Four sections, twelve task types, about 90 minutes: the TOEFL iBT mapped

Speaking takes about 8 minutes, yet it holds 11 scored items, and seven of them ask you to repeat sentences word for word. Candidates who prepare only for long spoken answers rarely practise that task and lose points they could have banked. This page maps every section and task type, so your practice hours go where the points are.

How is the TOEFL iBT structured?

The test has four sections. ETS lists these approximate base times, which add up to about 90 minutes. There are no scheduled breaks, and ETS advises allowing about two hours in total.

Reading and Listening take about two-thirds of the time. Writing and Speaking are shorter but dense: 23 items in about 31 minutes.

What do the Reading tasks ask?

Reading has three task types. Some item counts are ranges because the section adapts to you.

Complete the Words is the largest single block of items in the test. Work on it daily: read one short text and fill in missing letters from memory. Read in Daily Life often tests one small practical detail, such as a time or an exception in a notice.

What do the Listening tasks ask?

Listening has four task types, and each recording plays once.

In Choose a Response, the wrong options often repeat a word from what you heard. The right one answers what the speaker actually meant. In announcements, listen for what changes and what stays the same, because questions often target that difference.

What do the Writing and Speaking tasks ask?

Neither section adapts, so every candidate sees the same number of tasks.

In Write an Email, the task lists points to cover, and a missing point limits your score. Answer each one. In the discussion post, state a position, give a reason and respond to a classmate's view.

How do the adaptive sections work?

Reading and Listening each start with a set of questions that measures your level. Your answers then send you to an easier or a harder second set.

The test specifications list a 7-minute lower module and an 11-minute upper module in Listening. Section length therefore varies a little from one candidate to the next, and so does the number of items. A harder second set is a good sign, so do not panic if the questions become more difficult.

How is each section scored?

Scoring works in two ways, depending on the task.

• Reading, Listening and Build a Sentence are scored by machine, one point per correct item.
• Write an Email, Write for an Academic Discussion, Listen and Repeat and Take an Interview each receive an automated score from 0 to 5, according to the 2026 specifications.

Each section is then reported from 1 to 6 in half bands. Your overall score is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band. A profile of Reading 4.5, Listening 5.0, Writing 4.0 and Speaking 4.5 averages 4.5, so the overall score is 4.5 on the 1 to 6 scale.

During the transition your report also shows a comparable overall score on the 0 to 120 scale. How to read both, and how to turn a requirement into a target, is in the TOEFL score scale explained.

What does this map mean for your plan?

Practise only with materials written for these twelve task types, and time every set. If a source shows practice scores out of 120 or an integrated essay, see what changed in January 2026 before you use it.

Three tasks reward habits more than knowledge:

• Complete the Words: speed in recognising word endings and collocations.
• Listen and Repeat: clear, complete repetition rather than speed.
• Take an Interview: a direct reply, a reason and an example in every response.

Then measure yourself. Take one full official practice test under timed conditions. Record your score for each section and the two task types where you lost most points. That profile tells you where your hours belong, and how long to prepare for TOEFL turns it into weeks.

Every section time, item count and scoring rule here was checked against ETS's official pages and the 2026–27 Information Bulletin in October 2026. ETS states that the specifications may still change slightly, so confirm them before you buy materials.

Chapter 5 of the book holds this map with worked examples, and Appendix G gives you 15 practice questions across the task types with explained answers. For ten more, try TOEFL practice questions.