Why Choose the TOEFL iBT Test?

Accepted and preferred worldwide

When you choose TOEFL iBT to show your English proficiency, universities notice and know you’re ready to succeed. Accepted by more than 13,000 universities and other institutions in over 160 countries, and preferred worldwide, the TOEFL iBT is the world's premier English-language test for study, work and immigration.

Available worldwide

Access the TOEFL iBT almost anywhere in the world, with testing available in more than 200 countries and territories.

TOEFL iBT Test Content, Structure and Administration

The TOEFL test measures all four academic skills — reading, listening, speaking and writing — the way they’re used in the classroom.

The language used in the test closely reflects how English is used in everyday academic settings, and the test contains 100% academic content with integrated tasks.

Content sections and structure

The TOEFL iBT test is broken up into four sections and takes about 2 hours to complete.

2 passages, each 700 words
- multiple-focus passages (compare/contrast, cause/effect)
- 10 questions for each passage
Estimated Timing: 35 minutes
Score scale: 0–30

3 lectures, some with classroom discussion, each 3–5 minutes, 6 questions each
2 conversations, each 3 minutes, 5 questions each
Estimated Timing: 36 minutes
Score scale: 0–30

4 tasks
- 1 independent task to express an opinion on a familiar topic
- 3 integrated tasks based on what is read and heard
- Up to 30 seconds to prepare the response, up to 1 minute to respond
Estimated Timing: 16 minutes
Score scale: 0–30

2 tasks:
- 1 20-minute integrated task based on what is read and heard
- 1 10-minute Writing for an Academic Discussion task to state and support an opinion in an online classroom discussion
Estimated Timing: 29 minutes
Score scale: 0–30

Administration and testing options

The TOEFL iBT test is offered two ways:

TOEFL iBT test: on a computer at an authorized test center
TOEFL iBT Home Edition: on a computer at home, monitored by a live human proctor
TOEFL iBT Paper Edition: The TOEFL iBT Paper Edition test will no longer be offered after January 20, 2024, but Paper Edition test scores remain valid and accepted for two years after the test date.

Scoring

The total score possible is 0–120.
Responses from the Speaking and Writing sections are scored by a combination of AI scoring and ETS-certified raters.

Comparing TOEFL iBT and IELTS scores

Total Score Comparison Table

The table shows how TOEFL iBT total scores align with IELTS Academic overall band scores.

TOEFL iBT Score(0–120)	IELTS Band(0–9)
120	9
115	8.5
108	8
100	7.5
91	7
81	6.5
67	6
51	5.5
37	5
26	4.5
14	4

TOEFL iBT Test Security

In the academic community, we’re all dealing with a world where the motivation and capability to commit academic and admissions cheating is on the rise. There is significant competition among students applying to academic programs, which can result in attempts by test takers to gain an unfair advantage on required tests or falsify score information.

Results you can trust

ETS has long been at the forefront of combatting test security concerns, and we are continually invest in and implement new, state-of-the-art measures to help protect the integrity of TOEFL test scores. With these efforts, the TOEFL iBT test offers the best security of any English-language assessment.

Test-day security procedures include biometric voice identification, facial recognition and the use of electronic wanding at test centers.
For the TOEFL iBT Home Edition, ETS employs both live human proctors and artificial intelligence technology to prevent and detect suspicious activity.
The TOEFL Speech Sample Service and test-taker photos confirm student identity.
All human rating is done anonymously, eliminating opportunities for fraud between test takers and interviewers.
Since scoring isn't done at test centers and records aren't stored there, opportunities for scoring fraud are virtually nonexistent.
Tests are delivered directly from ETS to the test taker's computer, minimizing opportunities to steal content.