Toefl exam Essentials

WHAT THE TOEFL EXAM IS ABOUT
The TOEFL exam has two formats: a computer-based test and
a paper-and-pencil version. You can take the computer-based
test (CBT) at test centers around the world throughout the year.
In some areas, the CBT is not available and the paper-based
TOEFL exam is offered instead. The paper test is offered six times
a year at specific locations. Although the test designs for the

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HOW TO USE THIS BOOK TO GET A TOP SCORE
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CBT and the paper-based test are different, both versions mea-
sure the same skills and use similar content for reading passages
and recorded conversations.
The computer-based TOEFL exam has four components: lis-
tening, structure, reading, and writing.
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The listening section tests your ability to understand
North American English. You will use headphones to
listen to conversations and lectures and then answer
multiple-choice questions about them. You will be asked
to locate main ideas, supporting ideas, and understand
inferences made in the conversations that you hear.
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The structure section measures your knowledge of
grammar and usage in standard written English. You will
read sentences and locate grammatical errors or
complete sentences with an appropriate word or phrase.
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The reading portion of the exam will measure your
ability to read and understand short, written passages.
The passages will have a style and subject matter similar
to that of college-level academic texts.
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The writing section will ask you to compose a short
essay on a general topic selected by the computer from a
large set of possible topics. It measures your ability to
write in English and develop and organize ideas about
an assigned subject.
You will have about four hours to complete the CBT. Before
you begin the test, you will go through a tutorial about basic com-
puter skills, including how to use a mouse, how to scroll, and how
to use testing tools. Each test section also begins with a tutorial that

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