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TOEFL Test Dates 2024 Guide

David Recine

October 14, 2024

TOEFL Test Dates

So you need to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). But when should you take it? This depends a lot on which TOEFL dates are available, of course. And it also depends on your own study needs and prep timeline. Below, we’ll give explain where to find TOEFL test dates near you in 2024.

We’ll also give you some advice on how to choose the TOEFL exam date that’s right for you, including how to register for the TOEFL Home Edition. Click on a TOEFL test date topic from the navigation table below to skip to that section, or continue scrolling down to review all our TOEFL exam dates information.

Click the links below to go directly to that section!

TOEFL Test Dates and Locations
Which TOEFL Test Date to Pick: A Practical Guide
- TOEFL Availability in Your City or Region
- TOEFL Home Edition
When You Should Take the TOEFL
TOEFL Score Expiration
Takeaways

TOEFL Test Dates in 2024

Depending on your location, the TOEFL iBT is available up to 170 times a year. To find the dates available at locations near you, go to the ETS Center Search page and enter your location as well as the two-month period when you want to take the test – if you don’t know, you can scroll through to see multiple months.

However, a more convenient option is the TOEFL Home Edition, which ETS recently announced is here to stay. This is available 24 hours a day, 4 days a week. More on the Home Edition below!

How to Choose TOEFL Test Dates

TOEFL Availability in Your City or Region

As you think about the exam date you’ll choose, the first thing test takers should consider is the exam’s availability. As I mentioned above, not all exam dates are available in a given location. Check to see not just when a TOEFL exam might be available, but also where the TOEFL is available.

The nearest test center on a given exam date may be an hour or two away from you by travel… or possibly even further away. At the same time, other exam dates might be offered nearer to you. On the right dates, the TOEFL may be available in your home community, or nearby. Be sure to check on both locations and test dates. Again, you can find this information on the official TOEFL registration website, or by logging into your ETS TOEFL account and looking at the online registration system that way.

TOEFL Home Edition Test Dates

In 2020, ETS began offering the TOEFL Home Edition, so that test-takers can take the exam safely from their own homes. Soon after, ETS made this test taking method permanently available. The TOEFL Home Edition is identical to the TOEFL iBT, except you’ll be taking it virtually. The exam has a live proctor monitor the exam through the computer and microphone on your device.

Currently, the TOEFL Home Edition is available throughout the world, but does have specific requirements in mainland China. Note that you’ll need a computer with certain tech specs to take the exam. Be sure to carefully review these before you sign up for the test – if you don’t meet the requirements on test day you won’t be able to take the test or get a refund!

To schedule your TOEFL Home Edition exam, you’ll need to have an account with both ETS and ProctorU. ProctorU is an organization that works with ETS to ensure that the tests are taken honestly and can count as valid assessments. Here’s the process:

Log in to your ETS TOEFL account (or create an account and log in).
Click the blue “Register/Find Test Centers, Dates” bar in the middle left of the screen. Follow the prompts to click on the Special Home Edition and pay the registration fee by debit card or credit card.
After you pay the test fee, you’ll receive an email from ProctorU. Follow the instructions in that email to register for an account with them and schedule your actual TOEFL Home Edition exam.

When You Should Take the TOEFL

If you’re planning on beginning grad school within a year, you will want to choose a date to take the TOEFL relatively soon. Many United States college and graduate school programs require applications a long time before the start of the semester. Sometimes applications are due as many as 10 months ahead of time, and you’ll want to make sure you leave enough time to potentially retake the test. But, this depends on what programs you are going to apply to and guidelines are different at some foreign universities. Check the websites of the schools you’re interested in. If you aren’t sure about when applications are due, you can always email the admissions office.

With this in mind, be sure you’re aware of application deadlines. Unless you’re extremely confident in your ability, give yourself enough of a cushion before your deadlines that (a) you can re-take the test if needed, and (b) there will be plenty of time to iron out any problems that may crop up with the delivery of score reports or test scoring.

Most undergraduate higher education programs in the US have deadlines in the late fall or winter before you intend to start (for a program that begins in the fall). The deadline may be different if you are an international student, if you want to be considered for scholarships, or if you’re applying early action/early decision. To be sure that you’ve got the correct date, confirm with an admissions counselor at your school of choice.

When you should take the test ultimately depends on how soon those deadlines are. But you should also consider how long it will take you to fully prepare for the TOEFL. Generally speaking, if you’re going to have to take the test, it should be at least a couple of months from when you start studying. You want time to prepare fully and take a few TOEFL sample tests. You don’t want to rush through your test prep; language study takes time to master and you want to give yourself the best chance possible to crush your score goals.

Let’s imagine two scenarios to illustrate good timing:

Scenario 1 – Applying to Schools Eventually

You are applying to a graduate school program or college eventually, maybe next year. This is a good opportunity to check your ability now. Study for the TOEFL for one or two months, practicing the format and strategies as much as possible. Then take the test. This might be many, many months before your applications are due, but that’s okay.

This is because TOEFL scores rely on two things: general academic English language ability and test familiarity/strategy. General English ability takes a long time to improve. Strategy can be learned more quickly. So you want to improve your strategy as much as possible and take the test relatively soon. This way, you can see whether your goals are realistic.

If your score is lower than you expected, you can adjust your plan. You will have to improve your general English ability, and that takes time. If your score is at the level you want, then that’s great. You can spend your time in the next months improving your application in other ways, such as preparing for other standardized exams for admissions.

Scenario 2 – Applying to Schools Soon

The application deadline for your program is within months. If this is the case, then you want to check out those TOEFL test dates now, and schedule the test for a time near the deadline. Give yourself as much study time as possible. It often takes months to learn how to take the TOEFL well and get the highest score you can. And more than a month is ideal. So set aside the maximum available prep time, within your due date.

It’s not easy to make a plan like this. The main things to consider when scheduling are these:

Give yourself enough time to study for the test, then take it as soon as you feel comfortable with the format and content. I’m sure that many of you want to take the test as soon as possible so you can stop worrying about it and get on with your life. I get that. But don’t rush it. If you do, you run the risk of having to retake or reschedule TOEFL dates. Or worse: not getting the score you need to go to the school you want. I usually tell my students to register for a date at least a month in advance.
If your scores are too low in practice (particularly on practice tests), but you’re familiar with the format/exam pattern, then you need to work on content familiarity. This means you need to improve your general academic English ability. This will take more time. How much time? That depends on your level of English now and your goal score.
The TOEFL is not cheap. Ideally, you want to take it just once. If you need to retake, be sure that you give yourself enough time to improve your scores before you take the test again. The second test should be the last one, ideally.
Are you taking an intensive English or TOEFL prep course? Go ahead and plan on taking the test within a few weeks of finishing it. Are you going to have a break from school that will be a good chance to brush up? Take the test at the end of the break.
Are you going to have a break from school during which you will not spend time doing anything remotely intellectual? Then take the test right before the break.
Are you from a non-English-speaking country, but studying abroad currently in an English-speaking community? Great! Take the test before you leave or within a few weeks of returning home. Give yourself every chance to succeed.

TOEFL Score Expiration

TOEFL scores are good for 2 years after your test date. After that, you’ll have to re-take the exam before applying to your program. So even if you’re studying abroad right now and you feel invincible in English, if you still have a few years before you apply to college, you should probably just wait until you’re in that two-year window, unless you want to take the language proficiency test now for practice or personal reasons.

Takeaways

A lot goes into deciding when (and where) to take your TOEFL exam. Taking a free practice test today will help you see how much work you’ll need to do to get to your target score. Once you have an idea of your score baseline, a tried and true TOEFL study plan will help you reach your goals. Consider a Magoosh Premium Plan for more help acing the exam.

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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30 responses to “TOEFL Test Dates 2024 Guide”

Rongrong

January 27, 2016

Hi Rachel,

I have rescheduled my test day from Feb 20 to Feb 12 paying $60 through paypal. The details indicated the transaction was completed. But in my iBT account the test day was not rescheduled. What can I do now? Is there any delay about the reschedule process?

Thanks,

Rongrong

Reply
1. Rachel Wisuri
  
  January 28, 2016
  
  Hi Rongrong,
  
  I’d suggest contacting ETS about this. You should definitely include the receipt you received from PayPal in your email. Good luck, and let me know if that doesn’t work!
  
  Best,
  Rachel
  
  Reply
  1. Shahrukh Bhat
    
    December 16, 2017
    
    Hey Rachel
    Nearly completing my Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering. Wish to go abroad for my MS, kindly suggest me dates and how to appear in language tests.
    Regards
    Shahrukh
    
    Reply
    1. Magoosh Test Prep Expert
      
      December 16, 2017
      
      Hi Sharhrukh,
      
      Sure thing! You can visit the ETS page to search for test dates and register for the test (see instructions here). You will need to sign up for an ETS account in order to see test dates and find your nearest testing center. Don’t forget to give yourself enough time to prepare adequately–the TOEFL requires skills and strategy. If you’re looking for affordable and effective test prep, look no further than Magoosh! Good luck 🙂
      
      Reply
2. Neil
  
  February 19, 2016
  
  Hi Ronggrong… Can you please tell me how was your test? I have test tomorrow.. Please email me at [email protected]..
  
  Reply
Olga

July 9, 2016

Hi Rachel,

Thank you very much for informative posts!

Could you please tell me what should I do if I already have an ETS account for GRE test? Should I create another account for TOEFL IBT?

Reply
1. Magoosh Test Prep Expert
  
  July 12, 2016
  
  Yes, you’ll need to create a separate account for each ETS exam you take.
  
  Reply
Yash

October 18, 2016

I have a confusion about dates.
Dates on ETS site are lesser in number that of yours.
Why it is like that?

Reply
1. Magoosh Test Prep Expert
  
  October 18, 2016
  
  I looked at the ETS PDF linked in this post, and I think I see what you mean. On the third page of ETS’s official PDF, it looks like the dates stop at the third line with Friday October 14, 2015. The rest of that page is clearly blank. This makes it look like ETS lists fewer dates than this Magoosh post, since our post continues all the way to the end of December.
  
  If that’s what your asking about, keep scrolling down– there’s a fourth page int he ETS PDF that lists the remaining TOEFL testing dates for 2016. Because most of page 3 is blank,t his fourth page is kind of “hidden.” I found this very confusing too!
  
  If that’s not what you mean, and you’re seeing “lesser” dates on the ETS site for a different reason, let me know what you see, and I’ll check it out and get back to you.
  
  Reply
  1. Yash
    
    October 21, 2016
    
    Okay! Now I get it. But it is now opposite of what I was assuming!
    
    https://www.ets.org/bin/getprogram.cgi?urlSource=toefl&newRegURL=&test=TOEFL&greClosed=new&greClosedCountry=China&browserType=&toeflType=&redirect=&t_country1=group_India
    
    I have visited this link and that shows hardly 5 dates in Nov-16. Whereas ETS is giving almost 15 dates in November mentioned in the PDF. There must be something wrong with this unctuous behavior of ETS.
    My confusion increased more due this! Can you please help me out here?
    
    Reply
    1. Magoosh Test Prep Expert
      
      October 22, 2016
      
      Hi Yash,
      
      You should definitely follow the dates listed in the ETS site! We are a test prep company so we don’t have any control over when or where the tests are offered–we listed the dates and times here as a quick reference, but the ETS website will have the most up-to-date information about what tests are offered in your region and when. If you are confused, I recommend that you contact an ETS office in your region. They can provide you with the best information!
      
      Reply
Yash

October 24, 2016

Hey thanks for suggestion. Helped me a lot.
And may I know your name?
Thank you once again.

Reply
1. Magoosh Test Prep Expert
  
  October 25, 2016
  
  I’m glad our blog response team has been able to help you. I can’t really give you just one name, as at least two of our blog response people contributed to this conversation. One of them was me— I gave you the initial advice about the blank page on the official ETS PDF. I’m not sure which colleague of mine gave you the follow up advice about always trusting ETS’s dates over other sources, but perhaps he or she will step forward to take credit.
  
  My name is David, and I’ve enjoyed talking to you, Yash. 😉
  
  Reply
Mohammed Alimamie Cooper

May 14, 2017

Hi Ronggrong:
My name is Mohammed Alimamie Cooper from Monrovia, Liberia. I’m facing little a problem concerning the registration date and test date in my country.
I just read the update on my country TOEFL registration and test dates which was slated for April 2,2017 and it’s said to be late for my process.
I don’t know how l’m going to do my process.

Is there any information I can get other then the previous if yes please help me sir.

Reply
1. Magoosh Test Prep Expert
  
  May 15, 2017
  
  Hi Mohammed! Thanks for writing 🙂 I’m sorry to hear that you’re having an issue with your test registration. Unfortunately, it seems like your option at this point is to wait for the next testing date, which will mostly likely be in Fall 2017. You should know that registration for a given exam closes 7 days before the test date. There is also late registration, which closes 4 days before the test date. If you opt for the late registration, you are charged a fee of 40 USD. I hope this helps, at least a little.
  
  Reply
  1. Mohammed Alimamie Cooper
    
    May 18, 2017
    
    Thanks for the information!!
    
    Reply
Efriza

October 14, 2017

I missed my test day for some reason. What should i do? Can i rescheduled?

Reply
1. Magoosh Test Prep Expert
  
  October 14, 2017
  
  Hi Efriza,
  
  There is no option to reschedule for free. You will have to schedule a new date and pay a new fee. :/
  
  Reply
Siddharth

November 6, 2017

Hello,

My current Toefl date is on 26-11-2017 and my Gre date is on 12-12-2017. I want to register for one more Toefl date which is 17-12-2017, by keeping my first toefl date and not postponing or cancelling it, Can this be possible?. I am in a bit of confusion and I am not sure how much time I can dedicate for studying for Toefl exam which is on 26-11-2017 i.e. before my Gre, as most of the time I would be studying for my Gre exam.

Kindly guide me on this.

Thanks,
Siddharth

Reply
1. David Recine
  
  November 7, 2017
  
  As long as you can find open seats at a test center you have access to, it’s completely possible to schedule two upcoming TOEFL exams. And given your circumstances, your idea of scheduling an extra TOEFL just in case may very well be a good one. 🙂
  
  Reply
Su

February 6, 2018

Hi,

While applying for TOEFL, I have to choose 4 recipients of my score for free.

Suppose the scenario is where TOEFL scores reach before the University has opened the application portal or application form partially filled and I am waiting for GRE results (I planned to write GRE 6 months later to TOEFL exam).

What will happen? Will my scores be considered by University even when I still unregistered in their portal or should I order scores again?

Reply
1. Magoosh Test Prep Expert
  
  February 7, 2018
  
  Hi Su,
  
  I recommend that you contact your universities directly and make sure that the information I give you is correct! From what I understand, even if you send your scores to a college before their application portal is open, they should be able to view and retrieve your official score report after you submit your final application. So, you shouldn’t have to send your scores again with your application–the university can just retrieve yours cores from their system! Keep in mind that your TOEFL scores are only valid for two years, however, so don’t wait too long before applying!
  
  Reply
banihashimi

April 29, 2018

Dear Sir/ Madam
I want to register at December, 2018. But it does not open. the question is what time this date open to register?
this time is important, because I have time only until July 1th to be booked for the university. Can I catch the December for the test?

Reply
1. David Recine
  
  April 30, 2018
  
  Hi Banihashimi,
  
  Registration for a given TOEFL exam date and time can be done 3-4 months in advance. (There is some variation, depending on the test center.) So you wouldn’t be able to select a December registration date just yet. But by August or September of this yea,r you should be able to register for your December 2018 test date, which should give you more than enough time to book your university courses by July 2019. 🙂
  
  Reply
Latif

June 15, 2018

There is a mistake in the schedule. Instead of the month July, June is written.
Please correct it.

Peace,

Latif Behroz

Reply
1. Magoosh Test Prep Expert
  
  June 19, 2018
  
  Good catch, Latif! I went ahead and changed those dates. Thanks for bringing this to tour attention!
  
  Reply
Yanisa

May 1, 2019

Are the different dates affect on the TOEFL test?

I really curious for a reason why there are different

dates in different countries such as July 6,2019

Which is a round for Asia zone but August 10,2019

,there will have in any zone of the world.

I just thinking too much for this ridiculous thing but

can’t stop thinking! 😅😅😂😂

Reply
1. Magoosh Test Prep Expert
  
  May 3, 2019
  
  HI Yanisa,
  
  Yes, there are some regional differences for when the TOEFL is offered! You can find the most complete list of test sites and dates on the ETS website 🙂
  
  Reply
Ananya

August 23, 2019

Dear sir/madam,I want to do my MS in electronics and communication engineering.But could not able to find which universities offer this program.Can you help me providing the list and their eligibility criteria? Thanking you.

Reply
1. Magoosh Test Prep Expert
  
  December 7, 2019
  
  Hi Ananya! Unfortunately we can’t help with this issue. We help you get the score you need to qualify for your schools of choice, but we don’t keep information about types and locations of programs. Wish I could help more!
  
  Reply