TOEFL or IELTS

When it comes to English proficiency tests the these two reign supreme. If you’re an international student hoping to pursue academic or professional goals in an English-speaking country, you will need in either the TOEFL or IELTS exam. Academic and professional institutions across the world use two standardized exams to test English proficiency: the IELTS exam, which stands for the International English Language Testing System, or the TOEFL exam, (Test of English as a Foreign Language). So, now you have a decision about which test to take. 

This is a question several students have as it is a contentious concern. When choosing between IELTS vs TOEFL opt for the test that is accepted by the university they wish to apply for.

If you’re applying to an American graduate school or workplace, they will more likely want to see a TOEFL score. On the other hand, anyone hoping to use general, day-to-day English around the globe would benefit most from the IELTS exam, though you can take the IELTS for admission to schools as well.

The IELTS scholarship opportunities are easy to get when compared to TOEFL exam.

This aside, there are several other factors one can keep in mind. While TOEFL is generally conducted in a remote mode, IELTS is a paper-based exam and involves and interactive session. Questions in TOEFL have an inclination towards the multiple-choice format while IELTS has subjective and open-ended questions. However, both the test assesses the four basic skills of a language- reading, writing, listening and speaking.

The major difference between the format of the tests is that TOEFL comprises MCQs whereas IELTS has various questions like fill in the blanks, short answers. More on the TOEFL here.

Which test is more expensive?

The IELTS takes approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes but TOEFL takes four hours to complete. The IELTS exam fee for both paper and computer-delivered tests is between $245–255 USD. Whereas TOEFL exam fees are around US$180-195.