TOEFL Exam Pattern 2023: Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing Papers Pattern

Jaya Laxmi
Jaya Laxmi

Updated on - Nov 18, 2023

TOEFL exam pattern 2023 consists of four sections of reading, listening, speaking, and writing, as well as a total score. Candidates should always practise as much as possible, as the more TOEFL sample papers they practise, the higher their results will be. The ETS, the organisation that oversees the TOEFL exam, determines the exam pattern. All of the study materials have been created, keeping TOEFL exam pattern 2021 in mind.

Six days following the start of the test, the TOEFL results will be available online. The final score is calculated by adding the points from all four skill areas. Aside from that, candidates have the option of selecting up to four Universities to send their score report to when they register for the TOEFL. As a result, as soon as the TOEFL results are released, ETS delivers the official score reports to the Universities that the student has chosen.

Candidates should be aware of the fact that all the individual sections carry equal weightage in terms of cumulative scores. The equal combination of all the sections gives the candidate's final score. Hence, it is important to prepare for all the parts or sections and equally perform during the TOEFL test.

The new TOEFL exam pattern is available below for candidates to review.

Sections in TOEFL 2023

To test the candidate's English language ability, the TOEFL has been divided into 4 skill areas, with a  separate score from 0 to 30, for each section. Details of the TOEFL exam pattern are given below:

TOEFL Sections

Sections/Skills

Scores

Reading

0 - 30

Listening

0 - 30

Speaking

0 - 30

Writing

0 - 30

Total Score

0 - 120

  • The total TOEFL score is the sum of scores of all 4 skills. To receive a score, it is compulsory to attempt at least one question in the Reading section by writing at least 1 essay and the Listening section by completing at least 1 speaking task.
  • The TOEFL duration may vary from 3 hours and 10 Minutes (190 Minutes) to 4 Hours (240 Minutes), with an additional 10 Minutes break between the Listening and Speaking sections. 
  • Time is varied because the Reading section may take 54-72 minutes and the Listening section may take 41-57 minutes. Below is a table of sections with the respective number of questions and tasks.

Section

Time

Questions

Tasks

Reading

54-72 minutes

30–40 questions

Read 3 or 4 passages from academic texts and answer questions. Each passage contains 12-14 questions

Listening

41-57 minutes

30–40 questions

Listen to lectures, classroom discussions and conversations, then answer questions. Each one contains 5-6 questions

Speaking

17 minutes

4 tasks

Express an opinion on a familiar topic; speak based on reading and listening tasks.

Writing

50 minutes

2 tasks

Write essay responses based on reading and listening tasks; support an opinion in writing.
  • Native-speaking English Accents: After the exam, you will be joining Universities abroad, where you will encounter English speaking people of various accents, some such accents have been added in the Listening and Speaking sections.
  • Negative Marking: There are no negative marks for wrong answers in the TOEFL Exam.
  • Additional Questions: There can be additional questions that would be present in the examination such as in the Reading or Listening, which are not actually considered for scoring. They are simply to test the new questions' functionality. Still, the candidate is expected to attempt all of the questions, because we cannot know which among the questions is not considered for marking.

 Note: There is a mandatory break between the first two and the second two sections. The break is of 10 minutes.

Now that you know how the exam pattern will be, you can look at TOEFL Eligibility Criteria to see what are the general criteria for the exam and also, what are all the things that you should take to the exam.

Check the TOEFL Syllabus for understanding what all the things do the Exam consists of.

FAQs

What does the TOEFL exam pattern 2022 comprise of?

The TOEFL exam pattern 2022 comprises four sections that are reading, listening, speaking and writing, along with the total score.

After how many days will the result of TOEFL will be out?

Six days after the start of the test, the TOEFL results will be available online.

How do I send my TOEFL scores to universities in other countries?

When you pay your TOEFL test fee, you will receive four free TOEFL score reports from ETS, the TOEFL exam's administering body, which will be sent to your pre-selected universities. Candidates who want to transmit their scorecards to more universities might do so for a charge.

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