# Old TOEFL vs New TOEFL: What Changed?

A side-by-side of the pre-2026 exam and the redesigned format that replaced it.

## 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](https://toefl-exam-prep.com/blog/toefl-score-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](https://toefl-exam-prep.com/blog/listen-and-repeat-tips) and [Interview sample answers](https://toefl-exam-prep.com/blog/toefl-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](https://toefl-exam-prep.com/blog/toefl-email-writing-template) and [discussion sample answers](https://toefl-exam-prep.com/blog/academic-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](https://toefl-exam-prep.com/blog/complete-the-words-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.