TOEFL vs PTE Academic in 2026: format, scores, cost, and which one to take

The short answer

Take the one your programme lists. If both are accepted: PTE Academic is a 2-hour test at a test centre, fully computer-scored, with results in about two days and a 10–90 score; the TOEFL iBT 2026 is about 90 minutes at a centre or at home, scored in bands from 1 to 6, with results in three days and acceptance at 13,500+ institutions against PTE's 4,000+. On level, PTE 59–82 is CEFR C1, the same as a TOEFL 5 or 5.5.

The two tests side by side

	TOEFL iBT (2026)	PTE Academic
Length	About 90 minutes of timed work; allow 2 hours	About 2 hours
Where	Test centre or at home (Home Edition)	Test centre only; Pearson says it cannot be taken at home
Structure	Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking, in that order; 12 task types	Three parts: Speaking and Writing (76–84 min, 9 question types), Reading (23–30 min, 5), Listening (31–39 min, 8)
Adaptive	Reading and Listening have two parts; the second is easier or harder	Not adaptive
Scoring	Human and automated scoring; every Speaking and Writing answer scored	Fully automated, scored against the Global Scale of English
Score	1 to 6 in half bands, per section and overall, with a CEFR level	10 to 90 overall, with scores for speaking, writing, reading and listening
Results	3 days	Usually within 2 business days, up to 5
Fee	Set by country	Set by country
Accepted by	13,500+ institutions in 160+ countries	4,000+ universities and colleges; also the Australian and New Zealand governments for visas
Valid for	2 years	2 years

Sources: ETS's test-taker pages and 2026 specification; Pearson's PTE Academic, test-format and scoring pages, checked on 6 November 2026.

How the scores compare

Pearson has not yet published a comparison between PTE Academic and the TOEFL's 2026 bands; its scoring page says updated relationships with other providers are to come. What both providers do publish is their alignment with the CEFR, and that is the honest way to line them up today.

CEFR	PTE Academic (Pearson's ranges)	TOEFL 2026 band (ETS)
C2	76–90	6
C1	59–82	5 to 5.5
B2	50–75	4 to 4.5
B1	36–58	3 to 3.5
A2	30–42	2 to 2.5

Pearson's CEFR ranges overlap, because a PTE score is a point on a continuous scale and a CEFR level is a band around it; ETS's bands do not overlap, because the band is the level. So a PTE 65 sits in both B2 and C1 on Pearson's table, while on the TOEFL it would be either a 4.5 or a 5. For a requirement, this means:

• A programme that asks for TOEFL 5 is asking for C1. The PTE scores that are C1 and not also B2 start at 76; most programmes that accept both set the PTE requirement lower, in the 58–65 range, which Pearson's own IELTS table puts at IELTS 6.5 to 7.
• A programme that asks for TOEFL 4.5 is asking for solid B2, which on PTE is roughly 50–58.
• Pearson's guidance on typical minimums is 51–60 for undergraduate study and 57–67 for postgraduate. On the TOEFL those requirements are a 4.5 and a 5.

Treat any PTE-to-TOEFL number as an estimate until Pearson publishes its table, and treat the programme's stated scores as the only ones that count.

What each test asks you to do

The two tests share more than their rivalry suggests. Both start with speaking. Both have a repeat-the-sentence task: PTE's Repeat Sentence and TOEFL's Listen and Repeat, scored on how much of the sentence comes through and how naturally. Both have a short written task and a longer academic one.

The differences:

• How speaking is scored. PTE scores everything by machine, against recordings of how fluent speakers say the same thing. TOEFL combines automated scoring with human raters, and scores each answer on its own, not the test as a whole. Candidates with a strong accent sometimes find PTE's machine scoring harsher than a rater; candidates who freeze in front of an interviewer find PTE's read-aloud and describe-image tasks easier than TOEFL's four-question interview.
• Task shape. PTE has many short tasks (Read Aloud, Describe Image, Retell Lecture, Summarize Written Text, Write Essay, Reorder Paragraphs, Fill in the Blanks and so on, about twenty types in all). TOEFL has twelve task types, several of them longer: an academic passage with questions, a conversation, an email to write, a discussion to join.
• Integrated skills. Many PTE tasks score two skills at once: Retell Lecture counts towards listening and speaking, Summarize Written Text towards reading and writing. TOEFL's sections are separate, so a weak section cannot hide inside a strong one.
• The clock. PTE runs about two hours without a break. TOEFL is shorter and its Reading and Listening are adaptive, so the second part changes with how the first went.

Which one should you take?

1. Start with the programme's list. If one test is missing, that settles it. If both are there, write down both requirements and compare them on the CEFR table above; one may be a level easier than the other.
2. Check the visa. Pearson says PTE Academic is accepted by the Australian and New Zealand governments for migration; the UK has a separate PTE Academic UKVI test for visas. Visa offices keep their own lists, and a test accepted by a university is not always accepted by its country's immigration office.
3. Centre or home. PTE Academic cannot be taken at home. If the nearest Pearson centre is a day's travel away, the TOEFL Home Edition is the practical choice.
4. Your speaking. If you speak well but hesitate with people, PTE's machine-scored tasks suit you. If you speak with a strong accent, a human-rated interview may serve you better.
5. Try before you pay. A full TOEFL 2026 mock takes 90 minutes and gives a band for each section. If it meets the requirement, book the TOEFL and keep the wider acceptance; if not, the band tells you which skill to fix before you book either test.

Is PTE easier than TOEFL?

Neither is easier as a test of English; they differ in shape. PTE is longer and entirely machine-scored, with many short tasks and no break. TOEFL is shorter, with fewer and bigger tasks and an adaptive second half. People who do better on PTE usually say its tasks are predictable and its scoring unbothered by nerves; people who do better on TOEFL usually say its tasks feel like real study.

Which is better, IELTS, TOEFL or PTE?

For acceptance in the United States and for most graduate programmes, the TOEFL. For Australia and New Zealand, including migration, PTE and IELTS are the usual pair. For the UK, IELTS or PTE Academic UKVI for the visa, any of the three for most universities. The TOEFL vs IELTS guide covers the other pair.

What PTE score is a TOEFL 5?

A TOEFL 5 is CEFR C1. On Pearson's CEFR table C1 runs from 59 to 82, overlapping B2 up to 75; a PTE 65 or above is the usual programme equivalent, and 76 or above is C1 without the overlap. Until Pearson publishes a TOEFL 2026 comparison, that range is the best answer.

Find out your TOEFL band before you choose

Before paying for either test, know your TOEFL band. Skorway's free mock is the full 2026 test, all four sections with the real timers, scored within minutes: a band per section and an overall band, with every Speaking and Writing answer marked up and rewritten a band higher. Meet the requirement and you can book the TOEFL with its wider acceptance; miss it and you know which skill to work on before you book anything. No credit card.

Checked against ETS's and Pearson's own pages on 6 November 2026. TOEFL® is a registered trademark of ETS. PTE is a trademark of Pearson. Skorway is not endorsed by or affiliated with either.