Which preparation resources does ETS promote?
ETS’s preparation page features three cards. The first is TOEFL TestReady, a personalized prep portal that ETS describes as bringing together practice tests, courses, guides, books, performance analysis, and progress tracking. The second connects users with independent tutors trained in the academic English tested on the TOEFL iBT; this is a tutoring service, and the page reviewed does not list a price. The third is the TOEFL iBT Test Prep Planner, described as a free eight-week plan with tips, activities, and sample questions. The TOEFL homepage also has a “Take a free practice test” button that leads to a full practice test.
The preparation page does not say which parts of TestReady are free or paid; the planner does. It invites users to create a free TestReady account and lists the practice test and personalized study plans as free, alongside an “Activity of the Day,” courses, and tips. It recommends purchasing Mock Tests, or “TOEFL Practice Online,” and The Official Guide to the TOEFL iBT Test, available as an eBook or print edition and containing four full-length tests. These documents do not list prices, so none are included here. Since the planner describes the pre-2026 test (see below), check the actual content in your account before buying anything.
The 2026–2027 Bulletin refers to this same preparation page for all official products created by ETS test developers. It also warns that once an order for a preparation product is placed, it cannot be canceled, refunded, or returned. Check the format and contents of each product before ordering.
Which free materials reflect the test taken since January 2026?
The “Take a free practice test” button on the TOEFL homepage leads to a page titled “Jan 2026,” which offers a full practice test; just complete a short form to start. The text reviewed does not specify the reported score or sections covered; only the title mentions January 2026. The planner, meanwhile, advertises a 40-minute sample of the test experience. In the materials reviewed, ETS does not say whether this is that same test. Treat it as a first look at the test flow, not as a measure of your level.
On the page ETS provides for teachers, two Practice Tests and five Teacher Practice Tests, along with audio files, are available as free downloads. The PDFs open directly without an account. ETS says each set contains unique questions, with answer keys for Reading and Listening. We opened the covers of Practice Tests 1 and 2 and Teacher Practice Tests 1 and 2: all four say they align with TOEFL iBT tests starting January 21, 2026, are not exact replicas of the real test, and have instructions and questions adapted for paper. Teacher Practice Tests 3–5 were not opened, so their alignment has not been verified here.
The Reading sections in these four files begin with the three current task types: “Complete the Words,” “Read in Daily Life,” and “Read an Academic Passage.” The Reading instructions also remind test takers that in the real test they cannot return to the first module after starting the second. When practicing on paper, enforce that rule yourself with a timer.
This distinction matters because ETS says in its April 2026 report that the January 2026 update introduced new task types, while “Write for an Academic Discussion” remained unchanged. Materials that do not claim to reflect the 2026 test may therefore prepare you for tasks you will no longer see.
Which resources are free, which are paid, and what format do they cover?
The table classifies each resource based on what ETS says, reviewed on October 15, 2026. “Current price not reviewed” means this article does not provide a current price; “not specified” means ETS does not address that point in the material we reviewed.
| Resource | Free or paid | Format covered |
|---|---|---|
| Online practice test (“Take a free practice test”) | Listed as free by ETS; form required | Page titled “Jan 2026”; reported score not specified |
| Practice Tests 1 and 2, PDF with audio files | Free, no account required | Aligned with tests starting January 21, 2026 (per covers); adapted for paper |
| Teacher Practice Tests 1–5, PDF | Free, no account required | Questions and answer keys for Reading and Listening; Nos. 1 and 2 aligned with January 21, 2026; Nos. 3–5 not reviewed |
| TOEFL iBT Test Prep Planner, eight-week PDF | Listed as free on the preparation page | Old format: sections scored 0–30, total 0–120, “Integrated” Writing task |
| TestReady account | Listed as free in the planner | Current portal content not specified on the preparation page |
| Mock Tests (TOEFL Practice Online) | Listed as paid in the planner; current price not reviewed | Not specified |
| The Official Guide to the TOEFL iBT Test | Paid, as an eBook or print edition; current price not reviewed | Four full-length tests and questions from previous tests, according to the planner; alignment with 2026 not specified |
The pitfall
Practicing with pre-2026 materials without realizing it
The planner is the free resource promoted on the preparation page, and it is the one that describes the old test. Its PDF describes a test with two Reading passages of ten questions each, a Writing section with an “Integrated Writing” task and a “Writing for an Academic Discussion” task, and four Speaking tasks, one independent and three integrated. That is not the current task list: ETS now names “Build a Sentence,” “Write an Email,” and “Write for an Academic Discussion” for Writing; “Listen and Repeat” and “Take an Interview” for Speaking; and “Complete the Words,” “Read in Daily Life,” and “Read an Academic Passage” for Reading. Only the last Writing task remains, and ETS says it is unchanged.
The planner also gives the old scoring scale: 0–30 per section and a total of 0–120, the sum of the four sections. Since January 21, 2026, ETS has reported scores from 1 to 6 in half-point increments, with a comparable overall score on the 0–120 scale for two years. In week one, the planner asks you to record a target score for each section and the total, based on your institution’s requirements: write down the score on the scale your institution uses, and do not convert it yourself from one scale to another.
One detail reveals the document’s age: it says results arrive about 4–8 days after the test, while the 2026–2027 Bulletin says about 3 days for the TOEFL iBT and reserves 4–8 days for TOEFL iBT Australia. Keep the planner’s study schedule, not its test descriptions. As for The Official Guide, the planner says it includes questions from previous tests; in the material reviewed, ETS does not say which edition matches the 2026 test. For any prep book or workbook, official or otherwise, check which test date it covers.
The score calculation, in the TOEFL guide GuideIn what order should you use these resources?
The order below is our recommendation, based on ETS’s published materials. The only schedule from ETS is the planner’s eight-week plan: in week 1, set a score target, take the free test, and do the first Mock Test; in weeks 2–5, study Speaking, Reading, Listening, then Writing, in that order; in weeks 6–8, take full tests, have a teacher or tutor review speaking and writing responses, take the second Mock Test in week 7, and review test-day reminders.
- First, read your institution’s requirements: the score, scale, and acceptable date range. Record the target exactly as stated.
- Take the online practice test to learn the sequence of tasks, but do not use it to estimate your level.
- Then practice section by section with PDFs whose covers say they align with January 21, 2026. Time yourself according to each section’s instructions. In Reading, do not return to the first module after starting the second.
- Use the planner’s eight-week schedule and general reading, listening, speaking, and writing exercises, but always compare its descriptions with the current task list.
- Buy a Mock Test or The Official Guide only after checking the publisher’s page to see what the product contains: orders cannot be canceled or refunded.
- One week before the test, review the current Bulletin’s test-day rules.
Key takeaways
- ETS offers a free online test and PDFs aligned with January 2026; the PDFs are adapted for paper and do not exactly reproduce the real test experience.
- The eight-week planner is free but describes the old test: section scores from 0 to 30, a total score out of 120, and an “Integrated” Writing task.
- The planner lists Mock Tests and The Official Guide as paid; check their edition and current price before ordering. The Bulletin says preparation products cannot be canceled, refunded, or returned.
- Record your target score on the scale your institution uses; do not convert between the 1–6 and 0–120 scales.