Amidst the outbreak of Covid-19, ETS has decided that the language testing will be continued but the candidates need to take TOEFL IBT Special Home Edition right now. Until the TOEFL test centers reopen, ETS will continue the home-based TOEFL to ensure the higher studies, work, and immigration of the test-takers in English-speaking countries.

Update – TOEFL Essentials

The year 2020 was a turmoil for every standardized test. It saw the once mandatory application requirements of universities going ‘test-optional.  For TOEFL also the case remained the same. Furthermore, the addition of the Duolingo English Test added to the tiff. The Duolingo App offers a 1-hour test that can be taken anytime and anywhere giving candidates ease. ETS amped up the game by introducing a new version of TOEFL altogether. No, the old version or TOEFL iBT will be intact as it is the ‘gold standard’ as they call it. TOEFL Essentials is what the new version is called. The biggest advantage of TOEFL Essentials is its cost – it is half the price of the TOEFL iBT. Though it still doubles the cost of the Duolingo English Test. The first use of TOEFL Essentials will be in the month of August. ETS, though, is still backing its promotion of the ultimate TOEFL iBT and Duolingo tends to win the game, still.

The pandemic has led to an immense fall in the count of international students that have amounted to 43%. Therefore, the universities are targeting US students. In 2018, the Duolingo English Test was only accepted in a handful of colleges. In the present day, more than 3,000 universities accept it almost similar to the acceptance rate of TOEFL. Yale is among the top universities accepting Duolingo and it has been stated "Yale’s most competitive applicants have [Duolingo] scores of at least 120."

The new TOEFL Essentials, aligning to the Duolingo English Test takes place for an hour and a half. The cost would be $100 – $120 which approximately half of the previous TOEFL exam. Unline TOEFL iBT but like Duolingo, there will be four sections which are based on both academic English as well as conversational English. It will contain more but trivial tasks. 

All about TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition

ETS has announced that the closure of test centers will not affect the higher studies of the candidates at any cost. That is the reason, they have launched Home Edition on an urgent basis. TOEFL Special Home Edition allows the candidate to take the exam without reaching the exam center – they can take the test from their home. The monitoring of the test will be done with the help of the AI technology of ProctorU.

Process of TOEFL Special Home Edition

To ensure high-level security to TOEFL Special Home Edition, there will be real-time human monitoring during the entire test. There will be no security gaps in the monitoring process at all, as there will be live remote proctors to watch the actions of the candidates throughout.

The live proctor will verify the identity of the candidate and the home environment of the candidate. AI will conduct face recognition, gaze tracking, and ID document verification.

For the scoring process, the candidates will receive accurate TOEFL scores, which will be obtained with the help of these technologies.

TOEFL Special Home Edition: System Requirements

ETS has mentioned the requirements of the system as well as the room in which the candidate will take the test:

OS

Desktop or laptop computer is accepted with Windows® 10, 8, or 7 OS, or MAC® OS X® 10.5 or higher (10.13 High Sierra is recommended). However, using a tablet or mobile device is restricted. Candidates are advised to review the ProctorU to know more requirements.

Browser

Chrome™ or Firefox® browser

Speaker

Internal and external speakers are allowed but headsets are not.

Camera

Any built-in or webcam is accepted. The camera must be able to give a 360-degree view of the room including tabletop and laptop surface to the proctor.

Room

The testing room cannot be an open-air room – and the candidate must be alone there. The computer or the laptop must be on a table and the candidate will be sitting on a chair. Foods and drinks during the test are not permitted.

The appearance of the Candidate

The candidate must be in proper dress and the picture will be sent to the institutions they are willing to study. The ear of the candidate must not be covered with hair or hat or any other accessories.

Note-taking

Papers are not allowed for note-taking; rather, they can use a whiteboard or transparent sheet protector with an erasable marker.

Duration of TOEFL Special Home Edition

TOEFL at-home version is a bit shorter version of TOEFL iBT. Here Duration is 30 minutes less. The sections will be shorter in the home version.

TOEFL Home Edition Charges

Fees for TOEFL at-home is the same as TOEFL iBT: $180. In case the candidates had previously scheduled for a TOEFL iBT and they are now willing to reschedule it as the test centers are now closed, there will not be any charge for those rescheduling.

Cancellation of the exam must be done 4 days prior to the exam for a partial refund.

Retaking TOEFL Special Home Edition

It is possible to retake TOEFL at-home test, but between 2 takes of TOEFL at-home, there must be 3 days gap.

TOEFL Home Edition: Scoring

Moving on to the scoring process of TOEFL Home Edition, this will be the same as the TOEFL iBT. Within 6-10 days, the scores of TOEFL Home Edition will be reported electronically. If delayed, it will not take more than 2 weeks.

There is no change in the TOEFL score range or score calculating process. Using MyBest Scores, the candidates can factor the scores obtained.

Reliability, Validity, and Acceptance of TOEFL Home Edition

Students are often questioning the reliability, validity, and acceptance of this TOEFL Home Edition. ETS had assured that just like TOEFL iBT, TOEFL Home Edition will also be accepted as an alternative of the TOEFL iBT. TOEFL Home Edition will be equally reliable and valid as well.

In the announcement, it was also said that the content and format of TOEFL iBT and TOEFL Home Edition will be identical. The similarity is applicable to the on-screen experience as well. ETS will make sure that the standard of the test is never compromised by any means.

ETS has reassured the candidates again and again that only the method of testing will be changed. Rest everything will remain the same as the TOEFL iBT.

Availability of TOEFL Home Edition

The TOEFL test centers of mainland China and IRAN are about to reopen shortly. Except for these two locations, TOEFL iBT Home Edition will be available worldwide. In these locations, until the situations become normal and the test centers reopen, ETS will continue to take the tests in this mode only.

It is assumed that through September 2020, the TOEFL registration for the at-home version will be available.

Webinars for TOEFL Home Testing

The conducting authority of TOEFL, ETS is well aware of the uneasiness and difficulty of the candidates for TOEFL Home Edition. To make it easy for the candidates, ETS has launched webinars to answer the questions of the candidates. Along with these, ETS has published a list of FAQs in relation to the TOEFL Home Testing.

TOEFL Home Testing Preparation

On the website of ETS, TOEFL preparation materials exclusively for the home testing will be available and the candidates can prepare with this. Practice papers for TOEFL iBT can also be used for this because everything will remain the same in the TOEFL Home Edition.