Taking the TOEFL iBT at home in 2026: requirements and a set-up checklist

ETS describes TOEFL iBT Home Edition as the same TOEFL iBT test you would take at a test center, taken from your own home and monitored online by a human proctor. It’s available worldwide. ETS says you may also see it called “Home Edition”, “at home” or “test online”, so those searches all lead to the same thing.

What changes is the setting, not the questions. You use your own desktop or laptop, in a room you’ve prepared, and a live proctor watches through your camera. Your whole session is recorded. Our guide to what the TOEFL is covers the test itself.

ETS’s testing options page tells you to check with each institution you’re applying to and confirm its specific requirements. ETS doesn’t publish a list of schools that treat Home Edition differently, so the only reliable answer is the school’s own. Do this before you pay, since the fee isn’t refunded if you miss ETS’s cancel deadline.

1. 1

   List every program and its test rules

   For each one, note which test it wants (TOEFL iBT), the score or band it needs, and the date scores must arrive by.

2. 2

   Look for a line about at-home or online tests

   Check the program’s admissions page or its English-requirements page. If it says nothing, that isn’t a yes.

3. 3

   Ask in writing if it’s unclear

   Email the admissions office: “Do you accept TOEFL iBT Home Edition scores?” Save the reply. This step is our advice, not ETS’s.

4. 4

   Decide only after every school has answered

   If even one program says no, book a test center for that score. You can take the test as often as you like, but not more than once in any 3-day period.

ETS’s At Home Testing Requirements page asks you to confirm all of this before you register. If you don’t meet the requirements on test day, ETS says you won’t be able to take the test and you won’t get a refund or a free reschedule. Tick through each group:

• A desktop or laptop. Not a tablet or any mobile device. Plug it into power and keep it there for the whole test.
• One monitor and one keyboard. ETS doesn’t allow multiple screens or keyboards. Disconnect or disable any extra monitor.
• A licensed operating system. Mac OS X 10.13 or higher, or Windows 11 or higher on ETS’s requirements page. ETS’s Home Edition policies FAQ says Windows 10 or higher, so ETS’s pages disagree. Run the equipment check on your actual computer to settle it.
• A speaker and a microphone, with no headset. Use your computer’s built-in ones or separate ones. ETS doesn’t allow headsets, headphones or earphones.
• A camera you can move. Built-in or a separate webcam is fine, but you must be able to show the proctor a 360-degree view of the room, including your tabletop and the area below it.
• A second camera, if it applies to you. A fully charged phone or tablet (iOS 12 or Android 8 or later) with a working camera and a stable internet connection, propped on something sturdy and heavy. ETS doesn’t say who it applies to, so see your My TOEFL Home dashboard.
• Other programs closed. Quit every browser and app you don’t need. Turn off screen-sharing and remote-access software, and set it not to open on its own.
• One notes option. One small whiteboard with an erasable marker, or one sheet of paper inside a transparent sheet protector with an erasable marker. No pencil or pen. Bring an eraser or cloth too.
• A phone or hand mirror for check-in. The Bulletin lists it for check-in. After check-in, ETS says to put your phone behind you and out of reach, unless it’s your second camera.
• Your ID. It must match your registration exactly. Our test day guide covers the ID rules.

Then check the room and yourself:

• You’re alone, with every door closed. No one may enter during the test. A park, internet cafe or restaurant doesn’t count as a room.
• Windows and glass are covered. ETS says transparent walls, doors and large open windows must be covered.
• Walls are clear of anything test-related.
• The desk is bare. A desk or table, a standard chair (not a bed, couch or overstuffed chair), and no cameras, notes, study materials or phones on the tabletop. No food or drink.
• The door is visible. Place your table and chair so the proctor can see the door. The proctor may ask you to move.
• Your ears and face are visible. No face masks, and no hat or hair covering your ears. ETS allows religious headwear if your ears stay visible.
• Accessories are off. Headphones, smartwatches, jewelry, hair accessories and similar items come off. Wedding and engagement rings can stay on. ETS says eyeglasses are checked carefully.

The TOEFL Test App is the one program that takes you through the Home Edition, from check-in to the test itself. You get it from the My TOEFL Home dashboard, and ETS’s equipment check lives inside it.

1. 1

   Install the app

   On My TOEFL Home, under Upcoming Tests, choose “Install the TOEFL Test App”. It opens a download page for Windows or Mac. Run the file to install it.

2. 2

   Run the Equipment Check

   Open the app and press the Equipment Check button on the welcome screen. A part that fails shows a red triangle, and the “+” beside it gives tips to fix it.

3. 3

   Run it more than once, at the right times

   The check includes a bandwidth test, and bandwidth changes through the day. ETS says to run it at several different times, and also on the same day of the week and the same time of day as your test.

4. 4

   Finish it at least 48 hours before

   ETS’s Home Edition policies FAQ says to download the app and run the check 48 hours before your test. That leaves time to fix a problem before your appointment.

5. 5

   Verify your ID early, if it applies to you

   Some test takers verify their identity in a mobile app (ETS’s IDVaaS app). ETS says to do it at least 48 hours before the test, and right away if you registered less than 48 hours ahead.

6. 6

   Practice your second camera

   If it applies to you, ETS says to practice setting it up before test day: about an arm’s length from your computer, sideways, showing your screen, keyboard, mouse or trackpad, both hands and the side of your face.

On test day, you’ll check in through the same app: a waiting room, your second camera if one applies, an identity check with the proctor, a room scan (all walls and corners, under your desk, and your workspace), then one more equipment check with the proctor. Our test day guide has the check-in window and the rules for the session itself.

You book Home Edition in your ETS account, the same place as a test center test, and you choose it when you pick your appointment. Read the requirements first, because ETS asks you to confirm them before you register. Here’s what ETS’s pages say about timing, and they don’t all agree:

• Pick your date from the deadline backward. Leave room for a retake, since you can’t test more than once in any 3-day period. Our results guide shows when scores arrive.
• Rescheduling. Reschedule or cancel at least 4 full days before your test date. If you cancel by then, ETS refunds 50% of the fee you paid. After that, there’s no refund.
• The fee. ETS’s fees page shows one test fee per country and doesn’t list a different fee for Home Edition. Check the total at checkout.
• Mainland China. Booking is separate. ETS sends Home Edition test takers to toefl.cn/at-home, where a voucher comes from the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. Test centers there use toefl.neea.cn.
• India. ETS’s Bulletin sends test takers in India to its own bulletin at etsindia.org, so check that one for your rules.

It helps to know what ETS does at each stage, because the answer is very different on a Tuesday two weeks out and on the morning of your test.

The big lesson: a problem you find early is a quick fix, and one you find in the check-in room can cost you the appointment. ETS’s requirements page says that if you don’t meet them on test day, you get no refund and no free reschedule.

It’s the same test either way. The differences are in the booking, the setup and who’s in charge of your environment. Here’s how ETS’s pages describe each:

Which should you pick? ETS doesn’t rank them, so this part is our view:

• Home fits if you have a private, quiet room, a computer that passes the equipment check, a steady connection, and an exam date that only home appointments can give you.
• A test center fits if your home is shared or noisy, your internet is shaky, your computer is old, or a school you’re applying to doesn’t clearly accept Home Edition.
• If you’re unsure, run the equipment check first. It will tell you whether your computer and connection are even in the running.

Ready for the day itself? Our TOEFL test day guide covers the ID rules, the check-in window, and what you can and can’t do during the session.

Here’s our advice, not ETS’s: take one full practice test on the same computer, at the same desk, in the same chair you’ll use on the day, with the doors closed and your phone out of reach. You’ll find out if the chair is comfortable, if the room is quiet enough, and if your connection holds, before it matters.