The new TOEFL iBT format (2026): every section and task explained

If you studied for the TOEFL before 2026, much of what you learned no longer applies. The long integrated tasks are gone, the test is shorter, and the scores use a new scale. Here is what the test looks like now.

The four sections at a glance

Timings and item counts are approximate, as published by ETS. Because Reading and Listening are adaptive, the exact number of questions can vary a little.

Reading

Reading now mixes short, fast tasks with one familiar longer one.

• Complete the Words: a short academic paragraph with letters missing from some words. You type the missing letters. It tests vocabulary and grammar together. See our Complete the Words guide.
• Read in Daily Life: short real-world texts such as emails, notices, menus and schedules, with questions about details and purpose. See Read in Daily Life.
• Read an Academic Passage: a shorter academic text than the old TOEFL passages, followed by multiple-choice questions. See Read an Academic Passage.

Listening

• Listen and Choose a Response: you hear one line, such as a question or a comment, and choose the most natural reply.
• Listen to a Conversation: a short campus or everyday conversation, with questions.
• Listen to an Announcement: a short announcement, for example from a professor or campus office.
• Listen to an Academic Talk: a short lecture or talk, with questions on the main idea and details.

Our Listening tasks guide covers each one.

Writing

• Build a Sentence: you put words and phrases in order to make a correct reply in a short exchange. See Build a Sentence.
• Write an Email: about 7 minutes to write an email for a practical situation, covering three points. See Write an Email.
• Write for an Academic Discussion: about 10 minutes to post a reply in an online class discussion. This task was kept from the previous version. See Academic Discussion.

Speaking

• Listen and Repeat: you hear a sentence and repeat it exactly. The sentences get longer. See Listen and Repeat.
• Take an Interview: a recorded interviewer asks you four questions on one topic, and you have 45 seconds to answer each. There's no preparation time. See Take an Interview.

Adaptive Reading and Listening

Reading and Listening are now multistage adaptive. Each section has two modules. How well you do on the first module decides whether your second module is harder or easier. A harder second module gives access to higher scores. Our adaptive test guide explains what this means for strategy.

The new 1–6 score scale

Each section is scored from 1 to 6 in half-point steps, and the overall score is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half point. For a two-year transition period, score reports also show a comparable 0–120 total. See the TOEFL score scale.

What disappeared

• The old 2-hour format with long reading passages and lectures.
• The integrated speaking and writing tasks, where you combined reading, listening and speaking or writing.
• The independent speaking task with preparation time.
• The 0–120 scale as the main score (it remains only as a comparison for now).

What this means for preparation

Old TOEFL books and practice tests are now mostly the wrong practice. The new test rewards quick, accurate English across many short tasks: vocabulary and spelling in Complete the Words, grammar in Build a Sentence, accurate repetition in Listen and Repeat. Practise with material written for the 2026 format.