TOEFL prep built for the test as it is now
Twelve task types, two adaptive sections, one band scale. PrepScore drills each task type on its own, explains every answer, and tells you which half band is actually within reach.
Free to start · no card required
No break. About 90 minutes end to end, in this order.
Half-band stepsTotal = average of 4
Every section is scored on the same band scale, and your total is their average — not their sum.
The TOEFL iBT changed on 21 January 2026. It now runs about 90 minutes with no break, in the order Reading → Listening → Writing → Speaking, and each section is scored on a 1.0–6.0 band scale in half-band steps. Your total is the average of the four section bands, not their sum.
What changed on 21 January 2026
Before 21 January 2026
- Scored 0–120 in total
- Section scores are added up
- Order was Reading → Listening → Speaking → Writing
- About three hours, with a break
- Independent and integrated essays
- Scores in four to eight days
The test you will sit
- Each section is a 1.0–6.0 band in half steps
- The total is the AVERAGE of the four bands
- Order is Reading → Listening → Writing → Speaking
- About 90 minutes, with no break
- Build a Sentence, Write an Email, Write for an Academic Discussion
- Electronic scores in about 72 hours
If you prepared on material written before that date, the struck-through column is what you learned. Full detail on the 2026 changes.
The four sections, drawn to scale
30min
- Questions
- ~50
- Task types
- 3
- Adaptive
- By stage
29min
- Questions
- ~47
- Task types
- 4
- Adaptive
- By stage
23min
- Questions
- ~12
- Task types
- 3
- Adaptive
- No
8min
- Questions
- ~11
- Task types
- 2
- Adaptive
- No
Timings move a little with the adaptive stages, so treat them as approximate. What does not move: the order, the absence of a break, and the fact that the total is an average.
Twelve task types, drilled one at a time
Reading3 task types
Fill the missing word from context, with only the opening letters shown.
Scored instantlyShort practical texts — notices, notes, messages, schedules.
Scored instantlyA short academic text (roughly 200–280 words) with about six questions.
Scored instantlyListening4 task types
Hear one line, pick the reply that actually answers it.
Scored instantlyTwo speakers on campus — catch the purpose, the problem, the outcome.
Scored instantlyOne speaker delivering practical information you have to act on.
Scored instantlyA short lecture — track the claim and the evidence behind it.
Scored instantlyWriting3 task types
About 10 items in roughly 6 minutes — order the words into one correct sentence.
Scored instantly7 minutes. Cover every bullet in the prompt; official samples run to about 150 words.
Sent for gradingAbout 10 minutes. Take a position and support it — 100 words minimum, samples run near 200.
Sent for gradingSpeaking2 task types
About 7 sentences, each heard once, repeated back in full.
Scored instantlyAbout 4 questions on one topic, roughly 45 seconds each.
Sent for gradingWhat is behind the login
Every question carries an explanation that names the point being tested and takes apart every option — not just the right one.
How PrepScore works
- Practise one task type at a timeThe bank is organised by the twelve official task types, split into a basic and an advanced layer, so you meet the harder version only once the basics hold.
- Read the explanation on every questionEach one names the point being tested, walks the route to the answer, and takes apart every option — not just the right one.
- Sit a full mock on the clockNinety minutes, four sections, no break, with Reading and Listening branching on your stage-1 accuracy exactly as the real test does.
- Clear the mistake bankAnything you miss comes back on a spaced schedule and only leaves once you get it right.
The vocabulary bank, as it actually reads
abandonv./əˈbændən/B2
to leave a person, place or plan completely
The team had to abandon the field study when the storm hit.
abandon a planabandoned building
collaboratev./kəˈlæbəreɪt/B2
to work together with others to achieve a shared goal
Engineering students must collaborate with business majors on a joint project this semester.
collaborate closelycollaborate on a project
deceivev./dɪˈsiːv/C1
to make someone believe something false
The calm surface deceived the swimmers.
deceive sb intoappearances deceive
kettlen./ˈketl/B1
a container for boiling water
The kettle takes four minutes on this stove.
put the kettle on
obsoleteadj./ˌɑːbsəˈliːt/C2
no longer used because something newer has replaced it
The technique became obsolete within a decade.
become obsoleteobsolete equipment
saturatedadj./ˈsætʃəreɪtɪd/B2
describing a type of fat that is linked to raising cholesterol
Foods high in saturated fat can raise cholesterol and harm the heart.
saturated fatsaturated with
Every entry carries its pronunciation, CEFR level and the collocations that make it usable — browse the vocabulary list.
Free practice, right now
A short diagnostic across all four sections that returns a band estimate per section.
Read more →Practice questionsWork through real-format questions by task type, with the explanation on every answer.
Read more →Full mock testThe whole 90 minutes, in order, with the adaptive branches live.
Read more →Booking the test
Year-round appointments, and the three deadlines around whichever one you book.
Read more →What it costsUS$270 in the United States, plus every ETS fee — and which ones are avoidable.
Read more →Practise the 2026 format, not the old one
Every task type in the current test, a full explanation on every question, and a band estimate that shows where your next half band comes from.
Frequently asked questions
Is the TOEFL still scored out of 120?
Not as its main score. Since 21 January 2026 each section is reported as a band from 1.0 to 6.0 in half-band steps, and the total is the average of the four. Through the 2026–2028 transition, score reports show the CEFR level, the 1–6 band and a 0–120 conversion side by side, so institutions still working in the old numbers can read them.
How long is the TOEFL in 2026?
About 90 minutes in total, and there is no mid-test break. Reading runs about 30 minutes, Listening about 29, Writing about 23 and Speaking about 8. The exact length moves slightly depending on which adaptive stage you are routed into.
Is the whole test adaptive?
No. Only Reading and Listening adapt, and they adapt by stage rather than question by question: your accuracy in the first stage decides whether the second stage is the harder or the easier set. Writing and Speaking are not adaptive.
Is PrepScore free?
You can practise every day for free with daily caps — ten practice questions, one mock and twenty vocabulary drills a day. Pro removes the caps and grades your writing and speaking against the official rubric.
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By PrepScore · Last reviewed · Editorial standards