The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is written, developed and administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), a private, non-profit organization based in Princeton, New Jersey. The TOEFL test measures the ability of nonnative speakers of English to use and understand North American English as it is spoken, written and heard in college and university settings.

Currently more than 2,400 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada require the TOEFL test scores from non-English speaking students in order to admit them to a program. TOEFL is also used by academic institutions in other countries where English is the language of instruction. In addition, government agencies, scholarship programs, and licensing/certification agencies use TOEFL scores to evaluate English proficiency.

# TOEFL Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT)

The TOEFL Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) evaluates all four language skills that are essential for effective communication: reading, listening, speaking (new!), and writing:

Reading:

measures the ability to understand academic reading matter. Consists of 3 to 5 academic reading passages followed by comprehension questions.

Listening:

- measures the ability to understand English as it is used in colleges and universities. Consists of 4 to 6 lectures, which include classroom dialogue, and 2 to 3 conversations that include two or more speakers in each.

Speaking

- measures the ability to speak English. Consists of 6 open-ended speaking questions, which require test takers to speak into a microphone. Responses are recorded and scored by human graders.

Writing

- measures the ability to write in a way that is appropriate for college and university course work. The TOEFL iBT contains an added 20-minute essay along with the current 30-minute essay.

TOEFL iBT is scored differently form the computer-based test: