Students attending a college or university in the U.S. have to submit various documents to be considered for admission, like their high school transcript, essays, teacher recommendations and, in some cases, SAT or ACT test scores. But that list of requirements is longer for international students, who often also need to demonstrate English proficiency.
To measure language skills, many colleges look at how an applicant fared on a standardized English language assessment. One exam option is the Test of English as a Foreign Language, known as TOEFL, which is administered by the Educational Testing Service, a nonprofit that conducts educational research with an emphasis on testing.
Some U.S. schools prefer TOEFL over other exams, like the International English Language Testing System, known as IELTS.
“So each student will have to look at which schools they’re interested in applying to and determine what that institution will accept,” says Dana Brolley, director of international services at the University of Idaho.
From qualifying scores to the layout of the exam, here’s what to know about TOEFL and how it compares to IELTS.
What Is the TOEFL Exam?
TOEFL has evolved since its inception in 1964. Originally created as a paper-based test, TOEFL transitioned to computer-based in 1998 and then to an internet-based exam in 2005, known as the TOEFL iBT.
Though administered by computer, the TOEFL iBT is taken in person at an ETS-authorized testing center. There are now some exceptions, however. The coronavirus pandemic prompted the launch of an at-home version of the test — the TOEFL iBT Home Edition, which uses a live proctor. The TOEFL iBT and TOEFL iBT Home Edition share the same content: four timed sections in the skill areas of reading, listening, speaking and writing.
The TOEFL iBT Home Edition isn’t the only new test created by ETS over the last few years. The TOEFL Essentials Test was added in August 2021 and measures the same four skills as the TOEFL iBT. But it’s slightly shorter — 90 minutes — and emphasizes a combination of academic and general English skills, rather than just academic language. More universities are expected to accept it in the future.
TOEFL vs. IELTS
TOEFL and IELTS cover four skill areas, but TOEFL iBT’s content focuses on all academic English while IELTS is split between academic and general everyday English, experts say.
There are also slight differences in length, cost, scores, grading and acceptance rates.
Length
IELTS, which is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge Assessment English, offers two types of tests: IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. The latter is geared more toward test-takers looking to work in or immigrate to an English-speaking country, while IELTS Academic is for students planning to earn their degree abroad.
Both IELTS tests have a total test time of two hours and 45 minutes with no breaks. The listening, reading and writing sections are completed in the same day, while the speaking section can be taken up to a week before or after the rest of the exam.
In the 30-minute listening section of the IELTS Academic exam, test-takers must listen to four recordings from native English speakers with different accents and answer 40 questions. The reading section is 60 minutes and has 40 questions that test skills like reading for main ideas, reading for detail, skimming and understanding logical arguments.
As for the writing section, test-takers are given two tasks to complete — writing a letter and argumentative response to an issue — in the 60-minute time frame. Finally, the speaking section lasts between 11 and 14 minutes and is a recorded oral interview with an examiner.
Meanwhile, TOEFL is shorter than IELTS, totaling just under two hours — a change made in July 2023.
“In any kind of assessment situation, it is a bit of a stressful experience because you have to prepare for it,” says Rohit Sharma, senior vice president of global higher education and work skills at ETS. “The results of that are going to be an input into a very important decision that can determine the future course of your life. So there’s a healthy amount of stress that people go through in any kind of assessment setting. … Rather than sitting through a three-hour test, you are now sitting through a two-hour test. So there’s mentally less stress that is there.”
He adds that in addition to the reduction in time, the content is intended to be “more relevant to the environment of today.”
The reading section is about 35 minutes, with two 700-word reading passages from textbooks taught at the university level. There are 10 questions for each passage. The listening section is about 36 minutes long, with three lectures and two conversations. Lectures range from three to five minutes and conversations are three minutes each.
The 16-minute speaking section includes four tasks that resemble real-life scenarios students may encounter in or outside class. Unlike IELTS, there’s no interaction with an examiner. Test-takers have 15 to 30 seconds to prepare for a 45- or 60-second response that is recorded through a microphone and sent to ETS.
Additionally, the writing section consists of two tasks — a response to a reading and recorded lecture, and a reply to an online classroom discussion — for a total of 29 minutes.
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Cost
Both exams are similarly priced in the U.S., though costs vary per country. In the U.S., taking the IELTS costs between $215 and $310, depending on location, while TOEFL charges $255.
Registration can be completed online. Visit the IELTS and ETS websites for more information. When registering, test-takers are typically required to create an account and are directed to their nearest testing center.
Scoring
IELTS relies on certified markers and examiners to grade exams, while TOEFL uses a combination of AI and certified human raters, depending on the section.
Each section of TOEFL has a score range of 0-30 and test-takers can earn a total possible score of 120. Scores are released as soon as six business days after the test date, depending on which TOEFL test was taken. As part of the July 2023 changes to the exam, test-takers will receive their official score release date upon completion as well as be notified of any changes to their score status.
The test price includes free submission of up to four score reports. Score report recipients can be added through a test-taker’s ETS account until the night before the exam. Each additional report costs $25 and scores are valid for two years.
The IELTS is graded on a scale of 0 (did not attempt) to 9 (expert). A score is given for each section, which is then averaged to produce an overall score.
Test-takers usually receive their results in three to five days, though it takes longer for those who opted for the paper version. Results can be sent to up to five organizations for free.
Where TOEFL and IELTS Are Accepted
TOEFL is accepted at more than 12,500 universities and institutions in more than 160 countries, according to ETS. It’s accepted everywhere in the U.S.
IELTS is accepted by more than 12,000 organizations — including universities, companies, government organizations and migration agencies — across more than 140 countries. More than 3,400 institutions in the U.S. accept IELTS, according to its website.
“There’s some nuances in the differences in the language,” Brolley says. “If a student went through a British curriculum, they might find the IELTS a little more friendly or accessible than the TOEFL. Where if they had more Western, U.S.-based education, then they would maybe find the TOEFL a little more accessible. But typically they are quite similar.”
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Good TOEFL Scores for Colleges
A score above a 100 is considered a “strong score which will meet the English proficiency requirements for most U.S. colleges,” says Mandee Heller Adler, founder of International College Counselors, a college advising company.
Cornell University in New York is an institution where the TOEFL score minimum is 100, but many schools accept much lower. The University of Idaho, for example, requires a minimum score of 70.
To better understand the TOEFL score range, see the chart below with a breakdown by each section of the exam, according to data from ETS.
How to Prepare
“A lot of my students who speak decent English think they don’t need to study for TOEFL,” Adler says. “But I have found that the test is confusing enough that even the best English speakers should take a practice test.”
Practice tests give test-takers a way to familiarize themselves with the content, layout and rules of the exam. ETS, for instance, introduced the TOEFL TestReady platform in February 2024, which houses both free and paid customizable TOEFL practice materials, including mock tests, section tests, courses and tailored study plans.
“With this TestReady platform, you can customize and personalize your preparation based on areas where you are relatively weaker,” Sharma says. “So some people may be very good at reading and listening, but perhaps not so good at what we call productive skills, which is speaking and writing. And so they can spend a bit more time on that.”
Other options include test preparation services such as Magoosh and Kaplan, and a MOOC, or massive open online course, offered through the edX platform in partnership with ETS.
“There are all sorts of courses that students can sign up for, pay for and go through to help them develop the skills they need to show their best language abilities when they’re taking the exam,” Brolley says.
Sharma adds that just like learning any foreign language, test-takers should engage with people who are native speakers. That could mean watching a documentary without subtitles or reading books or magazines in English.
“You will continue to improve your vocabulary,” he says, “and all of that starts to come together when you start to prepare for the test.”
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The Complete Guide to the TOEFL originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 03/08/24: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
