Why this changed
ETS released a fully redesigned TOEFL iBT effective January 21, 2026 — shorter, partly adaptive, with new task types and a new scoring scale. If you studied from older materials or took the test before 2026, the exam you'll actually sit today is meaningfully different.
Length
Old format: about 3 hours. New format: about 2 hours, with adaptive Reading and Listening sections that adjust difficulty based on your performance.
Scoring
Old format: 0–120 total score. New format: each section scored 1–6, overall = the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band — deliberately aligned to CEFR. See our full conversion chart.
Speaking — completely rebuilt
The four old integrated Speaking tasks (independent opinion, campus situation, academic reading+listening, academic lecture) are gone entirely. The new Speaking section has two tasks: Listen and Repeat (hear a sentence, repeat it back — tests delivery and accuracy) and Take an Interview (answer questions on one topic, conversational format). See our Listen and Repeat tips and Interview sample answers.
Writing — new task types added
The old two-essay Writing section is replaced by three tasks: Build a Sentence (arrange scrambled words, objective/auto-scored), Write an Email (a new task type), and Write for an Academic Discussion (an online-class-discussion response, replacing the old independent essay). See our email template and discussion sample answers.
Reading — one new task type
Read in Daily Life and Read an Academic Passage carry over in spirit from the old format. Complete the Words is entirely new — see our 20 worked examples.
Listening — reorganized, not reinvented
Listening keeps a similar mix of conversations, announcements, and academic talks, plus a new short-response task (Listen and Choose a Response).
What this means if you're studying now
Materials built for the pre-2026 format — old Speaking task prompts, the two-essay Writing structure, 0–120 scoring — don't transfer directly to the new task types. If you're using older prep books or courses, confirm they've been updated, or supplement with 2026-specific practice for the new task types specifically.
Practice the current format
Every practice set on this platform is built for the 2026 redesign — no retired task types, no outdated scoring.