A
T THIS POINT
, you have reviewed the basic skills you need for the TOEFL exam, you know
what to expect from each section of the exam, and you know how to effectively prepare for
the test. Now it’s time to cover a few important administrative matters.

How to Register for the TOEFL Exam
Registering for the TOEFL exam is a relatively easy process. There are two ways to schedule a test date in the
United States, Canada, and U.S. territories:
1. Call 1-800-468-6335. You can use a credit card for payment.
2. Fill out the registration form in the Information Bulletin for Supplemental TOEFL
®
Administrations for
the paper-based exam or the TOEFL
®
CBT Information Bulletin for the computer-based exam. Mail
your completed registration form to the Educational Testing Service
®
(ETS
®
) at the following address:
CHAPTER
Notes on the TOEFL
Exam: Registration,
the Computer-Based
Test, Scores, and Tips
for Test Day
In this chapter, you will find out how to register for the TOEFL exam
and receive and report your score. You will also learn more about the
difference between the computer-based and the paper-based exams
as well as test center rules and regulations.

■
May 10, 2003
THE ETS
®
’s TOEFL
®
CBT Information Bulletin contains important information that you will need to know before
you take the computer-based exam. It includes a list of test sites in all countries; institution codes, which you will
need to report your scores to the colleges and universities you would like to attend; and other information you
will find useful, such as sample questions, test instructions, and a list of writing topics. Request a bulletin as soon
as possible if you have not already done so. You can pick up or request a bulletin:
➧
from admissions or international student offices at most colleges and universities
➧
from ETS
®
representative offices (listed at the end of this chapter and in the CBT Bulletin)
➧
from the TOEFL
®
website, www.toefl.org
➧
by calling the ETS
®
at 1-609-771-7100.
The TOEFL CBT
®
Information Bulletin
–
NOTES ON THE TOEFL

for hours may be taxing. If you have little experience with computers, you may feel intimidated by the com-
puter-based test, even though the exam requires minimal computer skills. Even if you do have computer expe-
rience, you may be concerned about your performance on the computer-based test. After all, it’s a new
program that you will need to get used to. Or perhaps you are not familiar with the English keyboard. But
don’t worry. You don’t need to know how computers work, how to program, or even how to type. You really
only need to know how to use a mouse and scroll down a computer screen, and you will have the chance to
practice both of these skills using the computer-based exam tutorials available at testing centers and online
at www.toefl.org. You may spend as much time as you need practicing with the tutorials at the testing center
or online, and you will have the opportunity to practice again immediately before the exam. The tutorials will
THE fee for both the computer-based and the paper-based TOEFL exam in the United States is $110. The fee
may be higher for testing centers outside of the country. Check with your RRC for exact fee information.
How Much Does the TOEFL Exam Cost?
–
NOTES ON THE TOEFL
–
131
also help you get used to reading from the monitor and typing. This experience will cut down on your test
anxiety and will also be useful throughout your education.
Typing your essay on the computer is optional, so if you are not comfortable keyboarding in English,
you can write your essay on paper. If you chose to type your essay, your scores will be available to you sooner.
But only choose this option if you can type quickly using an English keyboard and are comfortable composing
directly on the computer.
Computer-Adaptive Tests
As you learned in Chapters 3 and 4 of this book, two sections on the computer-based test are computer-adap-
tive. A computer-adaptive test (CAT) is designed to adjust the level of difficulty of the questions to the per-
formance of the test-taker. This means that if you answer a question of medium difficulty correctly, the next
question you get will probably be more difficult. However, if you answer it incorrectly, the next question will
likely be easier. You will earn more credit for correctly answering a hard question than for correctly answer-
ing an easy question.
As noted earlier, the Listening and the Structure: Grammar and Style sections of the TOEFL exam are

132
the test filling out forms and providing identification. You will also need to add an additional 30 minutes if you
plan to take the Test of Written English (TWE) exam. There are no breaks during the paper-based exam.
The table below shows how many questions each section of the computer-based test contains and how
much time you will have to answer them.
SECTION TIME LIMIT NUMBER OF QUESTIONS
Tutorials no time limit —
Listening 40–60 minutes 30–50
Structure 15–20 minutes 20–25
Break 5 minutes —
Reading 70–90 minutes 44–55
Writing 30 minutes 1 topic
R
ESEARCH
Q
UESTIONS
You may be puzzled by the fact that there is a range of questions and times for each section. That’s because
not all of the questions are scored. Some questions are included for research purposes only. The ETS
®
includes
these questions to determine whether a new question for a future exam is sufficiently clear.
Don’t bother trying to figure out which questions are “real” and which are research questions. Just
assume all questions are “real” and do your best on all of them. The time you will have for each section will
be proportional to the number of questions, so don’t worry that the research questions will hurt you in
any way.

How the TOEFL Exam Is Scored
The score on the computer-based TOEFL exam ranges from 0–300 and is broken up into sections as follows:
Listening 0–30
Structure/Writing 0–30