TOEFL® PBT Test Content and Structure

The TOEFL® PBT test, administered in a paper-delivered format, takes about three and one-half hours to complete. There is also a 30-minute writing test, called theTWE® test, which is required of everyone who takes the paper-delivered test. The total time to take both tests will be about four hours.

As you can see in the table below, the TOEFL PBT test has three sections plus the TWE writing test, all of which are mandatory. At least one question in each section must be answered and one essay must be written to earn a score.

Section Description Time Limit No. of
Questions
Listening Comprehension Measures the ability to understand spoken English 30-40 minutes 50
Structure and Written Expression Measures the ability to recognize language appropriate for standard written English 25 minutes 40
Reading Comprehension Measures the ability to understand non-technical reading material 55 minutes 50
TWE® Test Measures the ability to write in English 30 minutes 1 topic