English
TOEFL
Read how the TOEFL iBT is built and how the score is reported. The lessons and questions in Surf Language are further down.
What is this exam?
The TOEFL iBT measures reading, listening, writing, and speaking in English. ETS runs the test. You take it on a computer at a test centre, or at home as the TOEFL iBT Home Edition with a live proctor.
Who is it for?
Universities and other institutions use it when they want a measure of academic English. The score you need depends on the place you are applying to, so check with them.
Which skills does it test?
It tests reading, listening, writing, and speaking. Reading and listening adapt to the answers you give. Writing and speaking are their own sections.
What are the sections?
The sections come in this order: Reading, Listening, Writing, then Speaking.
- Reading — About 30 minutes and 50 questions.
- Listening — About 29 minutes and 47 questions.
- Writing — About 23 minutes and 12 questions.
- Speaking — About 8 minutes and 11 questions.
Those times do not include the directions. Because the test adapts, the time and the number of questions can change. ETS asks you to allow about two hours.
Task types
From 21 January 2026 the task names are these. Reading: Complete the Words, Read in Daily Life, Read an Academic Passage. Listening: Listen and Choose a Response, Listen to a Conversation, Listen to an Announcement, Listen to an Academic Talk. Writing: Build a Sentence, Write an Email, Write for an Academic Discussion. Speaking: Listen and Repeat, and Take an Interview. Reading and listening adapt to your answers. The report shows 1–6 in steps of 0.5, and until January 2028 it also shows a comparable total on the old 0–120 scale.
How are the results scored?
Each section and the overall result are reported on a 1–6 scale, in steps of 0.5. The overall score is the average of the four sections, rounded to the nearest half band. For two years after January 2026, the score report also shows a comparable overall score on the 0–120 scale.
What prep is in Surf Language?
Topic lessons
Topic lessons for the TOEFL are in the app. This page does not name each lesson. Open the app to see them.
Practice questions
Practice questions are there too. They are not the official questions published by ETS. Surf Language is not a partner of ETS.
Where can I start?
Read the sections on this page first. Then open the app, work through the topic lessons, and answer the questions. You can come back to anything that was difficult. The button opens the web app.
