Established in 1964, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is designed to evaluate the ability of non-native speakers wishing to enroll in English speaking universities. It is recognised by many English speaking academic and professional institutions. It is one of two major English language tests in the world, the other being the IELTS. It was developed by and is trademark of Educational Testing Service (ETS), a private non-profit organisation which designs and administers the tests, and issues official score reports which are valid for two years after the test.
TOEFL is generally now offered as iBT (internet Based Test) which has progressively replaced CBT (Computer Based Testing) and paper based tests.
As iBT can be taken at home, the demand for seats has grown rapidly, but it is now possible to take the test within one to four weeks of registering. The test is four hours long, and consists of four main secrions:
If the test is taken at home, it is monitored by an invigilator who is able to view the desktop by means of the computer's built-in camera. As a result of Covid-19, the home test has become more widely used, often being the only option available.
TOEFL can also be taken as a paper-based test where there is no internet coverage or where there are computer usage issues.
