The 2026 TOEFL format in five minutes
toefl-prep5 min read
The TOEFL iBT was redesigned and the new format launched on January 21, 2026. If you last looked at the test a few years ago, almost everything about how a session feels has changed: it is shorter, it adapts to you, and it is scored on a new scale. Here is the whole picture in five minutes.
Four sections, about 90 minutes
The test still covers Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking, but the whole thing now runs in roughly 90 minutes. Across those four sections there are 12 distinct task types — from typing the missing endings of words in a short paragraph to recording a 45-second answer in a mock interview.
It adapts to you
Reading and Listening are now adaptive at the section level. A short routing module near the start decides whether the next module you see is the Easier or the Harder version. This is section-level adaptivity — not a per-question system that changes difficulty after every answer — so you cannot game it by pacing individual questions.
Two other rules matter on test day: in Listening the audio plays once, and you cannot go back and revise answers within a module. Practising under those constraints is the point of an exam-realistic tool.
A 1–6 band score
Each section is scored on a 1–6 band in half-point steps, and your overall score is the average of the four section bands. The bands map onto the CEFR levels you may already know: 6 is C2, 5 to 5.5 is C1, 4 to 4.5 is B2, and 3 to 3.5 is B1. To ease the transition, score reports also show the legacy 0–120 scale through 2028.
Where to go next
If you want the full breakdown — every task type, the scoring detail, and the rollout timeline — read our complete 2026 format guide. When you are ready to feel it for yourself, you can try a real practice item free, no signup required.