Today we are going to go over and provide some information on the registration process for the TOEFL test. These are some of the registration info you should now.

First of all you should by when you need to take the TOEFL exam and send in your TOEFL score. By knowing your deadline date you will know exactly how much time you have to prepare for the exam.

Different schools might have different deadlines for applications. It’s important to know that ETS mail out your score thirteen days after you have taken the exam. Keep in mind you have to include additional time for the score to arrive in your planning.

If you do not have a deadline, set aside enough time for you to be able to prepare properly when deciding test date.

How Do You Register for the TOEFL?

To register for the TOEFL test you need to create an ETS account. From there you can pick a date online among the available test dates. You can also register through phone and mail. Check out available test dates here.

TOEFL Score Report

ETS can automatically send your TOEFL score to a school or agency. You can pick out four schools or agencies for free.

These are few of the things you should know before registering for the TOEFL test. Make sure you have plenty of time to prepare for the TOEFL so you can dominate the exam!

Many students often ask us what the difference is between the TOEFL iBT and the TOEFL PBT test. Today we are going to go over the differences between these two versions of the TOEFL.

iBT stands for Internet based test and PBT stands for paper-based test. You will take the TOEFL iBT on a computer, using a headset to listen, a microphone for your speaking parts and typing your answers on a keyboard for the writing section. The TOEFL PBT test is a strictly paper and pencil based exam.

The TOEFL iBT is more available compared to the PBT. ETS, recently announced that they will eventually remove the PBT version and only offer the iBT version. However, the TOEFL PBT is still available in a few countries where internet access is limited.

Both the iBT and PBT include the sections reading, listening, and writing. However, the PBT also includes a grammar section (Structure and Written Expression) while the iBT includes a speaking section.

The iBT and PBT do not only differ in the way it is taken but the score scale also differs between the two versions.

The length of the exams are also different between the two versions, the iBT is about one hour longer than the PBT. This is due to the iBT having longer texts and two essays on the writing section. The PBT has only one essay writing part.

Which version of the TOEFL is easier?
We often hear this question from many students and the answer is that both versions are comparable in terms of difficulty and overall level. You may have advantages on different versions due to the different formats but they are rarely substantial.

We have posted couple of articles that cover the TOEFL reading section (TOEFL reading tips and quick TOEFL reading overview). Now we have combined the two into a TOEFL video that cover the most important points.

If you are about to take the TOEFL test and have a couple minutes to spare, this video will be advantageous as you prepare for the test. Learn what expect from the TOEFL reading section.

We covered the TOEFL integrated speaking topics with an earlier post. Today we are going to look at the TOEFL independent speaking topics.

These are the topics you will often see during the TOEFL independent speaking section.

Personal topics and opinion

You can expect questions regarding your personal opinions on broad topics. This could be anything from a famous person to a place you may have visited. The best way to answer personal opinion questions is to describe the reasoning behind your opinion. Remember there is no right or wrong answers as long as you can provide examples or evidence that support your opinion.

Supporting an opinion

Much like the personal questions, these topics will be general in subject. But rather than just giving your opinion about a topic you will often be asked to compare and contrast between two different options. Remember there is no right or wrong answer as you long as you can provide examples or evidence that supports your opinion.

Practical Integrated

You will also see some integrated question types with conversations and short reading materials. The topic is usually related to general and everyday issues that students might have.

Academic Integrated

The two academic integrated questions are based on academic lectures. These topics will include both listening and reading material, usually from an introductory college class.

3 TOEFL Independent Speaking Tips

1. Mix up your answers; do not use the same phrases for each response.

2. Prepare and practice to give your answers within the time limit.

3. Get your statement out there; do not waste time circling around the subject.

It’s a common reaction for test-takers to panic when answers are supposed to be within a specific timeframe during the TOEFL speaking section.

However, with good preparation you are less likely to get startled when speaking under time pressure.

Many test-takers worry about their answer and overanalyze what the right answer should be. Remember on the independent section there is no wrong answer! The same applies to the integrated speaking task, pick a side and simply provide reasons to support your decision within the source material.

One of the most important factors of your TOEFL speaking score is being able to finish your answer within the given timeframe.

You should always start concluding your answer when you see the timer having less than ten seconds left. A good exercise is to practice given a conclusion to an answer within ten seconds. Once you master this you don't have to worry about getting caught in the middle of a sentence during the test.

The TOEFL speaking test is all about patterns and having a clear strategy. For example you should know how you would an answer a question like “what is your favorite movie” within 30 seconds.

TOEFL Integrated Speaking Topics

On the TOEFL integrated speaking task you’ll need to listen to an audio track and sometimes also read a short article before you see the question.

You will see four different types of questions on the integrated speaking task.

• You will read and listen to someone describing events in their life and giving you their opinion. Your task is to summarize what you heard, read and describe the opinion of the person.

• You will listen to an academic lecture and read a passage from a textbook. You will have to speak about the lecture and how it connects with the passage you read.

• Listen to a conversation between two people who are discussing a problem with two different solutions. You will have to speak about the problem, the two solutions, which solution you prefer, and why you prefer that solution.

• Last task will ask you to listen to a lecture. You will be asked to give a summary of the most important points of the lecture.

The tasks will always appear in the same order on the TOEFL speaking section.

Practicing your answer patterns and learning the different TOEFL integrated speaking topics will allow you to feel more comfortable when taking the TOEFL speaking section.