Since its introduction in late 2005, the TOEFL iBT format
has progressively replaced both the computer-based tests (CBT) and paper-based
tests (PBT), although paper-based testing is still used in select areas. The
TOEFL iBT test has been introduced in phases, with the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy in 2005 and the rest of the world in 2006, with test
centers added regularly. The CBT was discontinued in September 2006 and these
scores are no longer valid.
Although initially, the demand for test seats was higher
than availability, and candidates had to wait for months, it is now possible to
take the test within one to four weeks in most countries. The four-hour test
consists of four sections, each measuring one of the basic language skills
(while some tasks require integrating multiple skills) and all tasks focus on
language used in an academic, higher-education environment. Note-taking is
allowed during the TOEFL iBT test. The test cannot be taken more than once a
week.
- Reading
The
Reading section consists of 3–5 passages, each approximately 700 words in
length and questions about the passages. The passages are on academic topics;
they are the kind of material that might be found in an undergraduate
university textbook. Passages require understanding of rhetorical functions
such as cause-effect, compare-contrast and argumentation. Students answer
questions about main ideas, details, inferences, essential information,
sentence insertion, vocabulary, rhetorical purpose and overall ideas. New types
of questions in the TOEFL iBT test require filling out tables or completing
summaries. Prior knowledge of the subject under discussion is not necessary to
come to the correct answer.
- Listening
The
Listening section consists of six passages 3–5 minutes in length and questions
about the passages. These passages include two student conversations and four
academic lectures or discussions. A conversation involves two speakers, a
student and either a professor or a campus service provider. A lecture is a
self-contained portion of an academic lecture, which may involve student
participation and does not assume specialized background knowledge in the
subject area. Each conversation and lecture stimulus is heard only once.
Test-takers may take notes while they listen and they may refer to their notes
when they answer the questions. Each conversation is associated with five
questions and each lecture with six. The questions are meant to measure the
ability to understand main ideas, important details, implications,
relationships between ideas, organization of information, speaker purpose and
speaker attitude.
- Speaking
The
Speaking section consists of six tasks: two independent tasks and four
integrated tasks. In the two independent tasks, test-takers answer opinion
questions on familiar topics. They are evaluated on their ability to speak
spontaneously and convey their ideas clearly and coherently. In two of the
integrated tasks, test-takers read a short passage, listen to an academic
course lecture or a conversation about campus life and answer a question by
combining appropriate information from the text and the talk. In the two
remaining integrated tasks, test-takers listen to an academic course lecture or
a conversation about campus life and then respond to a question about what they
heard. In the integrated tasks, test-takers are evaluated on their ability to
appropriately synthesize and effectively convey information from the reading
and listening material. Test-takers may take notes as they read and listen and
may use their notes to help prepare their responses. Test-takers are given a
short preparation time before they have to begin speaking. The responses are
digitally recorded, sent to ETS’s Online Scoring Network (OSN) and evaluated by
three to six raters.
- Writing
The
Writing section measures a test taker's ability to write in an academic setting
and consists of two tasks: one integrated task and one independent task. In the
integrated task, test-takers read a passage on an academic topic and then
listen to a speaker discuss the same topic. The test-taker will then write a
summary about the important points in the listening passage and explain how
these relate to the key points of the reading passage. In the independent task,
the test-taker must write an essay that states, explains, and supports their
opinion on an issue, supporting their opinions or choices, rather than simply
listing personal preferences or choices. Responses are sent to the ETS OSN and
evaluated by four raters.
