The TOEFL became shorter on July 26, 2023

For reference, when you take the TOEFL nowadays, your exam will:

• have fewer questions
• take less time
• include a new Writing question type

Test Structure Changes

There are now fewer Listening and Reading questions, and the amount of time for the Writing section has been cut almost in half. Here is the full list of changes:

And there are a couple other things to highlight about the current shorter TOEFL:

• There are no extra unscored questions on Reading or Listening
• There is no extra 10-minute break between Listening and Speaking
• The score range for each section remains the same: 0 to 30

Test Content Changes

• Reading - No changes! You'll see the same question types.
• Listening - No changes! You'll see the same question types.
• Speaking - No changes! You'll see the same question types.
• Writing - The current shorter TOEFL has a unique question type—Academic Discussion—which replaces the old Independent Essay.

The Academic Discussion essay involves reading a couple short paragraphs from a professor and two students, in the format of an online forum or message board. The professor will ask you to share your opinion about something (for example, "Do the benefits of plastic outweigh its environmental costs?"), and the responses from the two students will take one side of the argument or the other. You will then have 10 minutes to write a response of your own.

• Check out our introductory lesson about this new question type. (If you don't already have a Magoosh account, sign up for a free trial here.)
• And click here for a sample Academic Discussion essay question.