This TOEFL cheat sheet distills the ETS TOEFL iBT into a printable rundown of the facts that matter most across Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. It's a premium cheat sheet built by Capital Prep — the one premium prep we trust — and it's yours free. Reinforce it with the rest of your free TOEFL toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
TOEFL exam at a glance
- Administered by: ETS (Educational Testing Service)
- Sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing (fixed order)
- Length: About 2 hours in one sitting, with no scheduled break
- Scoring: Each section 0–30; total 0–120 (sum of the four)
- Target score: No passing score set by ETS — each institution sets its own minimum (roughly 70–80 undergrad, 90–99 most, 100+ competitive)
- Score validity: 2 years from the test date
- Cost: Roughly $185–$340 USD, varies by country — verify on ets.org
What’s on the TOEFL cheat sheet
- Reading (~35 min · 0–30) — two ~700-word academic passages, the 10 question types, and the pacing to clear both in time.
- Listening (~36 min · 0–30) — lectures and campus conversations played once, the 8 question types, and note-taking strategy.
- Speaking (~16 min · 0–30) — one Independent task and three Integrated tasks, each scored 0–4 on Delivery, Language Use, and Topic Development.
- Writing (~29 min · 0–30) — Integrated Writing (150–225 words) and Writing for an Academic Discussion (100+ words), each scored 0–5.
How to use it in your final week
- Lock in section timing first — Reading (~35 min, 2 passages), Listening (~36 min), Speaking (~16 min, 4 tasks), Writing (~29 min, 2 tasks) — so the roughly two-hour, no-break flow feels routine.
- Memorize the two Reading traps from the sheet: the dictionary-correct Vocabulary choice and the true-but-unstated Inference answer — recognizing the question type tells you where to look.
- Rehearse the productive tasks against a timer: 45 seconds for the Independent speaking task, 60 for each integrated one, and the 150–225 word Integrated Writing summary using reporting verbs and no personal opinion.
- The morning of the test, read the sheet once for the memory hooks — 0–30 per section, 0–120 total, note-taking allowed throughout, and no penalty for guessing on Reading and Listening.
The cheat sheet is your review layer — your TOEFL practice test drives the exam-readiness ring at the top of this page. Download it, review, then take a full practice exam (or drill with the study guide and flashcards) to see where you stand.
TOEFL cheat sheet FAQ
Yes — the TOEFL cheat sheet is 100% free to download as a PDF, with no sign-up required. It's part of Career Employer's free TOEFL toolkit alongside the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
It condenses the highest-yield facts for all four sections — Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing — plus the timing for each, the 0–30 section scale, and how the four scores add to a 0–120 total. It's built as a fast last-week reference, not a full textbook.
No — ETS does not set a passing score. Each institution sets its own required score, so the sheet frames targets by scaled score instead: many undergraduate programs want roughly 70–80, most universities 90–99, and competitive or graduate programs 100 or higher on the 0–120 scale. Always confirm the exact number your program requires.
It reflects the shortened, roughly two-hour four-section TOEFL iBT and notes the January 2026 redesign that adds adaptive Reading and Listening plus a 1–6 band scale reported alongside a comparable 0–120 score. Confirm which format your test date uses on ets.org.
Click the download button (or the preview card) at the top of this page to open the PDF instantly. Bookmark this page so you can find it again in the final week before your test date.
References
- 1.Educational Testing Service. “About the TOEFL iBT Test.” ETS.org, 2026. ↑
- 2.Educational Testing Service. “TOEFL iBT Test Content.” ETS.org, 2026. ↑
- 3.Educational Testing Service. “Understand Your TOEFL iBT Scores.” ETS.org, 2026. ↑
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