… It is commonly required for admission to U.S. study programs for applicants whose mother tongue is not English;
… It is accepted by more than 8,500 colleges, agencies, and other institutions in over 130 countries;
… It measures your ability to use English at the university level.

According to the information available on the official website www.ets.org/toefl, the TOEFL is administered in English, via the Internet.

 

There are four sections in the test, which take about four hours and a half to complete:
•    Reading measures the ability to understand academic reading material. The section takes 60-80 minutes and includes 36-56 questions around 3 or 4 passages from academic texts;
•    Listening measures the ability to understand spoken English as used in colleges and universities. The section takes 60-90 minutes and includes 34-51 questions. Tasks include listening to lectures, classroom discussions, and conversations;
•   Speaking measures the ability to communicate orally in an academic context. This section requires you to solve six tasks in 20 minutes. Four of the tasks involve integration of language skills. You will get to express an opinion on a familiar topic and speak based on reading and listening tasks;
•    Writing measures the ability to write in a way that is appropriate for college and university course work. You will have to write an integrated task in 20 minutes and an independent task in 30 minutes.

The test also includes a 10-minute break between the Listening and Speaking sections.

According to the official website, the test you take may include extra questions in the Reading or Listening section that do not count toward your score. These are either questions that enable ETS to make test scores comparable across administrations or new questions that help ETS determine how such questions function in actual testing conditions.

Each section is scored from 0 to 30, and the total score ranges from 0 to 120.

The test emphasizes integrated language skills and assesses your ability to communicate effectively for study purposes in an English-speaking environment. For example:
•    Read, listen, and then speak in response to a question;
•    Listen and then speak in response to a question;
•    Read, listen, and then write in response to a question.

According to the information currently available on the official website of the test, in Romania the TOEFL test is only administered in its internet-based format (iBT).

Currently, there are testing centers in Bucharest, Arad, Baia Mare, Constanta, Craiova, Galati, Iasi, Oradea, and Timisoara.

Update: Please be advised that you are required to bring a signed ID document with your photo on it. Your Romanian ID card does not satisfy the requirements because it does not include your signature. Please bring your passport, driver's license or any other ID form which includes both your signature and your photo.

In Bucharest the TOEFL iBT is currently offered by:
•  Euroaptitudini S.A. BUCURESTI, 7-15 Mendeleev St., mezzanine, Bucharest, sector 1. Tel: 021 316 99 33, fax: 021 319 72 27, e-mail: office@euroaptitudini.ro;
•    The Road Language Center, Piata Operei, 4 Dr. Staicovici St., Bucharest, sector 5. Tel/Fax: 021 312 90 36 , mobile: 0721 287 790, e-mail: office@easyenglish.ro. Reception office hours: Monday - Friday, 11:00 – 7:00 p.m.;
•    RTS, Centrul de Formare in Informatica, 1B Expozitiei Blvd., Bucharest. Tel: 037 212 02 50, e-mail: office@trainingit.ro.
 
The TOEFL iBT is also administered in:

Arad:
Universitatea de Vest “Vasile Goldis” din Arad, Intl Center for Language Testing, Evaluation and Academic Counseling, 85-87 Revoluţiei Blvd., Arad. Tel: 0257 217 030.
Public hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 – 14:00.

Baia Mare:
GO SERV, 8 Traian Blvd, Baia Mare. Tel/Fax: 0262 227 154, e-mail: cimgo@goserv.ro, support@goserv.ro.

Constanta:
• English Center, 2 Chiliei St., Constanta. Tel.: 0341 415 771(772/773/774); 0745 023 606; 0740 046 888; Fax: 0241 557 663; 0341 415 772, e-mail: Florina.Niculescu@englishcenterltd.com; exams@englishcenterltd.com; office@englishcenterltd.com  
•GMB Computers SRL, 158 Ion Lahovari Street, Constanţa. Tel. 0241 516 848. E-mail: cursuri@gmb.ro.

Brașov:
Cambridge English First, 2 Matei Basarab St., 2nd floor, Braşov. Contact person: Carmen Varga. Tel: 0723224558, e-mail: carmenvarga75@gmail.com.

Galati:
The House of English, 179 Morilor St., Galaţi. Contact person: Dorian Andone.Tel: 0755 746 399; 0731 074 213, e-mail: office@thoe.ro.

Cluj-Napoca:
Bridge Language Study House, 67 Calea Dorobanţilor, Cluj-Napoca. Contact person: Andreea Blaga. Tel. 0364 101 088; 0746 355 435; 0748 024 534, e-mail: info@blsh.ro.

Oradea:
InstruIT, 10A Stefan Zweig St., 1st floor. Contact person: Cristian Veres. Tel. 0788 154 088, e-mail: cristian.veres@instruit.org.

Timisoara:
•    Babel Center: 9 Tudor Vladimirescu St, second floor, apt. 9. Tel: 0256 244 400,
e-mail: office@babelcenter.ro. Reception public hours: Monday-Friday, 12:00 – 20:00;
•    Business Plus & Student Plus, 40 Take Ionescu Blvd., Timisoara. Contact person: Maria Ciorba. Tel: 0356 809 991, e-mail: office@studentplus.ro.

Sibiu:
•    After School Stanca Stanescu, 5 Petru Span St., Sibiu. Contact person: Stanca Stanescu, tel. 0722 263 036, e-mail: stanka_stanescu@yahoo.de.

Please note that NOT all the test centers above administer the TOEFL year-round. Please visit the official website www.ets.org/toefl to check which test centers are available in the time period you are planning to take the test in.

Test fees vary by country. According to the information available on the official website www.ets.org/toefl, currently in Romania the test fee is $200 for the iBT version.

The test fee - $200 for Romania - entitles you to one score report, for your information, plus up to four official score reports that ETS will send directly to the institutions you designate before taking the test. If you plan on using any or all of your free score reports, you must select your recipients at the latest on the day before taking the test, before 10 PM local time. You cannot select your recipients at the test center or after the test. For each institution that you select after the test, you will have to pay a $18 fee. ETS will send the score record to you and your designated institutions two weeks after the test date.

Registration varies according to the payment method: debit/credit card (most convenient) or bank check. Note: the card does not need to be in your name, so you can use the cards of family or friends as long as you have their approval and card information.   

If a credit/debit card is available (Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover, JCB) you can register online or by phone:

Online on the official websitewww.ets.org/toeflat least seven days before the requested test date. We recommend that you register as soon as possible, because test centers fill up quickly.
In order to register online on the official websitewww.ets.org/toefl, follow these steps:
•    Sign up as a NEW USER
•    Create a profile (3 steps): Contact information; Identifying information; User name and Password.
•    Choose Register Online – enter User name and Password.
•  My Home Page - > My Tests -> Register for the Test –> TOEFL test -> Agree to Terms and Conditions -> PLEASE enter Passport/ID information correctly!
•    Choose country - > Choose region / city
•    Select test dates: Start test date End test date (the date range should not exceed 60 days)
•    Select a test center: Click on a test center
•   Score reporting preferences: RECOMMENDATION - choose "Web-accessible Score Report and a printed copy mailed to you"
•    Select score recipients
•    Order summary (Cancel / Confirm)
•    Select payment method.

You will get your confirmation online and/or by e-mail. It is important that you print your registration confirmation. Select “Print and View Your Registration Confirmation” on the page with the “Thank You for Your Order” heading. Your test date, start time, and testing site address are on the confirmation. Return to your online profile the day before the test and check your confirmation to check if any changes have been made to your registration details (for example, a different building or start time).

By phone: call the telephone number for the Regional Registration Center (RRC) for the country in which you plan to test at least seven days before the requested test date. According to the TOEFL iBT Information and Registration Bulletin which you may access here, if you plan on testing in Romania, you should contact the RRC for Region 12 (registration phone: 31-320-239-540; fax: 31-320-239-541; contact info: http://www.ets.org/toefl/contact/region12).

When you call, you will be given a registration number. Be sure to write it down. You will also get the test date, reporting time, and test center address. Refer to the registration form available on the official website www.ets.org/toefl for the information you will be asked for when you call.

Pay attention to registration deadlines!

The following information is available on the official website www.ets.org/toefl:
•    Regular online registration closes seven days before the test date (not including the test date);
•   Late online registration closes three days before test date (not including the test date); Late telephone registration closes at 5:00 pm local test center time on the business day before the test.
•    If you register after the regular registration deadline, you will have to pay a late fee of $35.

If a credit/debit card is not available, you can pay by bank check and register by mail:
•  In order to be issued a bank check you need to pay the fee to any bank that conducts hard-currency transactions. The beneficiary of your bank check will be ETS-TOEFL iBT, as mentioned in the Information and Registration Bulletin available on the TOEFL website and also at the start of this section;
•    Fill out the TOEFL Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) Registration Form which is 4 pages long. The form can be downloaded from the official website here and under the section Register by Mail. Be sure to fill in all four pages, and staple the completed form before mailing.  Be sure to indicate two test center choices;
•   The bank check and the scheduling form must be received at the RRC at least four weeks before the first date you pick. See the first page of the Registration Form.

Useful tips
•    Photocopy the registration form as well as the bank check and keep the copies for reference.
•    Send your test registration by registered mail (scrisoare recomandata cu confirmare de primire).
•    As a rule, you will be mailed (e-mail or regular mail) the date of the test as well as the coordinates of the testing center in your registration confirmation letter. You will be assigned a test date, time, and location based on the information you provided.
•    If you do not receive the registration confirmation letter, you need to call the RRC at least three full business days before the registration deadline of the first test date you picked.  

In case you do not show up on your assigned day and hour for taking the test, the registration fee will not be refunded.

You cannot register by fax or e-mail or in-person at the testing center on test day!

Important
For any problems you may experience concerning registration, receipt of the admission ticket, etc., please contact Thomson Prometric that administers the TOEFL throughout Europe. Access www.prometric.com/en-us/contact-us  for contact information of Regional Registration Centers around the world.

You have prepared and registered for the test… now what happens at the testing site?
… What to bring/not to bring?... What is allowed/not allowed in the testing room? … Which are the ID requirements? … Any breaks?

 

Some recommendations from ETS-TOEFL:
http://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/test_day/expect/

You can also download the TOEFL test day tips flyer from:
http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/14235_TOEFL_testmap.pdf    

Watch this short video from the official website to find out what to expect on test day:
http://www.ets.org/s/toefl/flash/15571_toefl_prometric.html

According to the information on the official website, scores are posted online within 10 days after the test date. Printed score reports are mailed to you and your designated institutions after two weeks.
 
Score reporting preferences
Starting August 2011, in order to be more “green” and reduce paper and shipping, ETS has been sending paper copies of score reports only if the student selects this option during registration. This means online scores only will be the default method of delivery unless a test taker selects the paper score option.
Students have up until 10:00 PM the day before the test to make changes in their score reporting preferences.
 
Additional information regarding TOEFL scores
The institutions you are applying to generally request scores for one of the versions of the test: IBT, CBT or PBT. Since there are significant differences among the 3 tests, it is rather difficult to establish exact comparisons between scores. Some estimations are available in the chart below:

 

Internet-Based Total	Computer-Based Total	Paper-Based Total
120	297-300	673-677
114-115	280	650-653
110	270	637
105	260	617-620
100	250	600-603
94-95	240	587
88-89	230	570-573
83	220	557-560
79-80	213	550
74-75	203	537
72-73	200	533
68	190	520
64	180	507-510

Source of the comparison chart: The Official Guide to the New TOEFL IBT, published by McGraw Hill, page 352.

You can request additional scores online, by phone, mail or fax. The fee is $18 for each report you order. See the official website for relevant information on how to request additional score reports.

TOEFL scores are valid for two years.
Scores more than two years old cannot be reported or verified. If you took the TOEFL test more than two years ago and need to submit scores to an institution, you must take the test again.

At the Fulbright Educational Advising Center you have FREE access to a comprehensive range of up-to-date TOEFL prep materials. To see what books and software are available at our center please check the Test preparation section. The preparation materials can only be checked out for study in the reading room and cannot be photocopied. To check out materials in the reading room, you need a valid ID.

You also have free access to a TOEFL iBT Sampler when you register for the test.

Watch the TOEFL TV Channel for practicing questions and to find out tips for learning and improving your English. Enjoy!
www.youtube.com/toefltv

For further practice, you can also visit the links below with online TOEFL preparation, some free, some for a fee! Mind that some refer to the CBT/PBT version.

http://toeflpractice.ets.org/
Note from ETS: These products are delivered over the Internet. Please verify the technical requirements and check your system by using the 'System Check' link before purchasing these products. No refunds will be given for system incompatibility.
$44.95 for a complete test (four tests available);
$24.95 for Speaking and Writing sections (three tests available);
$21.95 for Reading and Listening sections (three tests available).

http://i-courses.org/?p=sample_tests
Free iBT full test and full, mini and fragmented tests for sale: $2.95-$29.95.

http://www.testpreppractice.net/TOEFL/Default.aspx
Free practice for Reading comprehension, sentence completion and correction; also they offer information on the test.

http://www.examenglish.com/TOEFL/index.php
Free practice material for Reading and Listening, Structure tests plus vocabulary learning tips (paper-based).

http://www.encomium.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_modern.tpl&product_id=88&category_id=13&vmcchk=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=27
Tips and demos for listening and writing.
Also has 3 tests for sale at $52.50; Trainer product for $130, and Training for Speaking and Writing for $80.

http://www.english-test.net/toefl/
Overview for the listening section: 50 lectures and 50 conversations, scripts available for free, audio mp3 to buy.  Vocabulary exercises also available for free.

http://www.testyourenglish.net/toefl/toefl_practice_tests.html
Sample tests for reading, listening and grammar.

http://www.4tests.com/exams/examdetail.asp?eid=57
Good for reading, listening and structure.

http://www.toeflibtcourse.com/toefl-practice-test.htm
One free iBT practice test. Two practice tests and courses for each section can be downloaded for a fee.

http://www.testprepreview.com/toefl_practice.htm
Free self-assessment modules, free tips and paid self-study books.

http://www.stuff.co.uk/toefl.htm
Free activities for learning English and practice for the reading section.

http://www.eduers.com/toeflibt/index.htm
Sample questions and tests of the CBT / PBT version.

http://www.testden.com/challenge/free-toefl.asp
Three free practice tests available for the reading and listening sections, 30 minutes each. Speaking and writing are not graded.

http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/
A complete guide to English grammar.

This section has been developed by FEAC based on visitors’ questions in order to further support your academic journey to the U.S.!  
You may like to send YOUR interesting question so that we can expand this section.

 

Q: Do I have to take the TOEFL again every two years while I am at school in the U.S.?
A: No. The test is only necessary for admissions purposes.

Q:  What is a “decent” TOEFL score?
A: Check admissions requirements with each school/program you are applying to, as the minimum TOEFL score is mentioned on their website. Usually a score of 80 iBT/ 213 CBT is considered a minimum... Mind that Romanian applicants tend to score as high as 100 iBT / 250 CBT and sometimes above that! Perfect scores are not uncommon, too.

Q: I have come across CBT, PBT, iBT. What are they?
A: CBT means computer-based test and is no longer available in Romania. PBT means paper-based test and is administered at some locations in the world, but not in Romania. IBT means Internet-based test and is the only format available in Romania!
Although the CBT and PBT formats are no longer available in Romania, you can find a comprehensive score equivalency table in the When do I get the official scores?  for reference.

Q: If I already have the Cambridge or IELTS tests, do I still have to take the TOEFL?
A: All three tests measure English proficiency, but there are major differences in their administration and scoring systems, therefore there is no official comparison between TOEFL and Cambridge or IELTS scores. You may like to inquire with each U.S. school you are applying to in order to see if they accept a British test, although most will encourage you to take the TOEFL.