The TOEFL is Changing on January 21, 2026

If you'll be taking the TOEFL before Jan. 21, 2026, you'll be taking the "current version" of the TOEFL.

However, if you'll be taking the TOEFL on or after Jan. 21, 2026, you'll be taking the "2026 TOEFL," which will look considerably different.

Read on for more details about the changes. For even more information, take a look at our free introductory lessons:

• Overview of the TOEFL (2026 version)
• How the TOEFL is Scored (2026 version)
• And more located in the bottom-right corner of our Lessons page!

Can I Use Magoosh to Study for the New 2026 TOEFL?

Yes! We're hard at work creating high-quality lessons, questions, practice tests, and explanations that will reflect all the upcoming changes to the TOEFL:

• We're releasing the new lessons as we create them—see the "Upcoming TOEFL (After Jan 21, 2026)" section of that page.
• The new questions, explanations, and tests will be released before the exam changes on January 21st.

Additionally, though the TOEFL will have a new look, the underlying skills it tests will remain the same. Thus, the skills that you're practicing now for the current TOEFL will still apply on the new 2026 TOEFL.

Once our new content for the 2026 version is ready, you'll have the option to switch your Magoosh TOEFL account over to the new version. So, no matter which version of the TOEFL you choose to study for, you'll have access to the relevant content that you need.

Can I Use Magoosh to Study for the Current TOEFL?

Yes! All of our current lessons, questions, practice tests, and explanations will continue to be accessible until Jan. 21, 2026.

Also, once our new content for the 2026 version is ready, you'll have the option to switch your Magoosh TOEFL account over to the new version. So, no matter which version of the TOEFL you choose to study for, you'll have access to the relevant content that you need.

What Does the New 2026 TOEFL Look Like?

How Does This Compare to the Current TOEFL?

Structure Differences

First, here's the structure of the current TOEFL:

At a high level, the new 2026 TOEFL has the following features:

• New Question Types: These are now referred to as "items" instead of "questions" and "tasks". And though there are more items, many of them take far less time to answer.
• Shorter Length: 1.5 hours instead of 2 hours
• New Scoring Scale: The 2026 TOEFL will use a 1-to-6 band system, similar to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). (However, your exam will also include a score out of 120 for easy comparison.)
• Adaptive Sections: the Reading and Listening Sections are now adaptive. In other words, later questions will become harder or easier based on how well you answer earlier questions.

Content Differences

On the whole, the content of the 2026 TOEFL is more modern and includes topics from daily life rather than just academics. The new version of the exam also features brand new kinds of question types (many of which are shorter, more interactive, and even a little game-like—such as filling in the missing letters in a sentence).

Here is a quick look at some differences by section:

• Reading: you'll still see academic texts but also excerpts from everyday materials
• Listening: in addition to the normal lectures, you'll now listen to conversations from daily life
• Writing: new question types include writing a brief email and posting a message on an academic discussion forum
• Speaking: you'll now repeat phrases that you hear and participate in a kind of simulated interview