TOEFL Essentials and Diagnostic

Before you practise a single task, you need a clear picture of the test itself: what comes first, how long each section lasts, how the computer decides which questions you see, and what it rewards. Candidates who walk in with that picture lose fewer marks to surprises. This chapter gives you the whole of the new TOEFL iBT on two pages, then how it is scored, what the scores mean for study and visas, the choice between the test centre and the Home Edition, and the ten mistakes that cost our students the most time, money and marks. It ends with a diagnostic check that tells you where to start in each skill.

The test in one sitting

The TOEFL iBT changed on 21 January 2026. The current test has four sections taken in a fixed order: Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking. ETS gives about 90 minutes of base test time (30 + 29 + 23 + 8 minutes) and advises you to allow about two hours in all, because directions, check-in and the equipment check are not included. There are no scheduled breaks. You take it on a computer, either at an authorised test centre or at home with the Home Edition, watched by a live human proctor.

The content is international and mostly set in and around a university: campus notices, emails and text messages, conversations at the housing office, announcements from instructors and short academic talks on science, history, business and society. The Listening section uses North American, British, Australian and New Zealand voices. Each task tests one skill, and each skill has its own section score.

The table follows the order of the screen. Item counts and times are those ETS publishes for the current test; because Reading and Listening are adaptive, the exact number of questions and the time can vary a little from one candidate to the next.

How the adaptive design works

Reading and Listening are multistage adaptive. Each section is in two stages:

• Stage 1 (the router) is the same level for everyone. How well you do here decides your second stage.
• Stage 2 is either an easier or a harder module. Candidates who do well in stage 1 get the harder module, and only the harder module gives access to the top scores.

Writing and Speaking are not adaptive: everyone who takes a given test form gets the same tasks.

What each section feels like

1 · Reading

The section opens with short tasks and moves quickly. Complete the Words tests whether you know English words well enough to spell them from half a word and the meaning of the sentence: grammar tells you shows rather than show, and meaning tells you direction rather than director. Read in Daily Life looks easy, but the questions turn on small details such as a time, a condition or who a message is for. The academic passage is short (about 200 words) compared with the old test, so every sentence counts.

2 · Listening

Every recording plays once only. In Listen and Choose a Response you hear one line and must choose the reply that a real person would give; the wrong options often repeat a word you heard or answer a different question. You may take notes: at a test centre you get scratch paper and a pencil, and at home a small whiteboard or a blank sheet in a transparent sheet protector with an erasable marker.

3 · Writing

You type every answer, with no spell check and no grammar suggestions; writing-assistance software is not allowed. Build a Sentence rewards accurate word order in questions, negatives, reported speech and phrases such as whether it will be. The email is marked on whether you cover all three points in a tone that suits the reader. In the academic discussion you must add your own idea to the conversation, not repeat the two students.

4 · Speaking

The Speaking section is short and fast. In Listen and Repeat you hear each sentence once and repeat it exactly; the sentences start short and grow longer. In Take an Interview there is no preparation time: the question ends and your 45 seconds begin. The first two questions ask about you and your experience; the last two ask for an opinion with reasons.

How TOEFL is scored

For tests taken on or after 21 January 2026, your score report gives four section scores (Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking) and an overall score, all on a scale from 1 to 6 in half bands: 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and so on up to 6.

• The overall score is the average of your four section scores, rounded to the nearest half band. ETS's own examples: an average of 5.125 becomes 5, and an average of 5.25 becomes 5.5.
• One weak section pulls the overall down. Because the overall is a straight average, every half band you gain in your weakest section moves your average up by an eighth of a band, just as much as a half band in your best one.
• Each task is marked in its own way. Reading and Listening questions and Build a Sentence earn one point each, machine-scored. The email, the academic discussion and each of the eleven Speaking items are scored from 0 to 5 by ETS's automated scoring system, against published criteria.

If Writing had been 3 instead of 3.5, the average would be 4.125 and the overall 4. Half a band in one section changed the overall by half a band. Averages always end in .0, .125, .25, .375, .5, .625, .75 or .875: .125 and .625 round down; .25, .375, .75 and .875 round up.

The comparable 0–120 score

For two years, from January 2026 to January 2028, every score report also shows a comparable total on the old 0–120 scale, so that universities with old requirements can read the new scores. ETS publishes this concordance for the overall score:

ETS advises institutions to find the band whose range contains their old requirement. On that method, an old requirement of 100 falls in band 5, 90 in band 4.5, 80 in band 4 and 70 in band 3.5. ETS also suggests that institutions offering little language support choose the next band up, so a course that used to ask for 80 may now ask for 4.5. Many universities have already published new requirements in bands; some still quote 0–120 numbers. Read the requirement on the course page itself, and if it is still in the old scale, ask the admissions office how it reads the new report.

TOEFL and the CEFR

ETS designed the new scale to line up with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). The same alignment applies to the overall score and to each section: a 5 in any section, ETS says, aligns with C1 in that skill. Universities in Europe and the UK often state requirements as a CEFR level, so learn where the borders are.

What the scores mean for FLC students

University entry

ETS reports that TOEFL is accepted by more than 13,500 institutions in over 160 countries, but every institution sets its own requirement, often an overall band plus a minimum in each section. The ranges below are what our counsellors typically see in 2026; they are a planning guide, not a rule. Always read the requirement on the course page itself.

United States

TOEFL is the English test most US universities know best. The university decides whether your English is good enough and issues your Form I-20; there is no separate TOEFL score for the F-1 student visa itself. Graduate schools often set a separate, higher Speaking score for students who want to work as teaching assistants.

Canada

Colleges and universities set their own English requirements for admission, and most accept TOEFL iBT. Since the Student Direct Stream closed in November 2024, IRCC has had no fixed TOEFL score for a study permit. For IRCC's own language requirements, however (the language requirement for a post-graduation work permit, permanent residence through Express Entry, and citizenship), TOEFL iBT is not accepted. As of November 2026, the English tests IRCC accepts are CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core (in French, TEF Canada and TCF Canada).

United Kingdom

TOEFL iBT is not a Secure English Language Test (SELT) approved by the Home Office. For a degree-level course, however, a UK university can assess your English itself and issue your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) on the basis of a TOEFL score, if it accepts TOEFL for that course. The Home Office expects at least CEFR B2 for degree-level study, which on the new scale begins at band 4; your university will set its own score, often higher. For courses below degree level, and for work and most other UK visas, you need a SELT, so TOEFL will not do.

Australia

The Department of Home Affairs accepts TOEFL iBT for visas, but only when you take it at a secure test centre and choose "Taking TOEFL for Australia" when you register. ETS calls this version TOEFL iBT Australia. Home Edition scores are not accepted for Australian visas. Home Affairs states its TOEFL thresholds as section scores on the old 0–30 scale: for Competent English, for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, at least 16 in Listening, 16 in Reading, 19 in Writing and 19 in Speaking. New Zealand's qualifications authority (NZQA) reported in April 2026 that TOEFL iBT Australia still uses the old format and scoring, not the new test this book trains you for. Before you book, confirm with ETS and with your FLC counsellor or registered migration agent which format you will sit and which scores your visa needs. Universities set their own admission requirements and many accept TOEFL.

Europe

Universities in Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, France and elsewhere usually state a TOEFL band or a CEFR level, most often B2 or C1. Where a course asks for "C1", you need band 5 or higher; check whether the requirement applies to the overall score or to every section.

Worked example: one section, one intake

Aarav has an offer for a Master's in Data Science in Toronto, conditional on "TOEFL iBT 4.5 overall, with no section below 4". His report, taken in March 2026, reads:

His friends congratulate him on "4.5 overall". The university does not: one section is below the minimum, so the condition is not met. His diagnostic showed why. His emails covered only two of the three points, and in the academic discussion he spent three of his ten minutes repeating what the two students had already said. He practised a fixed routine (one minute to plan, three points ticked off, two minutes to check) and a "my view, my reason, my example" structure for the discussion. On his next test he reached Writing 4.5, and his overall rose to 5.

Test centre or Home Edition?

The test is the same in content, format and scoring. What changes is where you sit and what you must arrange yourself.

Choose the test centre if you might use the score for an Australian visa, if your home is noisy or shared, or if your internet connection is unreliable. A Home Edition test interrupted by a family member walking in, a phone on the desk or a dropped connection can be cancelled.

Booking and test-day rules

• Check your name against your passport. The name on your ETS account must match your identification exactly. In India the accepted document is normally your valid passport; read ETS's current ID requirements for your country before you book.
• Register for the right purpose. If the score may be used for an Australian visa, choose "Taking TOEFL for Australia" and book a test centre.
• Choose your score recipients. Add the universities you are sure of in your ETS account. Check the current deadlines and fees for free and additional score reports when you book.
• Arrive early, or log in early. At a test centre, allow time for ID checks and security. For the Home Edition, have your room, your ID and your note-taking materials ready before you check in.
• No phone, no watch, no notes. Mobile devices are not allowed: at a centre they stay with your belongings, and at home they must be put away after check-in.
• Plan your body for two hours. There is no scheduled break. Eat and drink something before you start.
• Watch the on-screen timer, not the clock on the wall. It is the timer that ends your task.

Results and what to do with them

• Results: ETS releases scores to your ETS account about three days after your test date, and emails you when they are ready. Your PDF score report can be downloaded a day after that. Institutions you chose receive your scores from ETS.
• Validity: TOEFL scores are valid for two years from the test date. After that ETS no longer reports them. The institution that receives them may set its own, shorter rule.
• MyBest scores: your report also shows your best score in each section from all your valid tests in the last two years, even if they come from different test dates. On a report from the new test, older 0–120 scores are converted to the 1–6 scale. Not every institution accepts MyBest scores, so check before you rely on them.
• Retakes: when one section is short, a retake prepared properly for that section is usually the best use of your money. Do not book the next test until your practice scores in that section are steadily above the requirement.

The 10 most expensive mistakes Indian candidates make

These come straight from twenty-five years of working with students in Vadodara, Anand, Bharuch and Scarborough. Each one has cost real candidates a retake fee, a missed intake, or both.

1. Preparing for the old test. Integrated tasks, long passages and five-minute lectures are gone. A month spent on an old book is a month lost.
2. Booking the Home Edition for an Australian visa. Home Affairs does not accept it. Book a test centre and register for Australia.
3. Using TOEFL for Canadian PR or a work permit. IRCC does not accept TOEFL iBT for those. Plan a second test for life after graduation.
4. Aiming at the overall score. "4.5 overall with no section below 4" is two requirements, not one. A Writing score of 3.5 fails it.
5. Ignoring the short tasks. Complete the Words, Listen and Choose a Response and Build a Sentence come in large numbers. Candidates who practise only essays and long readings leave easy points on the table.
6. Spelling from sound. In Complete the Words every letter counts. "Recieve", "goverment", "enviroment" and a missing -s each cost a whole point.
7. Changing the sentence in Listen and Repeat. Saying "Clean towels are in the cabinet" for "Clean towels are kept in the cabinet" loses marks. The task is to repeat, not to paraphrase.
8. Freezing in the interview. There is no preparation time. A memorised introduction ("Thank you for this wonderful question…") wastes seconds and sounds rehearsed. Answer in your first sentence, then give a reason and an example.
9. Writing the email in the wrong tone, or missing a point. "Hi bro" to a professor, or two points out of three, costs more than any grammar slip.
10. Repeating the students in the academic discussion. "I agree with Ana because, as she said…" adds nothing. Add a new reason or example of your own.

The four FLC levels

This course is built in four levels. Each level has a clear TOEFL target, a clear reason for reaching it, and its own Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking units. You do not have to start at Level 1. You start where your English is today, and you climb.

Your TOEFL score is reported separately for each section, and universities often look at each one. Plan by section, not by average: it is normal to be at Level 3 in Reading and Level 2 in Speaking.

What each level looks like

Read the description of the level you think you are at, and the one above it. The "not yet" column is your to-do list.

Study plans

Each plan assumes about 90 minutes a day, six days a week. "Your level" means the starting level the diagnostic gives you; work on each skill at its own level, and move up as soon as a level's units and exercises go well.

Find Your Level: Diagnostic Check

This check takes about an hour. It is not a full test, and it will not give you a TOEFL score. What it will give you is a starting level for each skill, so you spend your study time where it counts instead of repeating what you already know. It follows the test order: Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking.

Reading

Allow 15 minutes for Exercises 3–5 together.

Listening

Use headphones. Play every recording once only, without pausing, and read the questions only when the instructions say so.

Writing

Type your answers if you can: the real test is on a computer, with no spell check. Stop when the timer ends.

Writing score

Mark Exercise 10 with the key (1 point for each reply exactly right). Then wait ten minutes and reread your email and post as if a stranger wrote them. Give 1 point for each statement that is fully true. Be strict: "almost" scores 0.

Speaking

Use your phone's voice recorder. Do not stop the recording or start again: in the real test nobody stops for you.

Speaking self-rating

Listen to each interview answer once, all the way through. Better still, ask a friend whose English you trust to listen with you. For each answer, give 1 point for each statement that is fully true. Be strict: "almost" scores 0. Then add your Listen and Repeat score.

Find your starting level

Mark Exercises 3–9 with the keys. Reading is Exercises 3–5 (10 + 5 + 5 = 20 points), Listening is Exercises 6–9 (5 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 14 points), Writing comes from the Writing score table and Speaking from the self-rating. Write your four totals, then read across: Level 1 Foundation, Level 2 Study Abroad Ready, Level 3 High Scorer, Level 4 Mastery.

* Level 4 in Reading or Listening only if you reached that score and were sure of every answer; a lucky guess is not Level 4.

How to read your result

• Start each skill at its own level. It is normal to begin Reading at Level 3 and Speaking at Level 1. The Course Book is designed for exactly this.
• If a score sits on a borderline, take the lower level and move through it quickly. Self-ratings in Writing and Speaking usually run high, so if you are unsure, step down one level.
• Check your target. If you need 4.5 overall with no section below 4, every skill must reach the top of Level 2 at least, and most should be at Level 3. If you need C1 (band 5) for a European Master's, your work is in Level 3 and Level 4.
• Look inside each skill. A low Reading total caused mainly by Complete the Words (spelling and grammar) is a different problem from one caused by the academic passage (vocabulary and inference). Your level's unit tells you which lessons to do first.
• Retake this check after you finish each level, and compare your scores.

Write your starting levels here and turn to the first unit: