TOEFL Ready teamThe short answer
Four weeks, about an hour a day. Start with a full practice test to find your level. Spend week 1 learning every task, week 2 on Reading and Listening, week 3 on Writing and Speaking, and week 4 on full-length practice. Three full tests along the way show you what’s working.
- Plan length
- 4 weeks
- A day, 6 days a week
- ~1 hr
- Full practice tests
- 3
- Task types covered
- 12
On this page6 sections
Before you startLink to Before you start
This plan is built for the TOEFL iBT as it has been since January 21, 2026: four shorter sections, twelve task types, and a band score from 1 to 6. If your study materials still talk about integrated essays or a 0–120 score only, they’re for the old test.
- About an hour a day, six days a week. The three full-test days take longer, about an hour and a half for the test plus time to review.
- One rest day a week. Rest is part of the plan, not a break from it.
- A notebook for mistakes. Every time you get something wrong, write down the task and why. By week 4, this is the most useful thing you own.
The plan, week by weekLink to The plan, week by week
- Week 1
Learn the test and find your level
Get an honest starting score, then learn how every task works before you drill any of them.
- Day 1
- Take a full practice test, timed, before you study anything. Write down your band in each section. Full Practice Test 1 is free, with no account needed.
- Day 2
- Read the 2026 format guide. Then go through your Reading and Listening answers and write down why you missed each one: a word you didn’t know, a detail you didn’t catch, or the clock.
- Day 3
- Reading: the Complete the Words and Read in Daily Life guides. Try their worked examples before you look at the answers.
- Day 4
- Listening: the Listen and Choose a Response and Listen to a Conversation guides. Play each recording once, as you will on the test.
- Day 5
- Writing: the Build a Sentence and Write an Email guides. Write one email in 7 minutes.
- Day 6
- Speaking: the Listen and Repeat and Take an Interview guides. Record yourself answering four interview questions, 45 seconds each.
- Day 7
- Rest.
- Week 2
Reading and Listening
These two sections hold 97 of the test’s 120 questions, and both adapt to how you do in the first module, so a strong start matters.
- Day 1
- The Read an Academic Passage guide, then one passage, timed.
- Day 2
- The Listen to an Announcement and Listen to an Academic Talk guides. Practice notes of two or three words: who, what, and why.
- Day 3
- A Reading section test, timed. Review every question you missed and add it to your notebook.
- Day 4
- A Listening section test, timed. In the review, replay the recordings behind the questions you missed.
- Day 5
- Words from your mistakes. Learn the ones you didn’t know, and study common word endings like -tion, -ment, -ity and -ive. They’re often the missing half in Complete the Words.
- Day 6
- Your second full practice test, timed, in one sitting. Compare each section’s band with Day 1 of week 1.
- Day 7
- Rest.
- Week 3
Writing and Speaking
Both sections are short and their tasks follow a fixed shape, so you can practice each one until it feels routine.
- Day 1
- The Write for an Academic Discussion guide. Write one post in 10 minutes, at least 100 words.
- Day 2
- A Writing section test, timed. Read your feedback and note one thing to fix.
- Day 3
- Listen and Repeat drill. Repeat each sentence once, then check it word for word. Small words like “the” and “to” count too.
- Day 4
- Interview drill: four questions, 45 seconds each. Answer in your first sentence, give one reason, then a quick example. Listen back to your recording.
- Day 5
- A Speaking section test. Read your feedback and note one thing to fix.
- Day 6
- One of each, back to back: an email in 7 minutes, a discussion post in 10, and four interview answers.
- Day 7
- Rest.
- Week 4
Put it all together
Practice the full length, fix your weakest task, and arrive rested.
- Day 1
- Your third full practice test, timed, with no pauses, exactly like test day. Compare it with your first two.
- Day 2
- Find the one task where you lost the most, using your notebook. Read its guide again and redo its worked example.
- Day 3
- A section test in your weakest section, then review it.
- Day 4
- Drill your weakest task again. Then write one email and one discussion post.
- Day 5
- Light review: read through your notebook, then plan your test day. If you’re testing at home, run ETS’s equipment check now.
- Day 6
- Rest. Check your ID, your appointment time and, at home, your room and note-taking materials.
- Day 7
- Test day. You’ve done this before, three times.
Adjust the plan to your first scoreLink to Adjust the plan to your first score
Your first full test tells you where to put your time. Each band lines up with a CEFR level, and the table below shows how we’d adjust the plan for each range. These are our suggestions, not ETS’s.
| Your band | CEFR level | What to change |
|---|---|---|
| Below 3.5 | A1 to B1 | Go slower. Spend extra time on vocabulary and on Reading and Listening, and repeat week 2 before you move on. |
| 3.5 to 4.5 | B1 to B2 | Follow the plan as written. Most of your progress will come from reviewing your mistakes carefully. |
| 5.0 and above | C1 to C2 | Skim the guides you don’t need and spend the time on full timed tests and your weakest task. |
Want to see what your target means on the old scale too? The score calculator converts between the band, CEFR and 0–120.
How to review a practice testLink to How to review a practice test
Taking a test shows you where you are. Reviewing it is how you get better, so give the review as much time as the test.
- 1
Sort your mistakes by task
Not by section. “Complete the Words” tells you far more than “Reading”.
- 2
Ask why, for each one
Didn’t know a word? Missed a detail? Ran out of time? Each answer points to a different fix.
- 3
Redo it without the clock
If you get it right with more time, practice speed. If you still get it wrong, go back to that task’s guide.
- 4
Write it in your notebook
One line per mistake. Read the notebook again before your next full test.
If you only have two weeksLink to If you only have two weeks
Keep the parts that matter most and drop the rest:
- Week 1: Day 1 of the plan (a full test), then one task guide a day, in the order of week 1. Spend extra time on your two weakest sections.
- Week 2: a section test in your weakest section, one day of Writing and one of Speaking drills, then a second full test three or four days before your exam. Rest the day before.
Common questions
Is one month enough to prepare for the TOEFL?
It depends on where you start and the score you need. A month of steady practice is enough to learn the 2026 format well and practice every task. If your first full test is far below your target, plan for longer and repeat weeks 2 and 3.
How many practice tests should I take?
This plan uses three full tests, at the start, the middle and the end, plus a section test in each section. How carefully you review each test matters more than how many you take.
What should I study first for the TOEFL?
Start with a full practice test so you know your band in each section, then learn how each task works. The test changed on January 21, 2026, so check that your materials cover the new tasks.
Does this plan work for the TOEFL Home Edition?
Yes. The Home Edition is the same test, so the plan is the same. In the last week, run ETS’s equipment check and get your room and note-taking materials ready.
Sources
Every exam fact on this page comes from ETS, checked on October 14, 2026. TOEFL Ready is independent from ETS.
Read next
Read next · The 2026 test
How long is the TOEFL in 2026?
The new TOEFL iBT is much shorter than the test most guides still describe. Here’s how long each section takes, why your total can change by a few minutes, and how to plan the whole day.
4 min read