidate will have to answer those questions by reading the comprehensions. Here, his/her reading and responsiveness will be tested.

Listening Section

In the listening section, the candidate will have to listen to a conversation of both long and short length and based on this conversation has to answer the questions. After each short audio, you will be asked one question with four choices of answers. In long conversations, you will be asked multiple questions based on the conversation with four choices.

Speaking Section

In the speaking section, the candidate will be scored based on these conversation skills and his/her ability to speak English correctly and without stuttering. The English have to be conversational, clear, and understandable, the scoring will be done based on how well the conversation takes place.

Writing Section

Writing Section is how you write English. The articulation of words, vocabulary, grammar, and clarity matters in this section. The questions asked could be related to the above sections as well so, it is required by the candidate to pick each topic up while giving the examination.

Test takers can take the TOEFL as many times as they like to improve their scores. However, they can only take the exam once every 12 days. If the test taker has an existing test date, they cannot register for an examination within 12 days of that date.

Once you are done with your TOEFL exam, you need not wait much for the TOEFL results. Test takers can view their unofficial Reading and Listening scores at the end of the test. When your official scores are declared online, you will receive an email intimation about it. Log in to your TOEFL iBT account and click on the scores option.

The official TOEFL iBT score will be made available to you in approximately six days from the test date and test-takers who opt for the Special Home Edition of the TOEFL test would receive their results in 6-10 days from the day of the test. If the candidate has requested a paper copy of their score report before they took the test, it will be mailed within 11 days after the test date. Delivery times will be subject to local postal services.

Skill

Proficiency Level

Reading: 54-72 minutes
Listening: 41–57 minutes
Break: 10 minutes
Speaking: 17 minutes
Writing: 50 minutes

The total test takes about 3 hours to complete, but you should plan for 3½ hours, allowing 30 minutes for check-in.

The test has 4 sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. During the test, you'll perform tasks that combine these 4 English communication skills, such as:

• read, listen and then speak in response to a question

• listen and then speak in response to a question

• read, listen and then write in response to a question

The TOEFL test has been divided into four sections, namely, Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing - along with the total score. It goes without saying that the more you practice TOEFL sample papers, the better your scores will be. Each section has a score range of 0-30, for a total score range of 0-120. Scores will be posted online six days after the test date. ETS will send up to four official score reports directly to the institutions the student selects.

• Reading
  

Description: In this section, you will read 3-4 passages and answer 10 questions on each passage. The section is scored based on the number of correct reading comprehension responses.

Question type:3–4 passages, 10 questions each

Total no. of questions: About 30-40

• Listening

Description: In the Listening test section, you will hear lectures and conversations, based on campus language. This section aims to understand the test taker's ability to understand conversations and lectures in English. It includes listening to basic comprehension and understanding, connecting, and synthesizing information.

Question type:

a) 3–4 lectures (3-5 minutes long, about 500-800 words), 6 questions each

b) 2–3 conversations (about 3 minutes long, about 12-25 exchanges), 5 questions each

• Speaking
  

Description: For you to earn the highest scores in the Speaking Section, your responses must fulfill the demands of the task given with only minor mistakes or lapses. The test graders are looking for a highly intelligible and sustained conversation. There are three main factors that comprise scoring for the section, viz, delivery, language use, and topic development.

Question type:

a) 1 independent task (prep time: 15 sec; response time: 45 sec)

b) 3 integrated tasks – Read/Listen/Speak

Total no. of questions: 4

• Writing

Description: The two essays should effectively address a topic each. The response should be well-organized and well-developed using relevant explanations and detailed support. Furthermore, it should also display unity, progression, and coherence. If you want to achieve a high writing score, make sure that you demonstrate the syntactic variety and appropriate word choice with minor grammatical errors.

Question type:

a) 1 integrated task – Read/Listen/Write (20 minutes) (reading time: 3 min; listening