This page explains information owned by the body that runs the exam, rewritten in plain language for our students in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. Format, fees and dates can change without notice, so always confirm on the official site before you register or make a decision.
In short
The essentials
- An English proficiency test owned by ETS in the United States.
- Four sections: reading, listening, speaking and writing.
- Taken on a computer, with speaking answers recorded rather than delivered in a live interview.
- Built around academic English: lectures, classroom discussion and university-level texts.
- There is no pass or fail; the university sets the score it requires.
- ETS has updated the test format and its score scale, so always check its official page.
Direct answers
The core questions about TOEFL
ETS updates the test format and score scale from time to time, so treat the official links below as the final reference.
What is TOEFL, in one sentence?
TOEFL is a test owned by ETS that measures your ability to read, listen, speak and write in English in a university academic context.
The core difference from general English tests is that TOEFL material is drawn from the university environment: a textbook passage, a lecture extract, or a conversation between a student and campus staff.
Official source: ETS — the TOEFL test
Who owns the TOEFL test?
TOEFL is owned and administered entirely by ETS, the only body that sets its format, scoring, fees and dates.
Unlike IELTS, which is run by three partner organisations, TOEFL has a single owner. In practice that means one official source to return to for every fact.
Official source: ETS — the TOEFL test
Is TOEFL harder than IELTS?
Neither test is harder in absolute terms; the difference is one of style, and which feels harder depends on your own skills.
A student comfortable typing and listening to extended lectures often finds TOEFL a better fit. A student who expresses themselves freely in a live conversation with a person may find IELTS closer to their strengths.
Important exception: Before weighing them up, confirm your university accepts both; some programmes specify one test.
Is TOEFL speaking with a real person?
No; in TOEFL you speak into a microphone and your answer is recorded, then assessed afterwards rather than in a live interview.
This changes how you prepare: you need to get used to speaking clearly within a fixed time with no feedback from an interviewer, which requires recorded practice and reviewing your own recordings.
Official source: TOEFL test content and sections
Who is responsible for what
TOEFL, ETS, and Apostrophe's role
ETS
Test owner
Sets the format, sections, score scale, fees and dates, and issues official results.
The university or receiving institution
Sets the requirement
Decides the score required and whether it accepts TOEFL at all — and is the only authority on that.
Apostrophe
Preparation & guidance
An independent educational centre that helps you understand and prepare for the test. We do not deliver it or register you for it.
The timeline
The TOEFL journey: before, during and after
Timing differs by current level and target score; format, fees and dates are always checked with ETS.
- Before
Decide and prepare
- Confirm your university accepts the TOEFL test specifically, and which version it accepts.
- Know the total score required and any minimum for particular sections.
- Sit a full practice test from ETS's official materials to find your starting point.
- Register early: seats at nearby centres fill faster than students expect.
- Test day
What actually happens
- The test is taken on a computer, with all four sections in one continuous sitting.
- Speaking is recorded through a microphone; it is not an interview with an examiner.
- Bring the accepted ID specified in ETS's official instructions, matching your registered name.
- Sections come in a fixed order, and each is timed independently.
- After
Your score and the next step
- Scores appear in your ETS account on the official schedule published for that test.
- Read each section score, not just the total; that is what shows which skill needs work.
- Compare your score with the university's requirement before deciding to retake.
- Scores are sent to universities from your account, and official fees may apply.
Why TOEFL is described as "academic"
Because every piece of material comes from a university setting: a scientific or historical passage at textbook level, a lecture delivered by a professor, or a short campus conversation. There is no everyday-life content of the kind found in IELTS General Training.
That means preparing for TOEFL pays twice: once in the score, and once in your first year of study, because you will already have practised following a long lecture and summarising it in writing.
Integrated tasks: what actually surprises students
What confuses students most in TOEFL is not language difficulty but that some tasks combine skills: you read a passage, then hear a segment commenting on it, then write or speak connecting the two.
The skill required is not purely linguistic but organisational: taking fast notes while listening, then building an ordered answer from those notes in a short time. That is a trained skill, not an improvised one.
Terminology
TOEFL terms in plain language
- ETS
- The US organisation that owns TOEFL and is responsible for all its official details.
- Integrated task
- A task combining more than one skill, such as reading and listening, then writing about the relationship between them.
- Independent task
- A task based on your own opinion and experience, with no accompanying material.
- MyBest scores
- An ETS option combining your best score per section across different attempts within a set period; acceptance is up to the university.
Official sources
Verify with the official source
Dates, fees and requirements change and are not ours to update. The links below open the official sources responsible for this information.
- ETS — the TOEFL test(opens in a new tab)The body that owns the TOEFL test and publishes every official update.
- TOEFL test content and sections(opens in a new tab)Sections, task types and timing as published by ETS.
- Understand TOEFL scores(opens in a new tab)The current score scale and how the overall score is calculated.
Student questions on this topic
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