How adaptive Reading and Listening work on the TOEFL® 2026, and why the first part matters

The short version

On the 2026 TOEFL® iBT, Reading and Listening are multistage adaptive. Each section comes in two parts, which ETS calls stages or modules. Everyone starts with the same kind of first module. Your performance on it decides which second module you get: one with easier tasks or one with harder tasks. Writing and Speaking are not adaptive. Everyone taking the same test form gets the same tasks.

That makes the first module of Reading and of Listening the most important few minutes of the test for those sections.

How the two stages work

ETS's 2026 test specifications describe Reading and Listening as two-stage adaptive tests. The first module is a router. After it, you get either a lower module or an upper module.

	Module 1 (router)	Module 2
Who gets it	Every test taker	Depends on your module 1 result
Difficulty	The same design for everyone	Lower or upper, matched to your level
Can you go back?	Not once you move on to module 2	No

ETS's teacher FAQ adds three points:

• You cannot skip ahead or go back between stages.
• The second module's difficulty is chosen to match your ability level, based on your performance in the first.
• Your final score is based on both stages.

Reading task types

Complete the Words, Read in Daily Life and Read an Academic Passage.

Listening task types

Listen and Choose a Response, Listen to a Conversation, Listen to an Announcement and Listen to an Academic Talk. Each recording plays once. You may take notes while you listen.

How the score is calculated

This is the part many students misunderstand. Your score is not simply the number of questions you got right.

According to ETS, the Reading and Listening scores take into account both the number of questions you answered correctly across the two modules and the difficulty of those questions. ETS places every question on a common difficulty scale, then uses statistical equating so that a given score means the same level of ability whichever second module you took. In other words, 15 correct answers in the upper module are not treated the same as 15 correct answers in the lower module.

ETS also says that each correct answer earns one point. Its FAQ does not mention any deduction for wrong answers. A blank answer can never earn a point, so answer every question, even if you have to guess.

Why the first module matters

ETS does not publish the exact rule that sends you to the lower or upper module, and it does not say in its public documents whether the lower module limits your highest possible score. What we do know is the design: the second module is built to measure most precisely around the level your first module suggested.

That has a practical consequence. If you lose easy points in module 1 through rushing, misreading or a moment of panic, your second module will be aimed below your real level. You can still do well on it, but you will be answering questions designed for a lower range of ability. A careful first module gives you a second module that matches what you can actually do.

What this means in practice

• Treat module 1 as accuracy work. It is not the place to save time for later. Read every question fully, check the question words (not, except, most likely), and do not leave anything blank.
• Do not try to guess which module you got. A harder second module may feel more difficult. That feeling is not a reliable signal that things are going badly, and worrying about it costs attention.
• Settle before you start. Reading is the first section of the test. Before you begin, take a breath and decide on your pace.
• Do not rely on going back. Once you have moved on to module 2, you cannot return to module 1. Make your decision on each question before you move on.

Other details that affect your strategy

Unscored questions

ETS includes unscored pretest questions inside either the Reading or the Listening section for every test taker. They are used for research and do not count, but they look like any other question. You cannot tell which ones they are, so give every question the same effort.

Timing varies

ETS asks you to allow about two hours for the whole test, and it notes that test time and items may vary as the test adapts. Your section may not take exactly the same time as a friend's.

Listening is play-once

Every recording plays only once, and ETS's specifications describe audio from very short utterances up to extended talks. Practise taking short notes of key words and relationships (cause, contrast, examples) rather than trying to write full sentences.

Practising with an adaptive mock

The best preparation is to practise under the same conditions. Skorway's mock copies the two-part design: Reading and Listening each have a part 1 that decides whether part 2 is the harder or the standard version. Skorway uses its own routing rule (60% correct in part 1 sends you to the harder part 2). That rule is Skorway's and is not ETS's, because ETS does not publish one. Each part has its own timer, and your answers save as you go.

After the mock, look at your part 1 results separately. If you missed easy questions there, that is the first thing to fix: it affects everything that comes after it.

TOEFL® is a registered trademark of ETS. Skorway is not endorsed or approved by ETS.