Take 20% off all study plans with code COZY - code expires on Monday 11/25

Improve your TOEFL® score

Thousands of students have improved their TOEFL scores with Magoosh. We guarantee that you will too.*

See Plans and Pricing

* We guarantee you will improve your score by 4 points. See details below.

Magoosh TOEFL product

Watch our first lesson here:

Hello and welcome to the very first Magoosh lesson on the TOEFL. Today, we're going to talk about a very general overview of the test. We won't talk about any specific details. First, what is the TOEFL? What does TOEFL mean, and what does iBT mean? TOEFL stands for the Test of English as a Foreign Language, iBT stands for the Internet-Based Test.

This is important because there are also two other tests, the PBT and the CBT. The CBT is gone. It is dead. The PBT, though, does still exist. The iBT is the most common form of the test. It's what you will take in most countries.

In the United States, it is the only test. But the PBT, the Paper-Based Test, does still exist in some countries. If you don't have access to the Internet, then you can take the PBT instead of the iBT. But, the PBT is a very different test. It has different sections, different strategies, and studying for the PBT is a little bit different from studying for the iBT.

We're going to focus on the iBT because it's the most common form. It's more important and most students will take the iBT. We will not talk about the PBT in these lessons. Why do you take the TOEFL? You might already know this. If you're applying for colleges or universities, they usually require the TOEFL, or another similar test, when English isn't your first language.

Sometimes, it's not required. Sometimes you can take a different test, or if you have some experience with English education, maybe you went to high school at an English-speaking school. Or a college at an English-speaking college, then you might not need the test. Some universities, some programs have their own separate, different English test, and they don't want you to take the TOEFL.

So, check with your programs first before you sign up for the TOEFL. Now, there are other tests for applying to American universities, especially. The GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, SAT, SA, ACT, these are all tests that include verbal sections. These include reading and writing, and other English sections. But they are not for foreign speakers, they are for native speakers of English.

So, these are actually very difficult. The GRE, if you are studying for it, has some very difficult vocabulary. The GMAT, if you're studying for that, has some very difficult grammar. The SAT and the ACT are tests for colleges, for undergraduate programs, for 18 to 22 years old. These are for high school students going to college.

Those also, the SAT, has a lot of vocabulary and grammar that's difficult for non-native speakers. So you take the TOEFL because these tests are too difficult. You take the TOEFL to show that you can communicate in English. Even if GRE vocabulary is too difficult and GMAT grammar is too difficult, you can speak English and you can write in English, and you can understand English.

That's what the TOEFL is for. It's about communication. If you do take one of these other tests, then the scores from those tests might be enough. You might not need to take the TOEFL. If you have a good GRE score, or a good SAT score, or a good GMAT score, then that shows that you already understand English well, and many schools don't require the TOEFL.

So again, check with your schools, check with the programs that you want to apply to, and find out if you need to take the TOEFL. Who makes the TOEFL? The TOEFL is made by ETS. That's the same company that makes the GRE and the SAT. It actually looks very similar to the GRE.

The SAT looks a little bit different because it's made by a company within ETS, called College Board. And the format is a little bit different. And, in general, it's just a different kind of test. But the TOEFL and the GRE have a lot in common. They are both Internet-based tests, they have a lot of similar formatting, a lot of similar styles.

The TOEFL is given at very special, specific locations. You can't take the test anywhere. In many countries, there is only one or two places that you can take the TOEFL. You can find out where to take the test at this website. There's a list that shows which locations are available in each country, and in each state within America.

What does the TOEFL test? This is just a very, very general idea. The TOEFL is about English in use, that is actually communicating with English, listening, speaking, writing, reading. It's not about memorization. It's not about learning vocabulary words from a dictionary.

It's not about memorizing grammar rules. It's not about classroom English. It's about real-world English. There are four skills there, reading, listening, speaking, and writing. As I said, these are communication skills. There's no grammar section and it's all academic English.

So, this means that you need to know how to communicate at a school, at a university, at a college. You don't need to know how to take a grammar test, or how to take a vocabulary test. That's very different from the TOEFL. In fact, these four skills are the four sections of the TOEFL.

There is a reading section, a listening section, a speaking section, and a writing section. We'll go, we'll talk about those four sections more in the next introduction videos, but that's all for this lesson.

Show Transcript

Score guarantee

If you have taken the TOEFL before, then we guarantee you will improve your score by at least 4 points if you use Magoosh or we will give you a full refund. Click here for details.

Our students love us

"Magoosh helped understand the format of the test and prepare better for the test in a phenomenal way that I can predict many type of question in advance. Therefore, reduce the chance of me to be panic greatly."

Shuhua L., scored 109

"Magoosh provides excellent practice material with broad-covering explanation of the answer-choosing process. Great description of TOEFL logic and questions structure helped me better understand the way I should look for the right answer and cross out the wrong ones. Lectures helped to get familiar with most assignments and sample answers."

Kristina N., scored 105

“It was very helpful. I failed it twice before, but with Magoosh I made it. Useful explanations, clear information, a lot of questions”

More reasons why you'll love studying with Magoosh

420+ Practice questions

Our practice questions are carefully written and edited to give you the most accurate practice possible.

420+ Explanation videos

Each practice question has its own video explanation that includes the most important ideas, strategies, and mistakes.

140+Lesson videos

Learn everything from basic English grammar to advanced TOEFL strategies with our library of lesson videos.

Simple design

Study online wherever you go. Our software is easy to use, which makes it easier to learn the important lessons!

Friendly support

Help is always available. If you don’t understand something, message our tutors for a quick, clear explanation.

Affordable

You don’t need expensive classes and private tutors. Studying online is easier, and you save money, too.

Our tutors are experts

Lucas Fink

Lucas Fink studied creative writing at Bard College and has been teaching English grammar and standardized tests, two of his greatest passions, for 7 years.

Chris Lele

Chris Lele is a UCLA graduate with more than 10 years of experience tutoring English and verbal skills for standardized tests. He has coached many students to perfect scores.

Kristin Keating

Kristin Keating has a PhD from UC Irvine and degrees in Education and English. She’s been helping students prepare for standardized tests for over 8 years.

Kevin Rocci

Kevin Rocci graduated from UC Santa Cruz. He has been tutoring standardized tests and teaching English in the US and Japan for more than 12 years.

Any questions?

We'd love to hear from you!

Please send an email to help@magoosh.com and we’ll get back to you as quickly as we can.

Start your TOEFL prep today

Your purchase comes with a 7-day Money Back Guarantee.
There’s no monthly charge or hidden fees. Pay only once.

See Plans and Pricing