AlmiTOEFL

AlmiTOEFL · the 2026 format

What changed in TOEFL 2026

TOEFL changed completely on 21 January 2026 — a new 1.0–6.0 band scale, adaptive Reading and Listening, new Speaking and Writing tasks, and results in ~72 hours. ETS asks you to allow about two hours for the test, and because it adapts the time and item count vary. Any prep from before January 2026 is obsolete. And during the 2026–2028 transition some universities still list old 0–120 requirements — check both.

The new 1–6 band scale

Your overall TOEFL score is now the AVERAGE of the four sections (Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing), each scored 1.0–6.0 in half-band steps — not the old 0–120 sum. The scale is CEFR-aligned.

Band 6.0C2 (mastery)
Band 5.0–5.5C1 (advanced)
Band 4.0–4.5B2 (upper-intermediate) — common university target
Band 3.0–3.5B1 (intermediate)

A 0–120 comparable score is also shown during the 2026–2028 transition only. There is no exact one-to-one conversion between the scales, and we do not publish a conversion table of our own.

Adaptive Reading and Listening

Reading and Listening are now multistage adaptive: the difficulty of later stages adjusts to how you are doing, and the content mixes academic and real-life material. ETS asks you to allow about two hours to complete the test; because the test adapts, the time and number of items vary. Results arrive in roughly 72 hours.

ETS's stage-routing and band scaling are proprietary. Our practice gives you the new task types with honest difficulty levels — it does not reproduce ETS's algorithm and never predicts an exact band. Scores here are practice estimates against the 1–6 band descriptors.

The new task types, by section

Reading

  • Complete the Words — a short paragraph with partially-spelled words to finish
  • Read in Daily Life — emails, announcements and posts (15–150 words)
  • Academic passages — shorter than on the old test

Listening

  • Listen and Choose a Response
  • Listen to a Conversation — campus or daily-life, with multiple-choice questions
  • Listen to an Announcement — a short spoken notice (40–85 words) with questions
  • Academic lecture tasks

Writing

  • Short emails to a named recipient, covering set points
  • Write for an Academic Discussion — the one task carried over from the old test
  • The old independent academic essay is gone

Speaking

  • Phrase repetition
  • A simulated interview
  • Opinion-style tasks
  • The old integrated speaking tasks are gone

Will your university accept it?

Institutions are adopting the new format at different speeds. Some are still reviewing it, and a few have paused accepting new-format scores pending their own decisions. Check your target institution's current TOEFL policy — do not assume either scale is universally accepted yet.

Many universities and visa authorities are still updating their thresholds during the 2026–2028 transition — confirm the current figure (and which scale, new 1–6 or old 0–120) on the official source before you rely on it.

TOEFL requirements change and vary by university, programme and visa route — always confirm the current figure with the official body before you rely on it. This page is honest guidance, not immigration advice.

Practise the new TOEFL format →