David Recine

Where Can You Take the TOEFL PBT?

There are two versions of the TOEFL: the Internet-based test (iBT) and the paper-based-test (PBT). Magoosh and similar TOEFL prep websites focus on the TOEFL iBT for a reason: it’s much more widely available than the TOEFL PBT. In fact, ETS has announced plans to completely replace the replace the PBT with the iBT… eventually.

I emphasize the word “eventually,” because for now the PBT is available in a surprisingly long list of places around the world. If you use ETS’ TOEFL testing site locator, you can see where the PBT is and isn’t available. Or you can just let me summarize what’s in the test locator for you! Below is a summary of the fascinating information I found when I checked every TOEFL region for PBT availability.

 

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TOEFL countries and regions that offer TOEFL PBT only:

The areas listed below do not have the TOEFL iBT. You can ONLY take the PBT in these nations, territories, and regions. (For an up-to-date list of the cities/localities that host the test centers, see this PDF from the official TOEFL website.)

  • Angola
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • Bhutan
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Burundi
  • Cameroon
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Comoros
  • Congo DRC
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Eritrea
  • Fiji
  • Iraq
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Liberia
  • Libya
  • Madagascar
  • Maldives
  • Marshall Islands
  • Micronesia
  • Myanmar
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Sierra Leone
  • South Sudan
  • Sudan
  • Syria
  • Tanzania
  • Tonga
  • Turkmenistan
  • Zimbabwe

 

TOEFL countries and regions that offer both PBT and iBT

These countries, regions, and territories offer PBT and iBT. Again, the cities/localities of the test sites are noted. This may not be a fully comprehensive list, since the TOEFL iBT test center search engine is designed to search by city and town, not country. To see if you our specific city or local region offers both PBT and iBT, check out the PDF of TOEFL PBT test sites, and then check that against TOEFL’s iBT registration service. (This service can be accessed by logging into your TOEFL account.)

  • Angola
  • Burkina Faso
  • Cameroon
  • Congo DRC
  • Iraq
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Myanmar
  • Nigeria
  • Suriname
  • Tanzania
  • Togo

 

Author

  • David Recine

    David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. Additionally, he’s helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. David has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. His work at Magoosh has been cited in many scholarly articles, his Master’s Thesis is featured on the Reading with Pictures website, and he’s presented at the WITESOL (link to PDF) and NAFSA conferences. David has taught K-12 ESL in South Korea as well as undergraduate English and MBA-level business English at American universities. He has also trained English teachers in America, Italy, and Peru. Come join David and the Magoosh team on Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram, or connect with him via LinkedIn!

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