Current format, sourced
The current TOEFL® test, mapped: every section and task
The current TOEFL® test has four sections — Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking. ETS’s 2026 specification lists Reading and Listening as two-stage adaptive and Writing and Speaking as linear, with total test time listed between about 1 hour 23 minutes and 1 hour 29 minutes across short, task-based items.
The whole-test map
ETS states — every value from the blueprint table of the 2026 test specifications, accessed 17 July 2026.
| Section | Task types (listed) | Items | Raw points | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | Complete the Words; Read in Daily Life; Read an Academic Passage | 50 | 35 | ~18–21 min router + 9 min module |
| Listening | Listen and Choose a Response; Listen to a Conversation; Listen to an Announcement; Listen to an Academic Talk | 47 | 35 | ~18 min router + 7 or 11 min module |
| Writing | Build a Sentence (10); Write an Email (1); Write for an Academic Discussion (1) | 12 | 20 | ~23 min |
| Speaking | Listen and Repeat (7); Take an Interview (4) | 11 | 55 | ~8 min |
- Total listed items: 120. Total listed raw points: 145. Listed total test time: 1 h 23 min – 1 h 29 min.
- Reading and Listening are designed as two-stage adaptive tests (router plus a lower or upper module). Writing and Speaking are linear.
- The item counts include non-scored items in Reading and Listening, whose purpose is typically to gather item-performance data for future use.
- Reading and Listening items are machine-scored selected responses. The Writing Email and Discussion tasks and all Speaking tasks are AI-scored constructed responses, per the specification’s item-type notes. Machine-scored is not exclusive to Reading and Listening: the Writing section’s ten Build a Sentence items are machine-scored too.
What this means for preparation
Reach120 interprets — our reading of the blueprint, not ETS’s advice.
Short tasks, not long essays
Preparation built around retired long-essay and long-passage formats no longer matches the listed task types. Audit any guide against the map above before you trust its practice sets.
Raw points are not band scores
Raw points are the specification’s internal maxima. Official score reports use the 1–6 scale in half-band increments for tests taken on or after January 21, 2026, and ETS does not publish a simple raw-to-band conversion.
Adaptive sections change item counts, not fairness
In a two-stage adaptive design your second-stage module depends on the router, so a fixed “number of questions I will see” expectation is the wrong frame. The ranges above are the listed design.
Machine-scored and AI-scored need different practice
Selected-response sections can be practiced against answer keys, and so can Build a Sentence — it is machine-scored despite sitting in the Writing section. Constructed-response tasks — Email, Discussion, and all Speaking tasks — are rubric territory, where any practice feedback, including ours, is an estimate and never an official score.
One section at a time
The same blueprint values, read section by section, with a worked item in each.
Reading
Three listed task types and a router-plus-module adaptive design, with a worked passage item.
Listening
Four listed task types and the two discrete second-stage module lengths, with a worked announcement item.
Speaking
Eleven listed items across Listen and Repeat and Take an Interview, with a worked answer outline.
Common questions
- How long is the current TOEFL test?
- The 2026 specification lists total test time between about 1 hour 23 minutes and 1 hour 29 minutes across the four sections. Listed values include non-scored Reading and Listening items and are subject to ETS’s stated pre-launch revisions.
- Which sections are adaptive?
- The 2026 Reading and Listening sections use multistage adaptive designs — a router followed by a lower or upper module. Speaking and Writing are linear.
- How many questions are there?
- The specification lists 120 total items — 50 Reading, 47 Listening, 12 Writing, 11 Speaking — and notes that the Reading and Listening counts include non-scored items used to gather item-performance data.
- Is the Writing section still two essays?
- No. The current Writing section lists 12 items: 10 Build a Sentence items, one Write an Email task, and one Write for an Academic Discussion task.
- What do the scores look like?
- For tests taken on or after January 21, 2026, official score reports use a 1–6 scale in half-band increments. During ETS’s transition through January 2028, reports also include a comparable overall estimate on the previous 0–120 scale.
What this map does not tell you
This restates the ETS blueprint’s listed values, which ETS itself marks as subject to minor revision until the official launch. Item counts include non-scored items. Nothing here converts raw points to bands or predicts an individual’s score. Verify every count against the current specification.
Sourced from the ETS 2026 test specifications, accessed 17 July 2026. Next review 16 August 2026, or immediately on any ETS specification change.