The Test of English as a Foreign Language is a test to measure the level of English proficiency of non-native speakers of English. It is required  by American and other English language colleges and universities. Also, government agencies or scholarship programs may require the test. The test currently has the following sections: The TOEFL test was introduced as a computer based test in July 1998 in many parts of the world. It combines many of the same question types as the traditional paper based test with new question types that can be offered only on the computer. The exam has 4 sections

Listening -- Measures ability to understand English as it is spoken in North America.
You will use headphones to listen to the conversations and talks. While you are listening, pictures of the speakers or other information will be presented on your computer screen. There are two parts to the Listening section, with special directions for each part. You must answer each question in the Listening  section before you can go on to the next one.

Structure -- Measures ability to recognize language that is appropriate for standard written English.
There are two types of questions in this section. The first tutorial consists of incomplete sentences. Beneath each sentence are four words or phrases. You will choose the one word or phrase that best completes the sentence.

The second type of question has four underlined words or phrases. You will choose the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed for the sentence to be correct You must answer each question in the Structure section  before you can go on to the next one.

Reading -- 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. In Reading, you will be allowed to go back and change your answers.

 

Writing -- 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. On the day of the test, you will be given a topic and will have 30 minutes to write an essay on that topic. Before the topic is presented, you must choose whether to type your essay on the computer or to write your essay on the answer sheet provided.

What Your TOEFL Score Means
The TOEFL test is scored on a scale of 217 to 677 points. There is no passing score on the TOEFL test, but various institutions have their own TOEFL score requirements. You must find out from each institution what TOEFL score is required.

To succeed in the test it is important to work on improving your knowledge of the English language and  work on the skills and strategies specific to the TOEFL test .

More information is available at

www.toefl.org