TOEFL iBT
English-proficiency proof for university admission, accepted by 13,000+ institutions in 160+ countries — the traditional preference for US universities. Scores are valid for two years.
Eligibility
ETS sets no qualification or age bar; a valid passport is mandatory in India. You may retake the test as often as you like, but not more than once in any three-day window. Scores are valid for two years.
Age limit: None
Exam pattern
Redesigned from 21 January 2026: the test now runs about 90 minutes (down from 116) with four sections — Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. Reading and Listening are multistage adaptive: do well on the first stage and the second gets harder, with a higher score ceiling. Content now mixes academic passages with real-life communication tasks. Results arrive within 72 hours on a new 1–6 band scale (0.5 steps, overall = average of the four sections), reported alongside the familiar 0–120 scale during a two-year transition. Speaking is scored by a combination of AI and human raters; a Home Edition with live proctoring is available.
Syllabus at a glance
Reading tests comprehension of academic and everyday texts. Listening uses lectures, classroom discussion and daily conversations. Speaking has independent tasks (your opinion) and integrated tasks (respond to what you read/heard). Writing includes an integrated task and the Writing for an Academic Discussion task — all testing campus-ready English rather than specialist subject knowledge.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Current format | 90-minute adaptive test with 1–6 band scale (in effect since 21 Jan 2026), dual-reported with 0–120 through the transition | confirmed |
| Test dates | 60+ dates a year — multiple sittings weekly at Indian centres and via the Home Edition | confirmed |
| Registration | Rolling, year-round via your ETS account; late fee applies within about 4 days of the test | confirmed |
| Results | Within 72 hours of the test | confirmed |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- The Official Guide to the TOEFL iBT — ETS
- Official TOEFL iBT Tests, Volumes 1 & 2 — ETS
- Barron's TOEFL iBT — Pamela J. Sharpe
- Cambridge Preparation for the TOEFL Test — Jolene Gear and Robert Gear
How toppers play it
- The format changed on 21 January 2026 — prepare on TOEFL TestReady, since full tests in pre-2026 books no longer mirror the adaptive 90-minute structure (their skill drills are still useful).
- Reading and Listening are stage-adaptive: high accuracy in the first stage unlocks the harder, higher-scoring second stage, so treat early questions with extra care.
- Build note-taking shorthand for integrated Speaking and Writing tasks — you must fuse what you read and heard, not just give opinions.
- Use answer templates for Speaking (claim, two reasons, example) so the 45-second responses come out structured under pressure to satisfy both AI and human raters.
- Choose your four free score recipients before test day, and confirm whether each target university wants the classic 0–120 score or the new 1–6 band during the transition.