TOEFL^® Internet-based Testing Overview

1. What Is the TOEFL® Test?
2. The Internet-based TOEFL® Test (iBT)
3. Why Take the TOEFL® Test?
4. Who Should Take the TOEFL® Test?
5. Where Can People Take the Test?
6. Who Accepts TOEFL® Scores?

1- What Is the TOEFL Test?

The TOEFL® (Test of English as a Foreign Language™) test measures the ability of nonnative speakers of English to use and understand English as it is spoken, written, and heard in college and university settings.

The TOEFL test is offered in different formats depending on a test taker's location.

2- The Internet-based TOEFL® Test (iBT)

The TOEFL® iBT (Internet-based Test) tests all four language skills that are important for effective communication: reading, listening, speaking and writing. The test helps students demonstrate that they have the English skills needed for success.

3- What Is the Benefit of An Internet-based Test?

The TOEFL iBT emphasizes integrated skills and provides better information to institutions about students' ability to communicate in an academic setting and their readiness for academic coursework. With Internet-based testing, ETS can capture speech and score responses in a standardized manner.

Online registration and online score reporting make it easier for students to register for the TOEFL iBT and receive their test scores.

4- When Will TOEFL iBT Be Available?

The TOEFL iBT was introduced in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Puerto Rico in 2005. The second phase of the rollout began on March 25, 2006, when test centers in selected cities in Africa, the Americas, Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East, and North Africa offered TOEFL iBT for the first time.

TOEFL iBT introduction dates have not yet been set for some countries. When these countries are ready to implement TOEFL iBT, a message will be posted on this website. To provide continued access for TOEFL and TSE® test takers in these areas, ETS will offer the paper-based version of the TOEFL test until TOEFL iBT can be delivered.

See a list of TOEFL iBT Locations and Dates

5- What Is Happening To The Current TOEFL Tests?

The paper-based version of the TOEFL test will be available on a limited basis to supplement the TOEFL iBT test center network.

6- How Can I Learn More About TOEFL iBT?

View the TOEFL® iBT Tour.

Read the TOEFL® iBT Frequently Asked Questions.

Take a practice test at TOEFL® Practice Online.

7- Why Take the TOEFL Test?

Most people take the TOEFL test as a prerequisite for admission into colleges and universities where English is used or required. In addition, many government, licensing, and certification agencies and exchange and scholarship programs use TOEFL scores to evaluate the English proficiency of people for whom English is not their native language.

8- Who Should Take the TOEFL Test?

Nonnative English speakers at the 11th-grade level or above should take the TOEFL test to provide evidence of their English proficiency before beginning academic work. The test content is considered too difficult for students below 11th grade.

Many institutions report that they frequently do not require TOEFL test scores of certain kinds of international applicants. These include:

ü nonnative speakers who hold degrees or diplomas from postsecondary institutions in English-speaking countries (e.g., the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand)

ü nonnative speakers who have successfully completed at least a two-year course of study in which English was the language of instruction

ü transfer students from institutions in the United States or Canada whose academic course work was favorably evaluated in relation to its demands and duration

ü nonnative speakers who have taken the TOEFL test within the past two years

ü nonnative speakers who have successfully pursued academic work at schools where English was the language of instruction in an English-speaking country for a specified period, generally two years

Students should contact their prospective institutions directly concerning their specific admission requirements.

9- Where Can People Take the Test?

TOEFL iBT is taken via the Internet at ETS-certified test centers. This makes it possible to greatly expand the number of locations where the test can be taken.

10- Which Computer Keyboard Is Used in Administering the TOEFL iBT?

The TOEFL iBT is administered on a standard English-language (QWERTY) computer keyboard. QWERTY is the most common modern-day keyboard layout on English-language computer keyboards. It takes its name from the first six letters displayed at the top of the keyboard. It is recommended that you practice typing on a QWERTY keyboard before taking the TOEFL iBT.

11- Who Accepts TOEFL Scores?

TOEFL scores are accepted by more than 6,000 colleges, universities, and licensing agencies in 110 countries.

See list of these institutions (PDF).

See also:

TOEFL® Test Overview

Internet-based Test

The TOEFL® Internet-based test (iBT) emphasizes integrated skills and measures all four language skills, including speaking. The content on the test is authentic, and the language is consistent with that used in everyday, real academic settings.

The test has four sections:

Reading measures the ability to understand academic reading material.

Listening measures the ability to understand spoken English as it is used in colleges and universities.

Speaking measures the ability to speak English in an academic context.

Writing measures the ability to write in a way that is appropriate for college and university course work.

Test content is based on a “corpus,” or database, of spoken and written language that currently contains more than 2.7 million words, collected from educational institutions throughout the United States.

The spoken language in the database was collected from:

§ lectures and interactive classes

§ labs

§ office hours

§ study groups

§ everyday service interactions (for example, at the bookstore or registrar's office)

The written language was collected from sources, such as textbooks and course materials.
Listening and reading texts in the test conform to the characteristics of the language in the database.