TOEFL Sections

1. Listening Comprehension (Computer Adaptive)
2. Structure (Computer Adaptive)
3. Reading Comprehension
4. Writing

Parts 1 and 2 are "computer adaptive." This means that the first question will be of medium difficulty. If you answer it correctly, the next item will be of equal or greater difficulty. If you miss a question, the next one will be easier. In these two sections, you must answer every question and you cannot go back to questions once you have answered and confirmed your answer.

Parts 3 and 4 are not computer adaptive. You can go back and change your answers later, and skip questions if you want. It will probably be quite similar to the current Reading Comprehension section.

The structure of the TOEFL is highly flexible. The length of each section and the time required will vary. When the section begins, the length of the section and the number of questions will appear.

Listening Comprehension (Computer-Adaptive): (30 questions in 40 minutes) or (50 questions in 60 minutes)
This section is supposed to test your understanding of spoken English. It is made up of three parts (A, B, and C). During all three parts, you will listen to recorded information. While you're listening, you'll see pictures of the speakers, or other images, on your computer screen. You'll then be asked to answer questions based on what you've heard. In Part A, you can expect 20 questions. For each question, you will hear a short sentence. After each sentence, you are to pick the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the original sentence. In short, Part A is about paraphrasing. In Part B, you can expect 15 questions. For each question, you will hear a short conversation between two people. You will then hear a third person ask a question about the conversation. You are to pick the answer choice that best answers the third person's question. In short, Part B is about listening to a dialogue.In Part C, you can expect 15 questions. You will hear three conversations or talks in this part of the test. (The conversations or talks will be longer than the ones in Part B.) For each conversation or talk, there will be four to six questions.


Structure and Written Expression (Computive-Adaptive): (20 questions in 15 minutes) or (25 questions in 25 minutes)
This section measures ability to recognize correct grammar in standard written English. There are two types of questions in this section. Despite the difference in title, the question types are the same on both versions of the test. The first type features a sentence with a word or phrase missing. Beneath each sentence are four words or phrases, one of which you must choose to best complete the sentence. The second question type features complete sentences with four underlined words or phrases. You must choose the one that must be changed for the sentence to be made correct.

Reading Comprehension: (not Computer-Adaptive) (44 questions in 70 minutes) or (60 questions in 90 minutes)
Measures ability to read and understand short passages similar in topic and style to those that students are likely to encounter in North American universities and colleges. This section contains reading passages and questions about the passages. This section on both versions of the test contains reading passages and questions about the passages. There are between eight and twelve questions on each passage.

Writing (not Computer-Adaptive) 1 essay in 30 minutes
Measures ability to write in English on an assigned topic. In this section, you will have an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to write in English. This includes the ability to generate and organize ideas, to support those ideas with examples or evidence, and to compose in standard written English in response to an assigned topic. You will be given an essay topic, and are given the option of typing your essay on the computer or handwriting your essay on an answer sheet provided. You can use scratch paper for making notes or outlining your essay, but notes are not scored. The essay will be scored according to grammatical correctness and writing style, as well as on your ideas and your ability to support those ideas with examples. The essay written in the Writing section will be graded by two readers on a scale ranging from 0 to 6. The essay score is then combined with the score for the Structure section.