A complete, self-paced course covering all four sections of the TOEFL iBT (Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing) plus vocabulary, grammar, and test-day strategy. Includes 6 video lectures, 10 homework assignments (10 questions each), 3 full practice tests, official ETS registration guidance, and personalized improvement plans.
The TOEFL iBT is a ~2-hour internet-based test measuring your ability to use English in an academic setting. It has four sections — Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing — each scored 0–30 for a total of 0–120. Most competitive universities want 90–100+, and elite programs 100–110+.
Reading gives you 2 passages (~700 words each) with 10 questions in 35 minutes. Listening has 2 conversations and 3 lectures with 28 questions in 36 minutes. Speaking has 4 tasks (1 independent + 3 integrated) in 16 minutes. Writing has 2 tasks — an integrated reading+listening+writing task and an academic discussion task — in 29 minutes.
Scores arrive in ~6 days and are valid for 2 years. You can send scores to 4 universities free on test day; additional reports are ~$25 each. You may retake the test as often as you like (3-day gap between attempts). Registration is done at ets.org/toefl.
TOEFL Reading passages are excerpted from freshman-level university textbooks in science, history, social science, and the arts. You do NOT need prior knowledge of the topic — every answer is in the passage. Skim the first sentence of each paragraph to build a mental map, then answer questions in order (jumping around wastes time).
There are 10 question types you must recognize instantly: factual information, negative factual (EXCEPT/NOT), inference, rhetorical purpose, vocabulary in context, reference (pronouns), sentence simplification, insert-a-sentence, prose summary (drag 3 of 6 sentences), and fill-in-a-table (rare). The summary question is worth 2 points; every other question is worth 1.
Pacing: 17–18 minutes per passage. If a question takes more than 90 seconds, mark it, guess, and move on — the review screen lets you return. Never leave anything blank; there is no penalty for wrong answers.
You will hear 2 conversations (3 minutes each, campus scenarios) and 3 lectures (5 minutes each, academic topics). You may take notes but you may NOT rewind — audio plays once. Every conversation and lecture has 5–6 questions covering main idea, details, function ('Why does the professor say X?'), attitude, and organization.
Note-taking is decisive. Use abbreviations: → for 'leads to', ≠ for 'contrast', ex for 'example', b/c for 'because'. Focus on structure signals: 'today we're going to talk about…', 'the main reason is…', 'however', 'for example', 'in conclusion'. Skip adjectives; capture nouns and verbs.
For 'function' and 'attitude' questions the audio replays a short clip — listen for stress, hesitation, and irony. American academic speakers often signal uncertainty with 'I mean…' or 'kind of…'; enthusiasm with rising intonation. Wrong answers frequently repeat a word you heard but out of context — never pick an answer just because the words sound familiar.
Task 1 (Independent): personal preference question — 15 sec prep, 45 sec response. Template: STATE opinion → REASON 1 with example → REASON 2 with example → CONCLUDE. Two clear reasons beat four vague ones.
Task 2 (Campus Announcement): read 45 sec, listen 60–80 sec, 30 sec prep, 60 sec response. State what changed, then state the man's/woman's opinion + BOTH of their reasons. Do NOT give your own opinion.
Task 3 (Academic Concept): read 45 sec, listen 60–90 sec, 30 sec prep, 60 sec response. Define the concept from the reading, then give the professor's example. Task 4 (Lecture Summary): listen 90–120 sec, 20 sec prep, 60 sec response. State the topic, then explain both examples from the lecture. All 4 tasks are scored on delivery (pronunciation, pace), language use (grammar, vocabulary) and topic development (completeness).
Task 1 (Integrated): Read a 230-300 word passage (3 min), listen to a 2-min lecture that either supports or refutes it, then write 150-225 words in 20 minutes explaining how the lecture relates to the reading. High scoring essays have 4 paragraphs: intro (1-2 sentences stating the relationship), then one body paragraph for each of the 3 points — reading point → 'however, the lecturer argues…' → specific example. NEVER include your own opinion.
Task 2 (Academic Discussion): A professor posts a question and two students respond briefly; write ~100 words in 10 minutes contributing YOUR opinion with a specific reason and example. Structure: state position → give one strong reason → add a concrete example (personal or academic) → optional counter to one student. Grammar and lexical variety matter more than length.
Both tasks are scored 0-5 and converted to 0-30. Common losing patterns: memorized templates without content, copying whole sentences from the reading (auto-flagged), repetitive vocabulary, and run-on sentences. Vary sentence length — mix short punchy sentences with 1-2 complex sentences per paragraph.
The Academic Word List (AWL) contains 570 word families that appear across all academic disciplines — mastering ~400 of them will visibly raise every section score. Study words in context (with collocations like 'conduct research', 'significant impact', 'draw a conclusion'), not as isolated flashcards. Aim for 15-20 new words per day for 4 weeks.
Graders reward specific grammar structures: relative clauses ('the researcher WHO discovered…'), noun clauses ('THAT this occurs suggests…'), conditionals ('IF the government invested…'), passive voice for objectivity ('IT IS ARGUED that…'), and modal verbs for hedging ('MAY suggest', 'COULD indicate'). Use at least one of each per essay.
Avoid conversational shortcuts: 'gonna' → 'going to'; 'a lot of' → 'many' or 'numerous'; 'thing' → replace with the specific noun. Contractions ('don't', 'it's') are acceptable in speaking but should be spelled out in writing.