Administration and Scoring for the TOEFL ITP^® Test

Flexible Administration

The TOEFL ITP^® assessments are reliable, convenient and flexible to use. The tests are administered by your institution using your own facilities, staff and resources, or by an ETS Preferred Network office. Scores are provided for your own internal use to assess student and curriculum development and are not shared with other institutions.

Because you can use your own staff and facilities to administer the tests, you can choose when you want to test, as well as the size of the group. Multiple test forms allow you to administer the tests throughout the year and as often as you need. You'll have an instruction manual to guide you through the test administration.

Test Taker Handbook

Download the new Test Taker Handbook for the TOEFL ITP test for information on what to do before the test, what to expect on test day, getting ready for the test, score reporting, and policies and guidelines.

Download the Test Taker Handbook.

Note-taking Policy Change

Note taking during TOEFL ITP test administrations was not permitted in the past. This decision was made several decades ago based on research studies and the testing conditions available at that time. Since then, the ETS Research and Development teams have conducted extensive reviews of research studies that investigate various aspects of note taking. This literature does not provide a definitive conclusion that note taking has a positive or a negative impact on student scores. However, note taking does make students more confident when taking a test. The ability to take good notes is a useful skill in academia, and it is allowed in the TOEFL iBT^® test.

For these reasons, note taking is now allowed during TOEFL ITP test administrations, and ETS will no longer cancel student scores if a student takes notes during a test after December 2015. This policy is not retroactive.

Starting in 2017, this new note-taking policy will be reflected in the instructions provided in test books and in the audio instructions. However, institutions are welcome to implement this policy immediately. Those who choose to do so need to inform TOEFL ITP test proctors and test takers about this new policy, as 2016 test books and audio materials will continue to state that note taking is not allowed.

Scratch paper

Test takers should use the blank spaces in the test book for note taking. Test takers are not allowed to bring their own scratch paper, nor will the test administrator distribute scratch paper. Answers must be marked on the answer sheets.

Testing Accommodations

Students with Disabilities and Health-related Needs

ETS is committed to providing access to test takers with disabilities and health-related needs by providing reasonable accommodations. Some accommodations we offer include extended testing time, extra breaks, a reader, a scribe for answers, braille, large print and a separate testing room.

For students who have difficulty filling in the bubbles on answer sheets, we suggest that students who are able to do so circle their answers in the test book. After the testing session, the test administrator would need to transfer the answers to an answer sheet for processing by ETS. The student's test book should be attached to the answer sheet.

Students Requiring Additional Time

A student should be granted additional testing time for the TOEFL ITP test only if the same student receives similar accommodations for other exams and has previously demonstrated and documented the need for the accommodation.

Reliable Scoring

After administration, tests are scored locally and reported to the institution by total and section scores. Segmenting the scores provides greater insight into which specific skills need improvement and enables teachers to tailor their instruction accordingly. Scores are returned quickly, usually within seven days of receipt of the answer sheets. They should not be used as substitutes for actual TOEFL iBT test scores.

Detailed Score Reports

All TOEFL ITP score reports include:

• individual information for your program to distribute to students
• institutional information and a score roster for internal use only
• each section is scored separately to assist you in determining which skills need more work, enabling you to tailor learning activities to meet the needs of each student

TOEFL ITP test forms should not be substituted for the TOEFL iBT test. Individuals who wish to have score reports sent to other institutions or agencies must take the TOEFL iBT test.

TOEFL ITP scores are valid for two years. Because language proficiency can change considerably in a relatively short period of time, scores more than two years old cannot be reported or verified.

TOEFL ITP Score Descriptors

To help you interpret the scores, a Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) mapping study was conducted in 2011 and a score descriptor study in 2014. Results of the CEFR mapping provide the minimum TOEFL ITP section scores for four of the levels defined in the CEFR (A2, B1, B2 and C1). The 2014 score descriptors by section are designed to provide more accurate information on the true meaning of TOEFL ITP test scores, which will provide institutions, teachers and test takers with a better understanding of students' English-language proficiency, including areas of strength and areas that need improvement.

Find out more about:

TOEFL ITP – Level 1 Score Descriptors

TOEFL ITP – Level 2 Score Descriptors

See also:

• Resources for Test Takers with Disabilities and Health-related Needs