TOEFL iBT® vs IELTS: which test is easier for you?

Neither test is easier for everyone. Both measure reading, listening, writing and speaking, and both report a score for each skill and an overall score. Which one feels easier depends on how you like to take a test and how you prefer to speak. Which one you can use depends on where you apply.

• The TOEFL iBT test may suit you if you want one sitting of about two hours on a computer, prefer typing, and are comfortable speaking to a recorded interviewer.
• IELTS may suit you if you would rather speak face to face with an examiner, want to choose between paper and computer, or need a test that a government lists for your visa.
• Either way, check what your universities and your visa route accept before you book.

Prepiva prepares people for the TOEFL iBT test only, and this page compares the two tests as fairly as we can. Every fact below comes from the test owners’ or a government’s own pages, with the date we read it.

IELTS has two versions: IELTS Academic, for university study, and IELTS General Training. The table compares the TOEFL iBT test with IELTS Academic.

If you compared the two tests before 2026, the TOEFL iBT side has changed. Since January 21, 2026, it has new task types such as Complete the Words, Build a Sentence and Listen and Repeat; Reading and Listening adapt to your level in two stages; tasks come from everyday as well as academic life; and scores use the 1–6 band scale. Older comparisons that describe a TOEFL test of three hours or more, or a 0–120 score alone, describe earlier versions of the test. See the 2026 test format and TOEFL iBT® scores for the details.

Think about how you work best, not about which test has the better reputation.

The TOEFL iBT test may feel easier if you:

• prefer typing to handwriting. All TOEFL iBT answers are typed. On IELTS on paper, you write by hand;
• like many short tasks in one sitting. Most TOEFL iBT questions take seconds or a few minutes, and the timed sections add up to about 90 minutes;
• feel calmer speaking to a computer than to a person. You record your answers to a recorded interviewer;
• want your results quickly. ETS releases official scores in 72 hours.

IELTS may feel easier if you:

• speak more naturally in a real conversation. The Speaking test is a face-to-face interview with an examiner;
• want to choose the format. You can take IELTS on paper or on a computer at a test center;
• prefer fewer, longer tasks with more time for each. IELTS gives 60 minutes each to Reading and Writing;
• need a test that a government lists for your visa route. See “Where each test is accepted” below.

If you are still unsure, try a practice test in each format and notice which one lets you show your English best.

The two tests use different scales, so a TOEFL iBT band and an IELTS band are not the same number. Both owners relate their scores to the CEFR, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which describes levels from A1 to C2.

ETS designed the 1–6 bands to align with the CEFR. IELTS describes its CEFR comparison as a quick guide, not an exact match. Use the table to understand levels, not to convert one score into the other, and check each program’s minimum for each test separately.

Some universities still list TOEFL requirements on the old 0–120 scale. ETS’s guidance to institutions suggests a band of 5 where a program required 100, 4.5 for 90, 4 for 80 and 3.5 for 70. See how the 1–6 band scale works for every band.

Universities: each university, and sometimes each program, sets its own English requirements. Check the admissions page of every program on your list for the tests it accepts and the minimum scores, including section minimums.

Visas: governments keep their own lists, and these can differ from what universities accept. What the official pages said when we read them:

• United Kingdom: for a Student visa at degree level or above, your university can assess your English itself and decides which tests it accepts. Below degree level, and for many other visas, you need a Secure English Language Test (SELT). GOV.UK’s list of approved SELTs includes IELTS for UKVI but not the TOEFL iBT test (page updated 12 October 2026).
• Canada: for permanent residence through Express Entry, IRCC’s list of accepted English tests includes IELTS General Training but not the TOEFL iBT test (page dated 2026-10-16). For study, check your college or university.
• Australia: Home Affairs accepts both the TOEFL iBT test and IELTS (Academic or General Training) taken at a secure test center. For the TOEFL iBT test, select “Taking TOEFL for Australia” when you register. At-home tests, including the TOEFL iBT Home Edition and IELTS Online, are not accepted for visas.

Rules change, so check the government’s page for your visa on the day you book a test.

The quickest way to know whether the TOEFL iBT test suits you is to try it. Prepiva’s free full practice test, Practice Exam 01, follows the 2026 format with all four sections and gives you a band for each. Take the full practice test, then compare how it felt with an IELTS practice test.