The TOEFL Exam: What the Test Is About

The TOEFL exam has four sections: Listening, Structure, Reading, and Writing. The Listening section measures your ability to understand English as spoken in North America. If you have lived in an English-speaking country or region where the accent is different than you will find on the TOEFL exam, you may need to spend some extra time adjusting to the sound of American English. The Structure section of the exam tests your knowledge of English grammar and usage, including topics such as verb tenses, idioms, and parallel structure. The Reading section measures your ability to understand passages written in English. You will be asked to identify the main idea, determine the meaning of vocabulary words, identify specific details, and draw inferences based upon the passage. Finally, the Writing section will ask you to write a short essay on a general topic. A list of possible topics is included in the TOEFL® Computer-Based Test Information Bulletin and online at www.toefl.org.