The new TOEFL (2026): the questions students are asking after taking it

The new TOEFL iBT started on 21 January 2026. The questions below come from YouTube comments, Reddit threads, app-store reviews and Quora answers we read in October 2026; wording lightly edited for clarity. Each answer starts with the short version. Exam facts come from ETS pages, as summarised on our TOEFL guides.

How do I do Listen and Repeat when I forget the sentence three words in?

Do not stop to restart. Each sentence plays once and you have up to 8–12 seconds to repeat it, so say what you remember and move on to the next clip. Repeat in chunks of meaning, not single words. One weak clip is one of 11 scored Speaking items, so recover for the next one.

Why this happens

• You hear each sentence once. There is no preparation time.
• Sentences get longer as you go, from one clause to complex clauses (ETS 2026 Test Overview, via our TOEFL Speaking guide).
• All seven sentences share one illustrated scene, and the sentences follow movement through the picture. Use the picture to predict what comes next.

What to do

• Practise with audio you can play only once. Replaying hides the problem.
• Hold the sentence as two or three chunks (who, what, where) rather than as a string of words.
• If you lose the end, finish with something that fits the scene. Silence earns nothing.

What students report:

Listen and repeat has become a nightmare. I forget the sentence as soon as the speaker ends

A YouTube commenter, 100 likes. ETS has not published how Listen and Repeat clips are weighted, so the safe course is to repeat what you caught and keep going.

Does Listen and Repeat test memory or speaking?

Both. You must hold a sentence in your head, then say it clearly. Our TOEFL Speaking guide describes the task as elicited imitation: you hear a sentence once and repeat it exactly. ETS scores it with AI across all seven clips. We found no published weighting between memory and pronunciation.

What students report:

it doesn't even test speaking, it tests memory capacity

A YouTube commenter, 310 likes.

What we can say

• The design is exact repetition of sentences heard once. Memory load is built in.
• ETS has not published human-review mechanics for the 2026 format (see how the new TOEFL is scored).
• Because you cannot split memory from speaking, train both: recall of longer sentences, and clear sounds.

How does the 1–6 band convert to the old 0–120 score?

ETS publishes a table for the overall score only. Band 5 is 95 or more on the old scale, band 4 is 72 or more, and band 6 is 114 or more. Overall is the mean of your four section bands, rounded to the nearest half band. The old figure is shown only until January 2028.

ETS's concordance (Updated TOEFL iBT Test Overview, Table 3), as reproduced on our score conversion page:

Band	CEFR	Old scale, overall
6	C2	114+
5.5	C1	107+
5	C1	95+
4.5	B2	86+
4	B2	72+
3.5	B1	58+

If I get the easier adaptive module, is my score capped?

ETS has not published a raw-score or module-to-band conversion table, so we cannot say how the Lower module affects your top band. What is published: Reading and Listening start with a router, which sends you to a Lower or Upper module. The two paths are not the same test. Do not assume a cap either way.

What students report:

How does the grading compare if one gets the easier versions of reading and listening

A YouTube commenter. About 19 comments in our sample asked about adaptive scoring or the 1–6 conversion, and we saw no answer.

What is published

• Reading and Listening are two-stage adaptive. Writing and Speaking are not.
• Reading presents 50 items and scores 35. Listening presents 47 and scores 35. Up to 15 and 12 are unscored tryout items.
• ETS states that reported scores are not a linear transform of raw percentage. Do not judge a section by percent correct.
• ETS does not publish the routing cut score.

For the mapping that ETS does publish, use the band and score conversion table.

Where can I find a full practice test for the 2026 format?

ScoreFluent has a full TOEFL mock that follows the 2026 design: a router, then a Lower or Upper module for Reading and Listening, then linear Writing and Speaking. ETS does not publish its routing cut score, so our split is our own estimate. Your result is a band range, not one number.

already finished the only 2 uploaded

A YouTube commenter, asking for more 2026 practice tests.

What our mock does

• The band range reflects the path you were routed onto.
• A half-band change between two mocks is inside the exam's measurement noise (ETS reliability figures, see adaptive TOEFL mock tests).

For official material, start with ETS's TOEFL iBT test content page.

How do I structure the Interview speaking task?

Take an Interview has four questions from a video interviewer, with 45 seconds per answer and no preparation time. Early questions are personal and factual; later ones ask for an opinion with support. A simple shape works: answer first, add a reason, add one example. That shape is our suggestion, not an ETS template.

What students report: one commenter (15 likes) said they could not produce a full answer even in their own language. The question is how to build an answer under pressure.

What to do

• Early questions (factual): answer in one sentence, then add a detail and a short example.
• Later questions (opinion): state your view, give one reason, give one example, then stop.
• With no preparation time, practise until the shape is automatic.
• Keep going until time ends. A stopped answer wastes seconds you could use to add detail.

Task details are on the TOEFL Speaking guide.

I got speaking 24 on the old scale and need 26, what does that mean now?

A per-section 26 no longer exists. The 2026 report gives a 1–6 band for each section and an old 0–120 figure for the overall score only. A licensing body or university that still asks for Speaking 26 must publish its own new-scale equivalent. Ask them which band they accept before you book or retake.

What to do first

• Ask the body that set the requirement for the band it accepts in Speaking, in writing if you can.
• For the overall mapping that ETS does publish, see the score conversion table. It covers the overall score only.
• Check whether MyBest is accepted. It takes your best band in each section from the last two years.

Should I take TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo English Test?

Take the one your institution lists. If it accepts several, choose by format. TOEFL's 2026 version has no integrated tasks, adaptive Reading and Listening, and AI-scored open responses. IELTS has a human-marked Speaking interview. ETS has not published a TOEFL to IELTS concordance, so any table online is unofficial.

What to do

• Read your target programme's list of accepted tests first.
• Compare formats, not difficulty. See TOEFL vs IELTS and TOEFL vs PTE.
• ScoreFluent does not cover the Duolingo English Test, so we have no facts to add on it.
• Use the exam chooser if more than one test is accepted.

Practise this on ScoreFluent

ScoreFluent is an AI English coach for seven exam families. It turns each answer into clear feedback and the next thing to practise. For TOEFL, that includes all 12 redesigned task types, a full adaptive mock, and Personalised Tips on Listen and Repeat and Take an Interview. Reading and listening practice is free, and new accounts get 40 credits, enough for one full mock. Start at the TOEFL hub. For what changed in the format, read what changed in the new TOEFL.

This page was written by the ScoreFluent team from questions students asked in public. ScoreFluent is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to ETS. Practice scores are estimates, not official results.