About TOEFL
TOEFL is one of the world’s most widely accepted English language proficiency tests. It is accepted by universities, employers, and immigration authorities in more than 160 countries including UK, US, Canada, Australia, Germany and beyond. Owned and administered by ETS (Educational Testing Service), it measures the ability of non-native speakers to use and understand English.
Recognised by over 13,000 institutes worldwide, TOEFL has been a global standard for more than 60 years, helping students and professionals demonstrate their readiness to thrive in English-speaking academic and professional environments.
The primary rendition of TOEFL, widely recognized by universities, colleges, and academic institutions globally for admissions to their prestigious programs. It is a computer-based English language proficiency test that evaluates your ability to use and understand English at the academic level. It measures your skills in reading, listening, speaking, and writing, providing a comprehensive assessment of your English-language ability.
A brief assessment saving cost and timing with same standards of testing as TOEFL iBT, used to prove proficiency in areas beyond academics. ETS has also been working with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to soon use this as an English proficiency test for Canadian visas and residency.
For global universities and colleges to assess scholars for placement, scholarship, measure progress, exiting programs, and admissions (not be replacing TOEFL iBT).
For institutes to monitor student progress according to global standards, and help guide the academic journey of children of ages 11+.
Gauge student ability and progress, and support teaching goals of institutes in children of ages 8+.
Accepted by 13,000+ universities and institutions in over 160 countries, including the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and others. The TOEFL iBT is a trusted and widely recognized test for those seeking admission to overseas universities, work visas, or immigration opportunities.
The TOEFL iBT is specifically designed to reflect how English is used in real academic settings. The test includes integrated tasks that combine different skills — for example, reading a passage, listening to a lecture, and then speaking or writing a response. This format ensures that test takers are assessed in a way that reflects real-life use of the language.
Whether you are planning to study abroad, apply for professional certification, or meet visa and migration requirements, the TOEFL iBT offers a reliable and unbiased evaluation of your English proficiency. With flexible testing options — either at an official test center or from the comfort of your home (TOEFL iBT Home Edition) — the test provides convenience while maintaining high security and fairness standards.
An affordable and time-saving assessment of English language that measures beyond your academics adjusting to your skill level as you proceed with the test. Accepted by 600+ universities including universities from US, UK, Canada, Germany, Finland and many other countries, it is a cost effective test. The test score provides measures of Sentence Construction and Vocabulary Knowledge unlike TOEFL iBT. Unofficial reading and listening scores are shown at the end to indicate performance level.
TOEFL tests four sections in one sitting. TOEFL iBT publishes both how many items each section carries and how long it runs; TOEFL Essentials publishes timings only. The iBT can be taken at a test centre or at home under live proctoring.
| Section | TOEFL iBT | TOEFL Essentials | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of items | Estimated time | Estimated time | |
| Reading | 35–48 | About 27 minutes | 21–34 min |
| Listening | 35–45 | About 18 to 27 minutes | 22–33 min |
| Writing | 12 | About 23 minutes | 24–30 min |
| Speaking | 11 | About 8 minutes | 13 min |
Most widely accepted English proficiency exam by universities
Provides at home testing with TOEFL iBT – home edition
Multistage adaptive design for the Listening and Reading sections adjusts to real-time performance of student
Provides a score within 72 hours
Shorter duration compared to other English proficiency tests
Scored by humanized AI minimizing the rater bias
Why Take
TOEFL iBT is accepted in over 160 countries, including top study destinations such as the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany, France, Singapore, and many more.
TOEFL costs around INR 18,000 for normal registration.
Yes. There is a TOEFL iBT Home Edition, taken from home under live proctoring. You’ll need a camera (often with a 360° room scan) and a microphone (internal or external, non-headset). No headphones or earphones are allowed.
The test has four sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing.
You’ll receive four section scores, as well as an overall score, on the 1 – 6 scale rounded to the nearest half band (for example, if the average of your section scores is 5.25, you will receive an overall score of 5.5).
For a two-year transition period after January 2026, you will also receive a comparable overall score on the 0 – 120 scale.
Your scores are valid for 2 years and PDF score reports are ready for download 1 day after you receive your electronic scores.
Listening: Includes accents from North America, UK, Australia, New Zealand, among others.
Speaking: Task 1 may feature any of these accents; Tasks 2–4 use North American accents.
Elite institutions often expect total scores in the 100–110+ range, with Oxford requiring up to 110. Study each university’s requirements directly.
At the end of the test, before receiving official scores, you’re offered the option to cancel or report. If canceled, no refund, and no scores are reported, but you can reinstate them within 60 days for a fee.
Yes. TOEFL is accepted by immigration authorities, such as for the Canada Student Direct Stream (SDS), and visa applications in countries like the UK and Australia.
You can send scores to up to 4 institutions for free during registration. Additional score reports can be ordered via your ETS account for approx INR 2200 each.
Standard format: Yes, you can take notes on provided scratch paper/screen.
Home Edition: Allowed with restrictions; use an erasable marker on a whiteboard or a blank sheet inside a sheet protector.
No. Headphones or earbuds are not allowed. You must use an internal or external microphone (not headset) and internal or external speaker to hear the proctor.
Universities receive official score reports electronically via the ETS Data Manager or similar systems. They can also verify scores through ETS’s Online Score Verification System (OSVS) using appointment number and DOB.
ETS regularly offers TOEFL in many Indian cities, including tier-2 locations. Use the TOEFL Destinations Search on the ETS website, entering your city (e.g., Dehradun) to find nearby authorized test centers.
Latest TOEFL updates
