What changed in 2026
The TOEFL iBT you may have studied for a year ago no longer exists. ETS announced a major transformation and rolled it out in January 2026 (at-home and registration improvements began earlier, in May 2025). The redesigned test keeps the same four skills — Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking — but almost everything else is new.
The headline changes:
- Shorter and adaptive. The whole test now takes under two hours. Reading and Listening are multistage adaptive: the difficulty of the second part adjusts to how you did on the first part.
- All-new task types in every section (details below) — designed to be shorter and aligned to the CEFR.
- A new 1–6 score scale aligned to the CEFR, replacing the familiar 0–120 total. A comparable 0–120 score is still shown during a transition period (through January 2028).
- Faster results — scores are typically available in about three days.
The test at a glance
The test has four sections, taken in this order. There are about 120 items in total, and the whole appointment takes roughly two hours including check-in. Because Reading and Listening adapt to you, the exact number of questions and the exact timing vary slightly from person to person.
| Section | Time | Items | Format | Task types |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | ~30 min | up to 50 | Adaptive | Complete the Words · Read in Daily Life · Read an Academic Passage |
| Listening | ~29 min | up to 47 | Adaptive | Listen and Choose a Response · Conversation · Announcement · Academic Talk |
| Writing | ~23 min | up to 12 | Linear | Build a Sentence · Write an Email · Write for an Academic Discussion |
| Speaking | ~8 min | up to 11 | Linear | Listen and Repeat · Take an Interview |
Adaptive sections (Reading, Listening) are built in two stages: everyone starts with a shared "router" set, then gets an easier or harder second set based on that performance. Linear sections (Writing, Speaking) give every test-taker on the same form the same tasks. A few Reading and Listening questions are unscored field-test items, mixed in invisibly.
Reading
Reading is now built from short texts rather than two or three long academic passages. About 50 items in ~30 minutes, across three task types:
- Complete the Words (about 30 items) — a vocabulary and word-form task: you complete or reconstruct words and short text using your knowledge of spelling, grammar and meaning. This is the largest part of Reading.
- Read in Daily Life — short, everyday texts such as a sign, a menu, an email, or a social-media post, with a couple of questions each.
- Read an Academic Passage — a shorter academic text where you answer questions about main ideas, details, inferences and how the text is organized.
Texts range from very short (around 15–50 words) up to roughly 200 words — far shorter than the old ~700-word passages. Every Reading item is machine-scored and worth one point.
Listening
Listening has about 47 items in ~29 minutes, across four task types, from very short exchanges to longer talks:
- Listen and Choose a Response — you hear a single short exchange and pick the best response.
- Listen to a Conversation — a short two-person conversation.
- Listen to an Announcement — a campus or classroom-style announcement.
- Listen to an Academic Talk — a longer lecture-style talk, the closest thing to the classic TOEFL listening task.
Audio plays once. ETS uses a mix of AI-generated and human voices, with a balance of accents (North American, British, Australian). All items are machine-scored, one point each.
Writing
Writing has about 12 items in ~23 minutes, with three task types. The old read-listen-write Integrated essay has been removed:
- Build a Sentence (about 10 items) — you arrange or reconstruct words into a grammatically correct sentence. Machine-scored, one point each.
- Write an Email (1 task) — write a short, appropriately-worded email for a given situation.
- Write for an Academic Discussion (1 task) — read a short discussion prompt and write a clear, well-supported paragraph stating and defending your view. (This is the one task carried over from the previous format.)
The two longer writing tasks (email and academic discussion) are worth up to five points each and are scored for how clearly and correctly you express your ideas.
Speaking
Speaking is now a short, interview-style section: about 11 items in only ~8 minutes, with two task types. There is no longer a separate four-task structure with preparation time:
- Listen and Repeat (about 7 items) — you hear a short sentence and repeat it as accurately and clearly as you can. This checks pronunciation and intelligibility.
- Take an Interview (about 4 items) — you answer interview-style questions on familiar topics, speaking clearly and developing your answer with reasons and detail.
Each Speaking item is worth up to five points. Responses are evaluated by ETS's automated scoring together with certified human raters. Because there's no scripted preparation time, fluency and the ability to speak naturally on the spot matter more than memorized templates.
How the new 1–6 score works
This is the biggest change for anyone reading score requirements. Each of the four sections, plus your overall result, is now reported on a 1 to 6 scale in half-point steps (1.0, 1.5, 2.0 … 6.0). Your overall score is the average of the four section scores, rounded to the nearest half band — not a sum. For example, an average of 5.125 rounds to 5.0; an average of 5.25 rounds to 5.5.
The scale is aligned to the CEFR (the international A1–C2 framework), and the alignment is the same for every section:
| TOEFL band | CEFR level |
|---|---|
| 6.0 | C2 |
| 5.5 – 5.0 | C1 |
| 4.5 – 4.0 | B2 |
| 3.5 – 3.0 | B1 |
| 2.5 – 2.0 | A2 |
| 1.5 – 1.0 | A1 |
What about the old 0–120 score?
During a two-year transition (January 2026 to January 2028), score reports also show a comparable 0–120 overall score, so universities that still list 0–120 requirements can read your result. After January 2028, only the 1–6 scale with CEFR levels will be reported. As a rough guide to the old scale:
| 1–6 overall | ≈ old 0–120 |
|---|---|
| 5.0 | ≈ 100 |
| 4.5 | ≈ 90 |
| 4.0 | ≈ 80 |
| 3.5 | ≈ 70 |
Who scores what
Reading, Listening and the sentence/word tasks are machine-scored. Speaking and the email and academic-discussion writing tasks are scored by a combination of ETS's AI engines and certified human raters. Scoring is always done centrally, never at the test center. Scores are valid for two years, and reports include MyBest Scores — your best section scores across all your valid tests, which many universities accept.
Registration, fees & logistics
Where you can take it
- At a test center — available worldwide, offered more than 170 times a year.
- TOEFL iBT Home Edition — the same test at home, available 24 hours a day, four days a week, booked at least 24 hours ahead and monitored by a live human proctor.
- Test-takers in mainland China register through a separate local ETS path. (The paper-based edition has been discontinued.)
Fees
The base registration fee varies by country — around US$270 in the United States, and roughly US$170–475 worldwide. ETS only shows the exact price after you choose your location, so always confirm yours on the official site. Common add-on fees (US dollars, before tax):
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Late registration | US$49 |
| Reschedule | US$69 |
| Each extra score report | US$29 |
| Score review — Speaking or Writing | US$80 |
| Score review — both sections | US$160 |
| Reinstate canceled scores | US$20 |
Retakes and results
- Retakes: unlimited, but you can't take the test more than once in any 3-day period.
- Results: typically posted to your ETS account about three days after the test, with a downloadable PDF report a day later.
- Score reports: your fee includes up to four free official score reports sent to institutions you choose.
How to prepare for the 2026 format
The single most important step is to practice with materials built for the new format and take full-length, timed runs to build pacing and stamina. Beyond that, here is sensible, section-by-section guidance:
- Reading — grow your vocabulary and word-form skills (prefixes, suffixes, spelling) for Complete the Words; read short everyday texts (emails, notices, posts); and practice quick skim-for-gist and scan-for-detail on academic passages.
- Listening — listen to lots of real English at natural speed: short exchanges, campus dialogues, announcements and lectures. Practice catching the main idea on a single play, and take short notes on longer talks.
- Speaking — rehearse answering interview questions cold, with no script. Do listen-and-repeat shadowing to sharpen pronunciation and rhythm, and record yourself to check pace and clarity.
- Writing — drill sentence grammar for Build a Sentence, learn the conventions of a polite email, and practice writing a clear, well-supported opinion paragraph with specific reasons and examples.
Official sources & free guides
Everything in this guide is based on ETS's own published materials for the 2026 TOEFL iBT. They are free to read — go straight to the source to confirm the latest details:
Frequently asked questions
When did the new TOEFL iBT start?
ETS rolled out the redesigned TOEFL iBT in January 2026, with at-home and registration improvements beginning in May 2025. Tests taken from that point use the new adaptive format and the 1–6 score scale.
Is the TOEFL now adaptive?
Partly. The Reading and Listening sections are multistage adaptive — the second part adjusts in difficulty based on how you did on the first part. The Writing and Speaking sections are linear, so everyone on the same form gets the same tasks.
What's a good TOEFL score on the new 1–6 scale?
It depends on the program, but as a guide: 5.0–5.5 corresponds to CEFR C1 (strong, suitable for most universities), 4.0–4.5 is B2, and 6.0 is C2. Your overall score is the average of the four sections, rounded to the nearest half band.
Is the 0–120 score gone?
It's being phased out. Through January 2028, reports still show a comparable 0–120 overall score alongside the 1–6 scale. After that, only the 1–6 scale with CEFR levels will be reported.
How long is the new TOEFL?
Under two hours. The four sections add up to roughly 90 minutes of testing, and the full appointment is about two hours including check-in. Because the test adapts, the exact length varies.
How many times can I retake it?
As many times as you like, but no more than once in any 3-day period. Scores are valid for two years, and MyBest Scores combine your best section scores across valid tests.
How is Speaking scored now?
The Speaking section has two task types — Listen and Repeat and Take an Interview — across about 11 short items in roughly 8 minutes. Responses are scored by a combination of ETS's automated scoring and certified human raters. There's no separate preparation time, so speaking naturally and fluently matters.