TOEFL Exam Preparation

TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language – Internet-based Testing) is an exam used all over the world that measures your competence in the 4 main skills in English. Taken by more than 1 million people every year, the exam measures your ability to understand and interpret what you read and hear, and to express your ideas on a given topic by speaking and writing, and provides a comprehensive score report.
The TOEFL iBT is now administered entirely on computer via the internet all over the world and is widely used for applications to colleges and universities and for professional purposes. The main reason is that by measuring reading, listening, speaking and writing skills at the same time, the TOEFL iBT accurately reflects candidates' real language competence.
TOEFL is prepared and administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), a private non-profit organisation headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey. The exam was created to measure and certify the English proficiency levels of international students. Colleges and universities, professional licensing programmes, companies, government agencies and scholarship programmes also use TOEFL results to see the achievement level of potential candidates.
The TOEFL iBT is held in many countries around the world. In Türkiye it is held in Istanbul first and foremost, as well as Ankara, İzmir, Adana and some other cities. Anyone who wants to find out their English level can take this exam and obtain an internationally valid score report.
You can apply for the exam online. You first need to register with ETS via the link below; then, following the steps in order and paying by credit card, you can choose the day and time you want to take the exam. TOEFL Practice Online https://toefl-registration.ets.org/TOEFLWeb/extISERLogonPrompt.do

If you wish, you can also register for the exam by phone. To book a TOEFL date, you can call 00 31 320 239 540 and register by giving the English-speaking TOEFL representative the information they request. If you register on the online registration page via the link above before booking by phone, you will wait less on the phone. You will be asked to state the ETS ID number you receive when you register. You will then be asked for the date and place you want, and once the credit card details you provide are approved, your date will be booked.
From July, the stated exam fee is 155 US dollars. This fee is paid by credit card directly to ETS (Educational Testing Services), the company that administers the exam, when booking the date. If there are fewer than 7 days left before the exam date, the fee will be 180 US dollars. Applications cannot be made when there are fewer than three days left before the exam. You can change an existing booking date up to three days before, for 40 US dollars.

DETAILS ABOUT THE EXAM

The total exam time is 4 hours 15 minutes. The TOEFL iBT consists of 4 sections.
Candidates complete, in order, the

• Reading,
• Listening,
• Speaking and
• Writing sections.
  
  
• The Reading Section
  There are at least 3 and at most 5 reading passages, with 12 to 14 questions for each. These questions measure both reading comprehension and vocabulary. The total time varies between 60 and 100 minutes depending on the texts given. Some questions are worth more points than others.
  
  
• The Listening Section
  Candidates are asked to listen to 4 to 6 talks and answer 6 questions for each. These talks are usually taken from 3-5-minute lectures by a university lecturer on any topic. Candidates may take notes while listening on paper handed out by the exam staff if they wish. In another question type, candidates must listen to 2 to 3 conversations, take notes and answer 5 questions for each. The total time varies between 60 and 100 minutes depending on the length of the talks. Some questions are worth more points than others.
  
  
• The Speaking Section
  In this section candidates are asked to give 6 different talks lasting 45-60 seconds. The talks are not in the form of a two-way conversation. Candidates answer the questions within the required time, and these answers are recorded by the computer and assessed later.
  In the first part, the candidate is given 15 seconds to think about an independent topic and then asked to speak for 45 seconds. There are two questions of this type. In the second part, candidates are first given a reading passage of 75-100 words and then listen to a 60-80-second talk on the same topic. After 30 seconds of preparation time, the candidate is asked to speak for 60 seconds. There are also 2 questions of this type. In the third part, the candidate listens to a talk on any topic and is asked to take notes. Then, after 20 seconds of preparation time, they are asked to answer the question by speaking for 60 seconds. There are also 2 questions of this type in total. Throughout all these tasks, candidates can take as many notes as they like and use them in their answers.
  
  
• The Writing Section
  The writing section also consists of two different parts. Candidates must type both essays on the computer. Candidates may use scratch paper if they wish.
  In the first part, candidates are asked to read a 300-word passage in 3 minutes. Candidates may take notes during this time. They then listen to a 2-minute talk on a topic related to the reading passage. Here, too, candidates may take notes if they wish. Finally, candidates are asked to write an essay of about 200 words on the topic they have read and heard about. The time given for this task is 20 minutes. The reading passage remains on screen during this time.
  In the second part, candidates are asked to write an essay of at least 300 words on a given topic. The time given is 30 minutes.
  The exam is scored for each section as shown in the table below.

These scores, determined separately for each section between 0 and 30, are not the total number of correct answers. They are the raw score obtained for that section. In addition, candidates are first given a score between 0 and 4 for the Speaking section and between 0 and 5 for the Writing section, and these scores are then converted into a raw score between 0 and 30.

After the exam, you can find out your score online 15 business days after the exam date by logging in to the online registration area with the username and password you received from ETS. It will take 4-6 weeks to reach you by post.

THE AIM OF THE CHANGES MADE TO THE EXAM SYSTEM WITH THE TOEFL IBT

• Measuring the ability to communicate at an academic level,
• Reflecting the level at which the language is really used,
• Ensuring best practice when learning and teaching English.

The new Speaking section assesses candidates' English speaking skills, while the added Integrated Writing and Speaking sections measure the ability to use language skills together when communicating. The new Integrated sections, which involve more than one skill, aim to reflect how the language is really used.
In the past, language learning was grammar-based, and students could get high scores without needing to develop their communication skills. Today, both teachers and learners understand the importance of communicating in English. Many English education programmes offer lessons focused on communication and using skills together. With the TOEFL iBT, the aim is for candidates to be able to use English in many ways and to go through practical training that goes beyond rote grammar knowledge.