TOEFL to Introduce Major Updates by 2026, Including Adaptive Testing and AI Integration

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is set to undergo significant transformations beginning in 2025, with more advanced and personalized features rolling out by 2026. The Educational Testing Service (ETS), the organization that administers TOEFL and GRE, has announced a strategic overhaul aimed at making the test more adaptive, equitable, and aligned with real-world academic use of English.

Changes Effective from May 30, 2025
Starting in May 2025, the TOEFL iBT Home Edition will be redesigned to enhance user experience and ensure smoother administration. Key updates include:

• In-house ETS-trained proctors to offer consistent and reliable support throughout the testing process.
• AI-powered identity verification system, named ENTRUST, designed to securely and efficiently confirm a test-taker's identity while minimizing check-in delays.
• Streamlined registration and test-day procedures, aimed at reducing stress and simplifying the overall process for test-takers.

Enhancements Coming in 2026
In 2026, ETS will implement a more personalized approach to testing, using multi-stage adaptive testing in the reading and listening sections. This means the difficulty level of questions will adjust in real-time based on the individual performance of the test-taker, offering a more accurate assessment of language skills.

Additionally, TOEFL content will be modernized to reflect real academic settings more accurately. Topics will shift away from culturally narrow or outdated references—like Greek mythology—and move toward contemporary, inclusive academic themes that are relevant to students from diverse backgrounds.

New Scoring Scale Introduced
To help institutions and students better interpret TOEFL scores, ETS will introduce a new banded scoring system ranging from 1 to 6, aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). This new scale will be displayed alongside the existing 0 to 120 scoring system. ETS will provide resources and training for institutions to help them transition smoothly and understand the new format.

“The tailored test will better reflect how students use English in real academic settings like group discussions and project work,” said Rohit Sharma, Senior Vice President of Global Mobility Solutions at ETS. “The content will also be more accessible and carefully reviewed to reduce cultural bias.”

A Fairer and More Flexible TOEFL
Omar Chihane, Global General Manager of TOEFL, emphasized the importance of making the test accessible and fair for all learners, regardless of where or how they learned English.

“Whether a student is testing at a center in India or from home in Denmark, they deserve a fair opportunity to demonstrate their English proficiency,” said Chihane. “We’re updating the test to reflect the real-world academic environment today’s students are stepping into.”

TOEFL continues to be recognized by more than 12,000 institutions across 160+ countries, including nearly all universities in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and over 98% of universities in the UK.

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