TOEFL iBT® Technical Manual

This technical manual describes the purpose and intended uses of the TOEFL iBT test, its target test-taker population, and relevant language use domains. The test design and scoring procedures are presented first, followed by a research agenda intended to support the interpretation and use of test scores. Given the updates to the test starting January 2026, this technical manual is intended to serve as an overview and rationale for the test design as well as a reference point for informing investigations of validity evidence to support the intended test uses over time. Designed as a living document, this manual will be updated as the test's design, administration, scoring, and evidence of measurement quality (including reliability, validity, and fairness) evolve, along with its intended uses. Suggested citation: Manna, V. F., Li, S., Papageorgiou, S., & Gu, L. (2025). TOEFL iBT® technical manual (TOEFL Research Report No. RR-106). ETS. https://doi.org/10.64634/eje8f497

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Publication Details

Journal
ETS Research Report Series
Published
2025-10-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.64634/eje8f497
Primary Topic
Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

TOEFL iBT® Technical Manual

Lixiong Gu, Spiros Papageorgiou, Venessa F. Manna, Shuhong Li
ETS Research Report Series
Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
article

TOEFL iBT® Technical Manual

Lixiong Gu, Spiros Papageorgiou, Venessa F. Manna, Shuhong Li
article en

Abstract

This technical manual describes the purpose and intended uses of the TOEFL iBT test, its target test-taker population, and relevant language use domains. The test design and scoring procedures are presented first, followed by a research agenda intended to support the interpretation and use of test scores. Given the updates to the test starting January 2026, this technical manual is intended to serve as an overview and rationale for the test design as well as a reference point for informing investigations of validity evidence to support the intended test uses over time. Designed as a living document, this manual will be updated as the test's design, administration, scoring, and evidence of measurement quality (including reliability, validity, and fairness) evolve, along with its intended uses. Suggested citation: Manna, V. F., Li, S., Papageorgiou, S., & Gu, L. (2025). TOEFL iBT® technical manual (TOEFL Research Report No. RR-106). ETS. https://doi.org/10.64634/eje8f497

ETS Research Report SeriesVol. 2025(1)
Openalex Percentile: Top 67%
Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
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