TOEFL PRACTICE TEST : ABOUT TOEFL CBT

Test of English as a Foreign Language
The Test of English as a Foreign Language is an exam developed by ETS that measures the ability of non-native English speakers to function in an academic setting. Many colleges and universities, especially in the United States, require ESL students to submit a TOEFL score before they can apply to a program. The test evaluates listening, grammar, reading, and writing skills. The TOEFL is not for beginner ESL students. It is designed for students who are ready to prove that they have the ability to live and study in an English environment. There are two versions of the TOEFL. It is important that you familiarize yourself with the test that you will be taking.

Paper-Based & Computer-Based TOEFL
In 1998, a computer version of the TOEFL was established. The computer-based test (CBT) is very similar to the original paper-based test. It is the more popular version of the TOEFL. In areas where the computer-based test is not available, the paper-based test is used. In the CBT you will use headphones for the listening sections instead of a tape. You will also have visual stimuli and be able to see how much time you have left for each question. You cannot change your answers in the first two sections of the CBT after you have confirmed them on the computer. There are more "types" of questions in the CBT, such as clicking on a phrase and looking at a diagram. Before you start the CBT you will take a tutorial which shows you how to answer the questions properly. The total time you will spend taking the paper-based test is 2.5 hours. The CBT takes approximately 4 hours (including tutorials).

Here is the format of the TOEFL, showing the differences between the paper-based and computer-based versions:

TOEFL Format
Section Paper Based Computer Based
1 Listening Comprehension
30 minutes
Part A: Short dialogues
Part B: Long conversations
Part C: Mini-lectures Adaptive Listening
60 minutes
Part A: Short dialogues
Part B: Conversations, Academic discussions, Mini-lectures
2 Structure & Written Expression
25 minutes
Sentence completion (15 questions)
Error recognition (25 questions) Adaptive Structure
15-20 minutes
Sentence completion (approx. 10 questions)
Error recognition (approx. 15 questions)
3 Reading Comprehension
55 minutes
(50 questions - approx. 5 passages) Reading Comprehension
70-90 minutes
( 60+ questions - approx. 6 passages)
4 -- Writing
30 minutes
(1 essay topic)