TOEFL test day: what to bring and what to expect

1. 1

   Check your ID now, not on the morning

   Make sure it hasn’t expired and that the first and last name and date of birth match your ETS account exactly. A mismatch can’t be fixed at the door. The full rules are in the next section.

2. 2

   Need to move your test? Do it at least 4 full days ahead

   Reschedule or cancel in your ETS account at least 4 full days before your test date. If you cancel by then, you get 50% of the test fee back; after that, you get nothing back.

3. 3

   Testing at home? Run the equipment check

   From the My TOEFL Home dashboard, download the TOEFL Test App and run the equipment check on the computer you’ll actually use. If ETS asks you to verify your identity in a mobile app, do it at least 48 hours before your test.

4. 4

   Choose your score recipients

   Your fee includes up to 4 score reports to schools or agencies. You can add or change them until 10pm, local test center time, the day before your test; after that, each report costs extra.

5. 5

   Do one full, timed practice sitting

   This is our advice, not ETS’s: take all four sections back to back once, so an hour and a half without a break feels normal by test day.

If your ID isn’t acceptable, you can’t take the test and your fee isn’t refunded. ETS’s rules depend on where you test and your citizenship, so check them for your location on ETS’s site too. In general, your ID must be:

• Original and physical. No photocopies, and no ID shown on a phone or other device.
• Government-issued and valid. Expired documents aren’t accepted.
• An exact match. Your first and last name and date of birth must exactly match what you registered with.
• Complete. It needs a recent photo that clearly looks like you, and your signature.

1. 1

   Arrive at least 30 minutes early

   Check-in takes time. If you arrive or check in after your start time, you can’t take the test, and your fee isn’t refunded.

2. 2

   Expect security and ID checks

   Staff may use a metal-detector wand, ask you to empty your pockets or roll up your sleeves, and take your photo, fingerprint or signature. Large jewelry and hair accessories come off; wedding and engagement rings can stay on.

3. 3

   Store your things

   Phones, watches, headphones and other devices aren’t allowed in the testing room. If you bring a phone, it must be turned off, and you can’t use it during the session for anything, not even to check the time.

4. 4

   Use only the paper they give you

   The test center provides pencils and scratch paper, and you can’t bring your own. Don’t write on it before the test or between sections, and hand all of it back at the end.

The Home Edition is the same test, taken on your own computer with a live proctor watching. Most of the rules are about your room and your setup.

1. 1

   Check in on time

   You can start checking in up to 15 minutes before your appointment and no later than 30 minutes after it. Miss that window and your test is canceled, with no refund.

2. 2

   Have these on your desk

   A phone or a hand mirror for check-in; a mobile device, if a second camera applies to you; and one note-taking option: a small whiteboard with an erasable marker, or one blank sheet of paper inside a clear sheet protector with an erasable marker. The paper must stay in the protector the whole time.

3. 3

   Close every sharing app

   Turn off screen-sharing and remote-access software such as Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams or TeamViewer, and make sure none of it opens by itself during the test.

4. 4

   Be alone, with the door closed

   Nobody else may enter the room, and every door must be closed before you start. Your whole session is recorded and watched by a proctor.

5. 5

   Stay in view

   Keep your eyes on the screen and don’t talk out loud, since either can look suspicious. Unscheduled breaks aren’t allowed, so get water and use the bathroom before you check in.

You take Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking in that order, in about an hour and a half, with no scheduled breaks. At a test center, unscheduled breaks are strictly monitored. Notes are allowed, so use your paper or whiteboard as you listen. Our guide to how long the TOEFL takes times every section.

1. 1

   See your unofficial scores

   You see unofficial Reading and Listening scores straight away, and the date your official scores will be ready. Official scores can differ slightly after ETS’s checks.

2. 2

   Choose to report or cancel

   You decide on the spot whether to report your scores or cancel them. Canceling cancels every section, with no refund. If you change your mind, you can reinstate canceled scores within 60 days, for a fee.

3. 3

   Official scores in about 3 days

   They’re posted to your ETS account, and you get an email when they’re ready. They stay valid for 2 years.