If you’re preparing to take the TOEFL this year, you may have heard that the test is undergoing some changes. ETS, the company that administers the TOEFL, has announced that it intends to create a more supportive and streamlined process for students.
In May 2025, the TOEFL rolled out improvements to the structure of the At Home Edition of the test. While significant, these changes—which include reading passages on more broadly-accessible topics, ETS in-house trained proctors, AI-assisted verification, and a streamlined registration process—shouldn’t affect how students prepare for the exam.
However, starting January 21, 2026, every version of the TOEFL will change, with a new format, test turnaround process, and scoring method. ETS will introduce a shorter exam with different task types and a multistage adaptive testing format, in which the test will react to how a student initially performs on questions and then either increase or decrease its difficulty accordingly. The goal of the changes is to create a more equitable environment for each student, while also lessening cultural barriers and biases that might arise on an English-centered test.
The TOEFL will still contain Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing sections, and, for the next two years, each section will continue to be scored 1-30, though students will also see new banded scores on a 1-6 scale for each section. New total scores will include both a composite formed by the average of banded scale section scores, rounded to the nearest half band and a more traditional total test score on a 0–120 scale.
There will also be other key enhancements to the testing process, including upgraded audio equipment, expanded test prep materials (including more free resources), and faster score reporting (in 72 hours or less).
What does all of this mean for how students should prepare for the TOEFL? For students taking the test this year, not much! However, students planning to take the exam after January 21, 2026 should plan to prep with updated materials, so that they can practice the types of tasks they’ll encounter on the real exam, as well as adjust their pacing correctly.
Although the 2026 version of the TOEFL will retain the same broad categories of Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing, there will be some marked changes to what students can expect in terms of timing, number of items per section, and the types of passages and tasks students will encounter. Here’s how the test format will change.
We know preparing for a standardized test can be stressful, but at ArborBridge we've been helping students succeed on adaptive exams such as the new TOEFL for years. Our tutors are up to speed on the upcoming changes, and are here to help take the stress out of TOEFL prep! Contact us to learn how we can help set your student up for success.