TOEFL iBT
An academic English-proficiency test accepted by 13,000+ universities, especially in the USA and Canada, and also in Australia, the UK, Europe and Asia.
Eligibility
There is no qualification or age requirement; ETS recommends candidates are 16 or older. You need a valid passport as ID in India. Retakes are allowed, but not within 3 days of a previous test. Scores are valid for two years, and MyBest scores combine your best section scores from attempts in the past two years.
Age limit: No age limit (recommended 16+)
Exam pattern
The format was redesigned on 21 January 2026. The test is computer-based and multistage adaptive, with about 90 minutes of base testing time; allow around 2 hours in total. Reading has about 50 items in 30 minutes (Complete the Words, Read in Daily Life, Read an Academic Passage). Listening has about 47 items in 29 minutes (Choose a Response, Conversation, Announcement, Academic Talk). Writing has 12 items in 23 minutes (Build a Sentence, Write an Email, Academic Discussion). Speaking has 11 items in 8 minutes (Listen and Repeat, Take an Interview). Each section and the overall score are reported on a 1-6 band scale in half-bands, with a comparable 0-120 score shown until early 2028. Results come in as little as 3 days.
Syllabus at a glance
The test covers English for both campus life and academic study. You read and listen to short daily-life texts (emails, notices, conversations) and to academic passages and lectures. Writing tests sentence-level grammar (Build a Sentence), functional emails and short opinion posts for an online class discussion. Speaking tests pronunciation through sentence repetition and spontaneous answers in a simulated interview.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| TOEFL iBT Home Edition appointments | Nearly every day, year-round | confirmed |
| Test centre dates in Indian cities | Multiple dates each month, Nov 2026 - Jan 2027 | confirmed |
| Scores available after test | Within about 3 days (official PDF a little later) | confirmed |
| Latest sensible test date for Fall 2027 US deadlines (Dec 2026-Jan 2027) | By end Nov 2026 | expected |
| 0-120 comparable score reporting phases out | Early 2028 | expected |
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 Test (edition for the 2026 format) – ETS
- Official TOEFL iBT Tests – ETS
- Barron's TOEFL iBT – Pamela J. Sharpe and Lin Lougheed
- English Grammar in Use – Raymond Murphy
- Kaplan TOEFL iBT Prep Plus – Kaplan Test Prep
How toppers play it
- Prepare only for the January 2026 format. Pre-2026 books still feature integrated essays and long passages that no longer appear, so check the publication date of anything you buy.
- Reading and Listening are adaptive by stage, so accuracy in the first module unlocks the harder, higher-scoring second module. Do not race through the early questions.
- Build a Sentence and Complete the Words reward grammar and spelling precision. Drill word order, articles, prepositions and common suffixes daily.
- For Write an Email, cover every point in the prompt in the right tone and register. Missing a required point costs more than a few small grammar errors.
- In Listen and Repeat, focus on reproducing the exact words and stress patterns. Practise shadowing native audio rather than paraphrasing.