The TOEFL iBT does not have a syllabus of topics to learn. It tests academic and everyday English across four skills, and its texts and recordings can be about anything a university student meets. What ETS publishes is the test's structure — four sections, a fixed set of task types, a time and an item count for each section — and a score scale that changed for tests taken from 21 January 2026. That structure is what you prepare against, alongside the Myndaq TOEFL iBT course.
The four sections at a glance
From ETS's test-content page:
- Reading — 30 minutes, 50 items
- Listening — 29 minutes, 47 items
- Writing — 23 minutes, 12 items
- Speaking — 8 minutes, 11 items
That is 90 minutes of section time and 120 items. Two things ETS adds, and both change how you plan the day:
- Directions are not included in those times. ETS asks you to allow approximately two hours for the whole test.
- There are no scheduled breaks.
The test is adaptive
ETS states that "as the test adapts, test time and items may vary". In practice this means the figures above are the published design, not a guarantee for your sitting, and a question that feels harder than the last is not a sign that something has gone wrong. It also means there is no fixed paper anyone could reproduce.
Reading — 30 minutes
Three task types:
- Complete the Words
- Read in Daily Life
- Read an Academic Passage
The mix is deliberate: one task at word level, one on everyday texts, one on academic prose. As the Myndaq practice bank models them, Complete the Words gives a paragraph with parts of words missing for you to finish; Read in Daily Life uses short everyday texts such as emails, notices and messages; and Read an Academic Passage is a longer text with comprehension questions.
Listening — 29 minutes
Four task types:
- Listen and Choose a Response
- Listen to a Conversation
- Listen to an Announcement
- Listen to an Academic Talk
The first is short and conversational — as Myndaq models it, you hear one line and choose the reply that fits. The other three, going by their names, move from everyday exchanges and announcements to academic lectures.
Writing — 23 minutes
Three task types:
- Build a Sentence
- Write an Email
- Write for an Academic Discussion
In Myndaq's versions, Build a Sentence means arranging given words into a correct sentence, Write an Email is a short practical message to a named reader, and Write for an Academic Discussion is a written contribution to a class discussion.
Speaking — 8 minutes
Two task types:
- Listen and Repeat
- Take an Interview
Eight minutes for eleven items leaves well under a minute per item on average, so there is no time to plan long answers. As the names suggest, one task has you repeat what you hear and the other answer an interviewer's questions.
The score: the 1–6 scale
For tests taken on or after 21 January 2026:
- Each section is scored from 1 to 6 in half-band steps, and the overall score is the average of the four section scores, rounded to the nearest half band. ETS's own example: an average of 5.125 gives an overall 5; an average of 5.25 gives 5.5.
- CEFR alignment: 6 corresponds to C2, 5–5.5 to C1, 4–4.5 to B2 and 3–3.5 to B1.
- For two years, every score report carries three scores: the CEFR level, the 1–6 overall and section scores, and a comparable 0–120 overall score, so institutions used to the old scale can read the new one.
- Scores are valid for two years, which is why universities may still receive old 0–120 scores through late 2027.
- There is no pass mark. Each institution sets its own requirement.
For the full ETS conversion tables, see TOEFL score conversion: the new 1–6 scale, or run a number through the English test score converter.
What the published format does not tell you
- No topic list. Passages and talks can be on any academic subject.
- No per-task time split. ETS publishes section times and item counts, not how many items of each task type you will get.
- The exact length of your test. Because it adapts, times and items may vary.
For test-day rules and delivery options, see the TOEFL iBT guide. For fees and the cancellation rule, see TOEFL iBT fees and registration. For worked items by task type, see TOEFL iBT practice questions.
Quick answers
Is there a TOEFL iBT syllabus?
Not a topic syllabus. ETS publishes the structure: four sections, their task types, times and item counts, and the scoring scale.
How long is the TOEFL iBT?
90 minutes of section time — Reading 30, Listening 29, Writing 23, Speaking 8 — but ETS says to allow about two hours because directions are extra. There are no scheduled breaks.
How many questions are on the TOEFL iBT?
The published design is 120 items: 50 Reading, 47 Listening, 12 Writing and 11 Speaking. Because the test is adaptive, ETS says items may vary.
How is the new TOEFL score calculated?
Each section is scored 1–6 in half bands, and the overall is the average of the four rounded to the nearest half band.
What TOEFL score equals C1?
On ETS's alignment, 5 to 5.5 corresponds to CEFR C1, and 6 to C2.
