TOEFL Exam 2024 Pattern: What to Expect?

TOEFL Exam Pattern: The TOEFL exam is conducted for 2 hours. This widely accepted English Proficiency Test for students is famous worldwide for university admissions. The TOEFL exam pattern and syllabus are more centred around academics, literature, science etc., hence the popularity among students. It is crucial to understand the exam pattern before starting the exam preparation. That said, read the complete blog to learn more about the TOEFL 2024 exam pattern.  

Name of Exam	TOEFL ( Test of English as a Foreign Language )
TOEFL Exam Fee	USD 195
TOEFL Score Range	0-120
Number of Sections	4 (Reading, Writing, Listening & Speaking)
Exam Duration	1 hour 56 minutes
Conducting Body	ETS

What is TOEFL?

TOEFL Exam: TOEFL is an English proficiency test which assesses a candidate’s reading, listening, grammar, and writing skills, especially for non-native English speakers. TOEFL is conducted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and is widely accepted by over 12,000 universities and academic institutions in more than 160 countries, such as the US, the UK, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia as well as across Asia and Europe.

Latest Updates on TOEFL 2024

The TOEFL exam has undergone significant modifications in 2024, aimed at enhancing the test-taking experience and aligning it more closely with the demands of academic environments.

• Reduced Exam Duration: The most prominent alteration is the reduction in exam time. The TOEFL iBT now takes approximately 116 minutes to complete, a substantial decrease from the previous 3-hour format.
• Streamlined Reading Section: The reading section has been condensed to improve efficiency without compromising its assessment of critical reading skills.
• Elimination of Unscored Questions: To provide a more focused and less time-consuming experience, all unscored questions have been removed from the exam.
• Enhanced User Interface: Test-takers can expect clearer instructions and improved navigation throughout the exam.
• Local Payment Options: ETS has introduced local payment options to facilitate the registration process for candidates worldwide.

TOEFL Exam Pattern 2024

TOEFL 2024 Exam Pattern: Individuals who wish to sit for the TOEFL exam in 2024 must go through the exam pattern to understand the nuances of the exam. Going through the revised TOEFL exam pattern will not only help you understand the types of questions that may be asked but will also make you confident enough to tackle the proficiency test with ease.

Test Section	TOEFL Exam Pattern 2024
Reading	2 reading passages (10 questions each ) Total time: 36 minutes (no changes to question types)
Listening	3 lectures (Each 3-5 minutes; 6 questions each) 2 conversations (Each 3 minutes; 5 questions each) No more unscored questions Total Time: 36 minutes  (no changes to question types)
Speaking	No changes to the speaking section
Writing	2 writing tasks Integrated Task 1 (20 minutes) Academic Discussion Task 2 (10 minutes) Total time: 30 minutes

Section-Wise TOEFL iBT Exam 2024 Pattern

TOEFL iBT Exam Pattern: Keeping abreast of TOEFL’s section-wise exam pattern will equip test-takers with a better understanding of the exam and its nuances. Doing so will give you a solid perspective of what to expect in every section of the exam.

This will even help you formulate better strategies and allocate your time according to different sections and their question types. Refer to the data given below to go through the section-wise pattern of the TOEFL exam.

Section	Questions / Duration	Tasks
Reading	Questions: 20 questions Duration: 35 minutes	Reading three to four academic text excerpts and responding to questions based on them.
Listening	Questions: 28 Duration: 36 minutes	Answering questions based on lectures, dialogues, and classroom discussions that you have just listened to.
Break: 10 minutes
Speaking	Questions: 4 tasks Duration: 16 minutes	Candidates must talk based on reading and listening exercises and provide their viewpoints on a common topic.
Writing	Questions: 2 tasks Duration: 29 minutes	Candidates need to write essay responses based on reading and listening tasks, along with supporting their opinion in writing.

TOEFL Reading Section Pattern

The TOEFL exam pattern of the Reading section is about testing your comprehension skills. Therefore, the central idea of most of the passages revolves around everyday issues and are usually excerpts from high-education-level textbooks. 

Composition	2 Comprehension Passages, Length 700 words Number of Questions: 10 questions per passage.
Duration of the Test	New time limit: 35 Minutes
Type of Questions	Multiple-choice questions with one correct answer
Score Scale	0-30

How to Attempt the Reading Section?

• You need not read the section thoroughly. You have to skim through the passage to get a surface-level knowledge of the central idea of the passage.
• Don’t waste much time reading the passage as the questions are tricky and they do require a thorough reading.
• Ensure that you answer the questions as per the text provided to you and not according to your opinion and belief.
• The passages are descriptive and the facts are often presented confusingly so you have to be careful while skimming the information.

TOEFL Listening Section Pattern

ETS includes listening activities in the TOEFL exam pattern to examine a candidate’s ability to comprehend the audio and summarise the information correctly. 

The audio could be of a speech or a talk. It could be a general discussion or some kind of conflict resolution. Below are the details of this section.

Composition	2 lectures 3–5 minutes long each 6 questions based on each lecture 3 conversations each 3 minutes long 5 questions based on each conversation
Duration of the Test	Latest Duration: 36 Minutes
Type of Questions	Multiple-choice with only one correct response to them
Score Scale	0 – 30

How to Attempt the Listening Section?

• You have to carefully listen to the audio and understand the subject. 
• You need to comprehend the tone of the speaker.
• The section involving a conversion can be a little tricky as you have to keep track of what each speaker is saying.

TOEFL Speaking Section Pattern

The integrated task is based on the text where a combination of your skills [Reading-Speaking/ Listening-Speaking/ Listening] is assessed.

On the other hand, the Independent questions in the TOEFL exam pattern of this section evaluate your articulation ability. and the audio provided for the reading and the listening section respectively.

Composition	4 tasks – one independent & 3 integrated (question number 2-4). Requires to present your views on a given subject.
Duration of the Test	Latest Duration: 16 Minutes
Type of Questions	You will speak into the microphone and your recorded answers will be evaluated.
Score Scale	Evaluated by a human rater and an AI-based rater, Both grade it on a 0 to 4 scale, The score is scaled to a range of 0 to 30.

How to Attempt the Speaking Section?

• Don’t try to prepare a speech that you can memorize and deliver.
• Decide the points you want to present and put them in order so that your presentation seems structured. 
• Practise TOEFL speaking topics before appearing for the exam.

TOEFL Writing Section Pattern

There are two sub-sections in this section. For Integrated Question – Read a passage, listen to a lecture, and write down your answers. Independent Question – You have to write an essay. 

Composition	2 tasks One independent & one integrated.
Duration of the Test	Latest Duration: 29 Minutes Task 1 – 20 Minutes Task 2 – 09 Minutes
Type of Questions	You will have to type the answers which will be then sent to ETS.
Score Scale	The Writing Section is evaluated by a human and an AI-based rater, Both grade it on a scale of 0 to 5, Scores are scaled to a range of 0 to 30.

How to Attempt the Writing Section?

• Make a blueprint of what you want to write in your head.
• Have a proper structure and a good flow to what you are writing.

TOEFL Syllabus 2024

TOEFL Syllabus: The TOEFL, or Test of English as a Foreign Language, measures your English proficiency for academic success. It evaluates your abilities in four key areas: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. 

Each section focuses on university-level materials, mimicking the communication you’ll encounter in your studies. By understanding the specific skills tested in each section (outlined in the table below), you can effectively prepare and demonstrate your readiness for thriving in an English-speaking academic environment.

Section	Description	Focus Skills
Reading	Passages from academic sources	Comprehension, analysis, and vocabulary in an academic context
Listening	Lectures and conversations on academic topics	Understanding details, main ideas, and speaker’s purpose
Speaking	Independent and integrated tasks	Expressing ideas clearly, supporting arguments, summarising information
Writing	Independent and integrated tasks	Summarising information, expressing opinions, using evidence

TOEFL Exam Scores & Results 2024

Refer to the data below to go through the TOEFL sections and their scoring range. Here is how TOEFL scores are divided along the four sections of the TOEFL exam.

Section Score Range		Level
Reading 0 to 30		Advanced (24–30) high-Intermediate (18–23) Low-Intermediate (4–17) Below Low-Intermediate (0–3)
Listening 0 to 30		Advanced (22–30) high-intermediate (17–21) Low-Intermediate (9–16) Below Low-Intermediate (0–8)
Speaking 0 to 30		Advanced (25–30) high-intermediate (20–24) Low-Intermediate (16–19) Basic (10–15)Below Basic (0–9
Writing 0 to 30		Advanced (24–30) high-intermediate (17–23) Low-Intermediate (13–16) Basic (7–12) Below Basic (0–6)
Total Score 0-120		These are added together for a total score of 0–120.

So that was all about the TOEFL exam pattern. Hope the blog has answered your queries regarding the topic.

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