TOEFL to be shortened by an hour, candidates to get real-time score status

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) will now take less than two hours to complete instead of three hours and the candidates will be able to see their official score release date upon completion of the test, according to the Educational Testing Services (ETS).

ETS, which conducts TOEFL and Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), announced on Tuesday a series of changes in the English language proficiency test to create an optimal experience for those taking it. The changes will be be effective from July 26.

TOEFL is welcomed by more than 10,000 institutions in over 150 countries and is universally accepted in popular destinations like the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and by over 98 per cent of universities in the UK.

According to ETS, while the reading section will be shortened, the "independent writing task" will be replaced by the "writing for an academic discussion". All unscored questions will also be removed from the exam.

Test takers will see their official score release date upon completion of the test, in addition to receiving real-time notification of changes to their score status.

"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," said Amit Sevak, CEO of ETS.

Sevak explained that the registration process has been simplified and for the first time test prices will be available in Indian rupees.

"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," he said.