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Colleges in English-speaking countries need students to take the TOEFL Test, therefore understanding the TOEFL Syllabus 2025 is important. Preparing according to the syllabus is important since the exam evaluates English skills and the ability to interact efficiently in academic and professional environment.
If students who have finished their 12th, keep up to date on the TOEFL syllabus and exam patterns, it may open doors to prestigious colleges all around the world. In this article, we will look at the exam structure, section-by-section syllabus , and question types of each section to help you in TOEFL Exam 2025.
The TOEFL syllabus was created to evaluate candidates' reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in a university environment. The TOEFL test examines the applicants' diverse skills and measures their English language proficiency. This page covers the whole TOEFL syllabus, including the writing, reading, listening, and speaking sections of the test. However, before you begin reviewing the syllabus, you should register for the TOEFL test to ensure that you get a suitable exam slot.
TOEFL test analyse your ability to read, listen, speak, and write in English. The exam consists of two types:
TOEFL IBT (Internet-Based Test)
This kind is the most often used. It's a computer-based test that you take at a location of your choice.
TOEFL Paper-Based Test (PBT)
This is another kind that is only accessible in locations where online test is not conducted. It is, however, not very common.
Both tests take around 3 hours. There are four sections: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Each section would properly evaluate one area of your language proficiency, ensuring that you can function in an academic setting.
The TOEFL syllabus consists of four sections: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Every section has a certain amount of questions, question types, and difficulties. The necessary details for each of the four parts is provided below.
The TOEFL reading part evaluates your ability to read and comprehend academic-related information. You will be given three or four passages taken from university-level textbooks. Each paragraph is around 700 words long and has ten questions. The reading test lasts around 54-72 minutes. The overall number of questions is around 36 to 56. You can answer to the questions by using the information given in the passage.
Here are few question types in the TOEFL Reading section given below:
Factual information Question frameworks are designed to identify the main concepts, additional details, and definitions. These questions use language like "According to the paragraph," or "Paragraph X answers which of the following?"And, negative factual knowledge questions include four answers; three of them are true and you must identify which one is incorrect. When answering these questions, keep the terms 'NOT' and 'EXCEPT' in mind.
Inference questions require you to find information or comprehend an idea that is not clearly expressed in the reading material. Inference questions may be identified by terms such as 'infer', 'imply', or'suggest'. In addition, rhetorical questions require you to identify an idea that is not clearly represented in the paragraph. It involves answering questions about why the author provided certain content.
In vocabulary questions, you must identify or determine the meaning of the words and phrases used in the source material. These questions include terms such as 'closest meaning' and 'the author means'.
Sentence simplification questions require you to find the sentence that has the same meaning as the original section. You must choose a statement that summarises the most significant facts in a straightforward way.
Insert text questions need you to analyse the logical arrangement of concepts in the paragraph. Each reading passage will have one insert text question.
The TOEFL Listening part evaluates your ability to comprehend English lectures and conversations. You will have 41 to 57 minutes to finish that portion. The overall number of questions will be about 34 - 51. You will listen to three to four lectures, each lasting three to four minutes and including six questions.
In addition, you must address 2-4 discussions every 3 minutes, with 5 questions each conversation. You may make notes while listening to the audio, which can help you answer relevant questions.
The TOEFL Listening section has the following categories of questions:
Gist-content questions require you to identify the main topic or concept from the listening discussion or lecture. Gist-purpose questions ask you to identify the primary aim of the discussion or lesson.
To answer the detailed questions, you must recall particular information from the lecture you just listened to. These questions will focus on intellectual elements, not minor details.
Function questions require you to determine the unique meaning of a statement in a certain context, since the meaning of each statement varies based on the situation in question.
Attitude questions are meant to assess your ability to comprehend the speaker's emotions or attitude towards something.
Organisation questions are designed to assess your knowledge of the lecture's structure.
In Connecting Content Questions, you must find the links between topics presented in the lecture.
Inference questions evaluate the understanding of concepts that are not clearly addressed in the lecture.
The TOEFL Speaking part includes four different types of questions/tasks that evaluate your ability to speak English in academic background. The questions are meant to reflect real-life scenarios that you could experience in and out of the classroom. The TOEFL speaking test lasts 17 minutes. The scoring range is 0 to 30. The total number of speaking tasks is six.
The types of questions in the TOEFL Speaking portion are as follows:
For this task, you have to share your views, opinions, and experiences. You will have 15 seconds to prepare the answer and 45 seconds to deliver it.
Question two regarding campus-related events. In this task , you will read a text regarding campus-related issues. You will also listen to the discussion related to the topic at hand. Then you will have 30 seconds to prepare the answer and 60 seconds to deliver it.
These questions will be relevant to the academic courses. In this task, you will read a text related to the academic topic. In addition, you are going to see a lecture on the same topic. You have 30 seconds to prepare your response and 60 seconds to speak it.
The TOEFL Writing section evaluates your academic English writing effectively. The TOEFL writing test takes 50 minutes. There are two writing tasks. First, you will read a brief passage, listen to a short lecture, and then write an answer based on what you learnt from reading and listening. The second task requires you to write an essay based on your own viewpoint or experience with the given writing subject.
Here are types of questions in the TOEFL Writing section given below:
Integrated writing task (20 min)
You must read a short paragraph followed by a short lecture. Finally, compose your answer based on what you've read and listened. There is no word limit for your answer, however a typical effective answer is 150-225 words.
Independent writing task (30 minutes)
You will be given a question and asked to write an essay on a problem. There is no maximum word count for an essay, but an effective answer usually contains at least 300 words.
Since you now know the TOEFL test syllabus, we will provide you some tips on how to pass this TOEFL test.
To begin, think about doing the TOEFL section-by-section syllabus, which is provided below. You may download the TOEFL Syllabus PDF from official website and use it to constantly practise the key elements.
A good vocabulary is very important for achieving success in the reading and speaking parts. Review additional terms using flashcards, TOEFL word master, or other vocabulary apps to create a type of memory stick.
Use just English, watch TED Talks, and listen to academic lectures.
Learn essay format, transition words, and formal tone. Use example prompts to get familiar to the TOEFL-specific writing format.
Practice tests to get a sense of the test structure and time limit. This may assist identify areas of strength and weakness.
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