ETS Announces New TOEFL Pattern Effective from July 26

On Tuesday, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) announced that the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) will complete in two hours instead of three hours, effective July 26, 2023.

The new duration of the TOEFL exam will be 1 hour and 56 minutes. In the reading section, 35 minutes will be given, containing 20 questions, followed by 36 minutes allotted to the listening portion, containing 28 questions. In addition, the speaking section is allotted 16 minutes and will contain four sections, and the writing task will need to be completed in 29 minutes containing two tasks. Now, students will also be able to check the release date of the scores after completing the test.

It is to note that ETS is the conducting body of the TOEFL exam in India and the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The body released the alterations in the English Language proficiency tests to better the experience of candidates appearing for the examination.

For students seeking a quality higher education abroad, TOEFL is an exam that checks their English language proficiency as a non-native language speaker. It gives universities and colleges insights on whether the student can complete the program taught English. Over 11,000 institutes in over 160 countries accept the test as valid language proof worldwide. The list also includes major study-abroad destinations like the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, etc.

As per the new changes by the conducting body of ETS, the reading task will be cut short, and the “independent writing task” will get replaced by a new “writing for an academic discussion.” Additionally, all the unscored questions will be deleted from the exam.

Amit Sevak, CEO of ETS, said, “ETS is driving the future of assessment through product innovations across education and learning, and TOEFL is core to that effort. TOEFL has been an industry standard for nearly six decades, and these enhancements further underscore its position. Most importantly, these enhancements were developed through the lens of our customers and stakeholders.”

Sevak also explained that the registration process for the examination has also been simplified, and for the first time, the prices will be available in Indian rupees. He added that “a simplified registration process will be available beginning July 2023. Test takers can create an account and register for an available TOEFL iBT test date quicker and easier than ever before”

If test takers who have already enrolled for a TOEFL iBT test would like to take advantage of these new advancements, they can either move up their test date before they go into effect or reschedule their test date for free. Through their TOEFL account, reschedules are free up until April 30, 2023. On the TOEFL website, newer versions of the TOEFL iBT Free Practise Test and TOEFL iBT Practise Sets are now accessible. In the next weeks, more alternatives for exam preparation, both free and paid, will be updated to account for these modifications.