The full form of TOEFL is ‘Test of English as a Foreign Language’. Introduced in 1963 by agencies like Fullbright, The Agency for International Development, AMIDEAST and Latin America Scholarship Programs as a standard measure of English proficiency for their candidates, the test kept on increasing its popularity over the years and spread to almost all parts of the world.

The TOEFL measures the ability of non-native speakers of English to use and understand English as it is spoken, written, and heard in college and university settings. The TOEFL test is a requirement for admission into colleges and universities where instruction is in English.

The TOEFL test is offered in different formats depending on a test taker's location. The three different formats are:

1. PBT- paper based TOEFL
2. CBT- Computer based TOEFL
3. IBT- Internet based TOEFL

The computer- and paper-based (CBT, PBT) versions of the TOEFL test will be given at a particular location until the Internet-based version is implemented.

Internet Based Test of TOEFL is now applicable for the Next Generation. This one is the most updated and modern way of testing one’s English skills.

The TOEFL® iBT (Internet-based Test) tests all four language skills that are important for effective communication:

1. Speaking
2. Listening
3. Reading
4. Writing

The test helps students demonstrate that they have the English skills needed for success. The TOEFL iBT also emphasizes integrated skills and provides better information to institutions about students' ability to communicate in an academic setting and their readiness for academic coursework.

The TOEFL iBT Reading and Listening sections are not dramatically different from those on the current TOEFL test.

The integrated tasks on the TOEFL iBT Speaking and Writing sections may be considered more challenging because they are new to test takers.

The integrated tasks in the new test will help learners build the confidence needed to communicate in the academic environments they plan to enter.

The iBt TOEFL is more up-to-date and challenging than the previously taken tests which were cBT/ pBT. In order to get more familiar with the new format, it is recommended to take practice tests before the actual test.

With Internet-based testing, ETS can capture speech and score responses in a standardized manner.

Online registration and online score reporting make it easier for students to register for the TOEFL iBT and receive their test scores.

Registration can be done in 3 ways:

• Online
• Telephone
• Postal

Online Registration:

Register online here:

https://toefl-registration.ets.org/TOEFLWeb/extISERLogonPrompt.do

Requirements for online registration:

• A valid credit card is required (American Express®, Discover®, JCB®, MasterCard®, or Visa® card), or an electronic check (e-check) if you have a bank account in the United States or its territories.
• Registration is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Early registration closes seven days prior to the test date (not including the day of the test).
• Late registration closes three days prior to the test date (not including the day of the test).
• Registrations received after the early registration deadline incur a late fee of US$25.

Registration by Phone:

Requirements are the same as for online registration.

When registering by phone, you are given a

• registration number, which you must bring to the test center on test day
• test date
• reporting time
• test center address

Registration by Mail:

• Fill in all information on the Registration Form (PDF) available here (http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/ TOEFL_iBT_Registration_Form_06_07.pdf).
• Include payment.
• Mail the completed form. Mailing instructions are on the form.
• Registration forms must be received by ETS or your Regional Registration Center at least four weeks before your requested first-choice test date.
• Test takers with disabilities must use the Registration Form. If you wish to pay by credit card, write your credit card number and expiration date at the top of the form. Only test takers with disabilities can submit this form using a credit card; all others must submit either a check or money order.

The fee varies by country. The fee for the test administration with all the score cards is varies between US$150 to US$170. It can be paid by:

• Credit card
• E-check - drawn on a U.S.-based bank.
• Check in U.S. dollars or any other acceptable currency which are: Australian dollar, British pound, Canadian dollar, Danish kroner, Euro, Hong Kong dollar, Japanese yen, New Zealand dollar, Norwegian kroner, Singapore dollar, Swedish kroner, Swiss franc,
• Money order
• Eurochecks in Europe drawn on a bank in the same country as the currency

Payments submitted in currencies other than those listed above will not be accepted and will be returned.

Do not send cash or demand drafts.

The test is administered on fixed dates at secure Internet-based test centers. Internet-based testing makes it possible to greatly expand the number of test centers in what is already the world's largest testing network.

Most areas where the TOEFL iBT is offered will have 30 to 40 administrations a year, but the number will vary based on the number of test takers and test center capacity.

The TOEFL test is 4-hour long and includes the time required for giving instructions & a break also.

THE DIVISION OF THE 4 HRS:

• An acceptable and valid identification document(s), with a photograph and signature, which you specified when you registered to test.
• Your registration number. Print out your registration confirmation right before the test day. If there is a change in the test center (e.g., a different building than originally scheduled), it will be updated in your profile.
• Personal items other than ID are not allowed in the testing room.
• You are not allowed to carry anything, like paper, notebook, pencils or pens.
• You will be provided with paper, pencil and headphones by the supervisor available there.
• You will have to deposit personal items such as cell phones, pagers, PDAs, Blackberry® devices, handbags, and study materials.

Majority of the questions are based on multiple choice questions. But there are some sections, like the ‘Speaking’ & ‘Writing’ sections where there will be variations in the question pattern.

Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing - this is the order in which the test is conducted and you can’t violate this order while taking your TOEFL-test.

No, the test doesn’t allow any negative marking. Therefore it is recommended to the candidates that if you are stuck in-between answers, you can opt for a wild guess, rather than leaving it blank.

There is a mandatory ten-minute break midway through the testing session, between the Listening and Speaking sections. This is the only official break in the 4 hours of the test.

Yes. The new score scale is shown here.

The cBT test is the Computer-Based-TOEFL which is structured around 4 sectional tests - Reading, Writing, Listening & Structural.

The newly launched system iBT test i.e. Internet-Based-TOEFL test by the ETS, is considered to be the most up-to-date form of testing a candidate’s overall English skills for the generation next. Apart from Reading, Writing & Listening sections the iBT also included the Speaking section and a detailed scoring report within a span of 15 working days from the day of the test.

The major differences are:

• The TOEFL iBT has a new Speaking section, which includes independent and integrated tasks.
• iBT has Integrated task added within its sections which tests a test-taker’s several language skills. For example, a test-taker has to read and take notes, then listen & take notes before he speaks/writes his final answer.
• There is no longer a Structure section. Grammar is tested on questions and tasks in each section.
• Lectures and conversations in the Listening section are longer, but note-taking is allowed. In fact, note-taking is allowed throughout the entire test.
• The speech in the listening material sounds more natural. Also, there are new questions that measure understanding of a speaker's attitude, degree of certainty, and purpose.
• The Reading section has new questions that ask test takers to categorize information and fill in a chart or complete a summary.
• The Writing section requires typing. There is an integrated task in addition to the current independent task.

Once a city is scheduled to deliver TOEFL iBT, TOEFL CBT registration will stop, and TOEFL iBT registration will begin. Since examinees prepare differently for the CBT and iBT tests, any CBT TOEFL appointments scheduled at the time of the transition will be honored. For CBT, this means that there is a possibility that examinees may sit for a TOEFL CBT on a Thursday in a particular city, while on the following Saturday others will sit for the TOEFL iBT version in that same city.

TOEFL CBT is currently available for scheduling through May 31 in all cities and countries except for France, Germany and Italy, and the new iBT locations at Tirana, Albania; Arad, Romania; Timisoara, Romania; Irkutsk, Russia; Valencia, Spain; Cochabamba, Bolivia; Nablus, West Bank; and Ramallah, West Bank. However, as stated above, once a city is ready to deliver TOEFL iBT, TOEFL CBT registration will be discontinued. As more iBT centers are being prepared, there will be fewer CBT test dates available as it will be fully converted to TOEFL iBT.