The TOEFL® Essentials™ test measures the 4 core language skills — Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking — using a friendly and multistage adaptive design, in about 1 ½ hours. This at about half the price of other major English tests.
Did you know?
- The TOEFL Essentials test measures both general and academic English.
- According to a survey of universities, the TOEFL Essentials test will be widely accepted for its quality, affordability, and convenience.
- Among the major English-language tests, only the TOEFL Essentials and TOEFL iBT® tests have the Writing and Speaking sections scored by both anonymous human raters and AI technology.
With the TOEFL Essentials test you are provided with the newest English proficiency test at an affordable price, with the quality the universities trust! With short, fast-paced questions and tasks, the TOEFL Essentials test measures the core elements of English proficiency in both general and academic contexts. And your Writing and Speaking responses are rated through a best-in-class combination of AI and human raters.
The TOEFL Essentials test is accepted by a growing number of universities around the globe. It is expected that the test will be widely accepted, as 90% of universities surveyed in the U.S., Canada, and U.K. stated that they would likely accept the TOEFL Essentials test for admissions.[1]
Extra features you can expect when you take the TOEFL Essentials test:
- An unscored, 5-minute Personal Video Statement to add a personal touch to your test responses
- Unlimited score reports with no additional fee
- View your unofficial scores for the Reading and Listening sections at the end of the test
[1] Source: Survey of nearly 250 institutions in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.
The TOEFL Essentials test is shorter than most English tests, but it is long enough to accurately measure your English proficiency. In total it takes about 1 ½ hour to complete the test, excluding the check-in.
It is administered at home and offers an adaptive design that adjusts the questions to your proficiency level as you move along.
The TOEFL Essentials test assesses four core English language skills – Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking, with communication tasks in each area – including an unscored, 5-minute Personal Video Statement.
Test Sections
Please note that the length and timing of the sections may vary due to the adaptive design of the test.
Listening section
Respond to 30 – 45 questions within 21 – 34 minutes about dialogues and talks in different situations.
Reading section
Respond to 30 – 45 questions within 22 – 33 minutes regarding short academic and nonacademic texts.
Writing section
Respond to 15 – 19 questions and finish 2 tasks within 24 – 30 minutes, where you create sentences and write responses for everyday and academic settings.
Speaking section
Finish 3 tasks with 19 responses in 13 minutes, where you retell written and spoken input, and speak to a simulated interviewer.
Personal Video Statement (not scored)
Respond to 2 questions about yourself and your views in five minutes.
The TOEFL Essentials score scale is based on a 1-12 scale for each section, with 12 being the highest achievable band score. The total score will reflect the average of the four section scores, rounded to the nearest half band.
- Listening: 1 – 12
- Reading: 1 – 12
- Writing: 1 – 12
- Speaking: 1 – 12
Total score: 1 – 12
Like the TOEFL iBT® test, the TOEFL Essentials test includes MyBest® scores on all score reports. MyBest scores combine the highest section scores from all your TOEFL Essentials tests from the past 2 years, with an overall score that is the average of the section scores. This provides you with your best overall performance.
With the TOEFL Essentials test, you can order as many additional score reports as you choose to send to institutions, at no additional fee. There is, however, a limit of 20 institutions per transaction.
Test information
- Total time: About 1.5 hours
- Place: At home
- Content: 50% Academic English & 50% General English
- Skills assessed: Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing