Educational Testing Service (ETS), creator of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) has announced that changes are coming to the popular TOEFL iBT Test, also known as the Internet-Based Test taken by thousands of prospective international students for admittance to US colleges and universities.
Upcoming TOEFL Test Changes
In an April 11 press release, ETS stated that upcoming changes to the TOEFL iBT will reduce the test’s duration to less than two hours, down from the three hours it currently takes to complete.
The reduced test time will come as a result of the removal of all unscored test questions, a shorter Reading section, a more modern “Writing for an Academic Discussion” task which replaces the former Independent Writing Task, and streamlined instructions and navigation throughout the test. In addition, ETS states that TOEFL registration will be simplified, and that test takers will be able to see their official score release date upon completion of the test.
These upcoming changes will take effect on July 26, 2023.
According to ETS CEO Amit Sevak, “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 — because they are our highest priority to serve.”
Rescheduling Your TOEFL Test Date
Those who have already registered for a TOEFL test before the July 26 changes are implemented do have the option to reschedule their test date for no charge. Alternatively, those who have studied for the previous TOEFL format who want to move their test date to before July 26 will be able to do so for free as well. Free test date reschedules will be available until April 30, 2023.
About TOEFL
TOEFL is one of the world’s most widely accepted standardized English language proficiency tests to measure a non-native speaker’s English language ability. The test is accepted by over 11,500 educational institutions in more than 150 countries, including most colleges and universities in the USA.
