TOEFL iBT Preparation for the 2026 Format
TOEFL changed substantially in January 2026: new task types, an adaptive design and a new 1–6 score scale. Preparation material written for the old test now prepares students for the wrong exam, so the first job is to work on the current one.
Short answer
TOEFL preparation is offered online, one-to-one or in a group class.
One-to-one lessons are 90 minutes long and start at USD 67 per lesson; the group course runs 30 lessons of 90 minutes for USD 900, and a class never takes more than 6 students.
Group classes next begin on 4 January 2027.
Take the free full-length diagnostic
From USD 67 per lesson
Your lessons are taught by David Kim and Can Öztürk, who teach TOEFL.
- Scored on a 1–6 scale
- About two hours
- Adaptive Reading and Listening
- New tasks since January 2026
One-to-one, from
USD 67per lesson
- One-to-one lessons
- Group course
- Question bank
- Full practice tests
What changed, and why it matters
Since January 2026, TOEFL iBT reports four section scores and an overall score on a 1–6 scale, the overall being the average of the four rounded to the nearest half point. For a two-year transition ETS also reports a comparable score on the familiar 0–120 scale, which is useful while universities update their published requirements — but the 1–6 score is now the primary one.
The tasks themselves are different: shorter, more varied items such as completing words in a text, reading everyday material and building sentences, alongside the academic reading, listening and writing tasks. Students who prepare with pre-2026 books practise several task types that no longer exist and miss several that do.
The 2026 TOEFL iBT
| Section | Tasks | Approximate time |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | Complete the Words; Read in Daily Life; Read an Academic Passage | About 30 minutes |
| Listening | Listen and Choose a Response; Conversation; Announcement; Academic Talk | About 29 minutes |
| Writing | Build a Sentence; Write an Email; Write for an Academic Discussion | About 23 minutes |
| Speaking | Listen and Repeat; Take an Interview | About 8 minutes |
Source: ETS, TOEFL iBT test content, checked 22 September 2026. Because the test adapts, timings and item counts can vary; ETS describes the whole test as taking about two hours.
What the lessons work on
The new task types
Complete the Words, Build a Sentence and Listen and Repeat reward accuracy under speed. They are practised specifically, because nothing in older materials prepares for them.
Writing an email and an academic discussion post
Both are short and marked on how directly and appropriately they respond. Students write under time and get specific corrections.
Speaking under a short clock
The interview task leaves little time to plan. Lessons build structures for extending an answer without hesitating.
Converting the target
Where a university still publishes a 0–120 requirement, we work out what that means on the 1–6 scale with ETS’s own comparison, so the target is clear.
How TOEFL preparation works
Every lesson is live, online and 90 minutes long, scheduled in your own time zone. Lessons are taught in English, the language the exam is sat in.
Free intro call
Fifteen minutes with an advisor, at no cost and with no obligation.
Diagnostic
You sit a free full-length diagnostic in the real exam format before any lesson is booked. It produces a starting score and, more usefully, an error profile: which question types are costing marks, whether the problem is content or timing, and which sections need a specialist. The plan is written from that rather than from an estimate. It is taken online at a time you choose, so nobody has to travel to a centre to find out where they stand.
Written plan
You receive a written plan built from your starting point and your test date: which TOEFL sections come first, how many lessons that realistically takes, and when full practice tests enter. Nobody is sold a fixed number of lessons before the gap is known.
Lessons and review
Each lesson ends with set work and a target for the next one. Families receive progress notes, and the plan is re-read against every new score rather than followed blindly.
Ways to prepare for TOEFL, with prices
The full breakdown, including instalment options, is on the pricing page.
One-to-one lessons
From USD 67 per lesson on the largest package (20 lessons). A single lesson can be booked first, to meet the tutor before committing.
Group course
USD 900 for the full course, or 2 monthly payments of USD 475. Live online classes of at most 6, grouped by level and taught in English.
Question bank
Self-study practice by section, from USD 29.99 for 120 days of access. Bought on its own, with no lesson required.
Full practice tests
Full-length, timed tests with a score and error breakdown: USD 11.99 for one, USD 149.99 for twenty.
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TOEFL Preparation: reviews from our students
Students and parents who prepared with us write these reviews themselves. We check each one before publishing it and never change its words or its star rating.
Nobody has reviewed this programme here yet. If you prepared with us, tell other students across Africa how it went.
Frequently asked questions
Short, direct answers. If yours is not here, ask us.
Preparing for the new TOEFL?
Tell us your target score and your deadline. We will build the plan around the 2026 format, not the old one.
