Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) is the most popular English proficiency exam accepted at North American universities. TOEFL tests the international students’ usage and understanding of North American English as it is spoken, written and heard in college and university settings. The TOEFL test is developed and administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS), which sets the questions, conducts the test, and sends each examinee the score report.
Often, students are confused if they need to prepare only for TOEFL or other exams are also required for admission to the US and Canadian universities. How many exams you need to prepare completely depends on the type of course you are applying to. For all undergraduate courses in the US and some in Canada, you need to prepare for SAT. For MBA courses GMAT scores are a requirement; similarly, for MS courses GRE scores are relevant. Along with all these exams, you have to take either IELTS or TOEFL.
Often international students don’t know how to choose between IELTS or TOEFL, as universities abroad ask for either exam scores. Since TOEFL syllabus is designed to test your understanding of North-American English, it should be your first choice if you are applying to universities in US and Canada. For rest of the countries, especially the UK and Australia, IELTS is usually the more preferred language exam, but TOEFL is also accepted.
TOEFL test is conducted round the year and has more than 50 test dates per year. You can retake the test as many times as you wish, but to take a re-test you have to wait for a 12-day period after attempting the first test.
TOEFL exam fee
The registration fee for TOEFL is $170, which would roughly translate to Rs. 11,000 to 11,500 (approx).
Related articles about TOEFL
How to register for TOEFL
Test of English as Foreign Language or TOEFL tests the non-native speakers’ ability to use and understand North American English, in the way it is written, spoken, heard and understood in college and university settings. You can retake the test only after a 12-day period after attempting the first TOEFL test.
TOEFL Eligibility
TOEFL exam is open for all and there are no specific eligibility criteria. The respective institutes may have a different eligibility criteria but the TOEFL has no specific criteria of selection.
TOEFL Registration
TOEFL registration is a fairly simple and uncomplicated process. The candidates have the liberty of taking the exam anytime in the year as per their convenience. The important thing to note is that the candidates can reschedule their next attempt only after 31 days of taking the first attempt. A candidate is only allowed five attempts in one year.
ETS announces 10 TOEFL scholarships for exceptional Indian students
Educational Testing Service (ETS), the conducting organization of TOEFL, will award $70,000 towards TOEFL scholarships to ten exceptional students from India who have proven their academic excellence. The amount will be divided equally, which means $ 7,000 worth scholarships will be awarded to ten students to help further their education at any of the 9,000 plus institutions around the world that accept the TOEFL test.
Top 14 TOEFL Coaching Centers in India
If you are looking for a good coaching center to help you with preparing for TOEFL in India, here is a list of the top coaching centers. Assessing how well courses offered by these institutes will work for you is fairly difficult. Each course has different methodology and has its own strengths and weaknesses.Here is a list of coaching centers which are popular in India.
1. Edwise
Edwise Overseas education consultants is a popular name among coaching institute for the overseas education. It is located in more than 10 major cities in India including Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi etc.
2. Jamboree
Jamboree is the oldest TOEFL institute started more than 20 years back and has headquarters in New Delhi. It also has centers in various parts of India at Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai etc. The classes are held for three hours/twice a week. The course covers mock test with real life scenarios.
3. TIME
Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt. Ltd (TIME) was established in 1992 and is one of the reputed coaching institute in North India for various examinations including TOEFL. It offers a two month (30 classes) course for TOEFL iBT which covers all the four sections.
4. Jeeva’s Educational Academy
Jeeva’s Educational Academy is one of the most reputed coaching center in Hyderabad specializing in overseas education training. They conducts regular classes for TOEFL iBT every week and also test students on full practice tests before the examination date.
5. Visu Academy
Visu Academy was started almost 30 years ago and has become one of the noted coaching institute in Hyderabad today. They provides an intensive training for all of the four sections and also provide extensive study material for the same.
6. Manjoorans Group
Manjoorans Group is one of the largest educational groups in India which offer coaching classes for many tests including TOEFL. Its centers are located in Kerala and Dubai.
7. Aadele Training
Aadele Training is a popular coaching institute for overseas education in Chennai. They provide comprehensive study material, unlimited access to practice tests, flexible class timings, and special mock tests for the TOEFL iBT test.
8. EGE Global Education
EGE Global education is located in more than five major cities in India including Delhi, Noida etc. The duration of the course is fixed according to the skill level of the student and it may vary from 14 to 120 hours. They also conducts mock tests separately.
9. Edstar
Edstar has been in competition for less than a decade but has gained a lot of popularity since. It is located in more than 10 major cities of India including Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai. They provides coaching classes for all the major examinations including TOEFL. Edstar also has collaboration with WLC college in India.
10. Anglo English
Anglo English is located in Chennai. The total duration of the course is 80 hours which can be completed in one month (4 hours/day) or two months (2 hours/day) or 15 days (6 hrs/day).It offers one-to-one training for the TOEFL iBT test.
11. Camford Academy
Camford Academy is located in Trivandrum, Kerala. The normal course duration is two months. It also offers crash courses of one and two weeks’ duration.
12. Career Makers
Career Makers is one of the renowned coaching institute in Delhi. The course duration for TOEFL iBT is 30 or 60 hours which can be taken on weekdays or weekends. It provides extensive study material and CDs for the students.
13. Aptech English Learning Academy
Aptech English Learning Academy is part of Aptech LTD, one of the premier training institute India for more than 20 years. The training or course duration for TOEFL iBT is 45 hours and it offers flexible timings. It also provides additional listening and speaking practice apart from the regular course. It has centers located in more than 10 major cities of India including Bangalore, Delhi etc.
14. Academy Of British English
ABE is located in Delhi and uses latest methods and materials for conducting classes for TOEFL iBT examination. The duration of the basic course is 2 weeks and advanced course lasts for 4 weeks.
TOEFL Exam Pattern
TOEFL exam pattern is as follow - four sections, namely, Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing - along with the total score. It goes without saying that the more you practice TOEFL sample papers, the better your scores will be.
The total score is the sum of the scores of the four skill areas. Scores will be posted online 10 days after the test date. ETS will send up to four official score reports directly to the institutions the student selects.
Here we cover the TOEFL iBT test pattern.
| Section |
Duration |
Questions |
Tasks |
| Reading |
60–80 minutes |
36–56 questions |
Reading 3 or 4 passages from academic texts and answering questions. |
| Listening |
60–90 minutes |
34–51 questions |
Listening to lectures |
| Break |
10 minutes |
— |
— |
| Speaking |
20 minutes |
6 tasks |
Expressing your opinion on a familiar topic and speaking based on reading and listening tasks. |
| Writing |
50 minutes |
2 tasks |
Writing essay responses based on reading and listening tasks |
