A New TOEFL Exam Announced For 2021 by ETS

Since this year’s testing and admissions cycles were so badly interrupted, many universities and colleges have become even more versatile in English language testing.

Others have started to consider a wider variety of proficiency assessments since adopting test-optional policies. One result of all of this is that more accessible and convenient language tests – such as Duolingo and others – have gained much more acceptance in university admissions offices than they have in the past.

According to Srikant Gopal, executive director of ETS’s TOEFL Program, such studies “existed before the pandemic but were not generally recognised.” “Because the pandemic interrupted the entire research cycle and rhythm, the past year has been a time of exploration for some of those low-cost providers. However, we believe that this is not sustainable in the long run and that the market requires a higher-quality option.”

With a new TOEFL product coming out later this year, ETS hopes to provide that option. TOEFL Essentials, the latest test, is specifically intended to compete with a growing field of more affordable competitors.

Before COVID, the Duolingo test, which costs $49 and takes around an hour to complete, was approved by “only hundreds” of US schools, according to Inside Higher Ed. According to the Duolingo website, the test is now supported by about 1,600 organisations around the world.

In contrast, the TOEFL iBT ranges up to US$225 in the United States (prices vary by market) and takes up to three hours to complete. Although pricing isn’t set in stone, ETS expects TOEFL Essentials to cost around half as much as the iBT (roughly US$100-US$120) and take 90 minutes to complete.

According to Mr Gopal, the TOEFL iBT is “the gold standard” for determining someone’s potential to excel in a university setting. “It is widely accepted, and it provides confidence to universities and colleges that [the candidates they accept] can meet their requirements.”

On the other hand, TOEFL Essentials is a more comprehensive, more flexible exam than the TOEFL iBT, which focuses on English communication in an academic sense. The educational material makes up about half of the book; the other half is more general “life skills” English.

ETS claims that TOEFL Essentials, as a less expensive and more flexible alternative to the iBT, will help universities and colleges access a wider applicant pool. TOEFL Essentials will be taken at home by students, aided by a mixture of human and AI proctoring, building on the lessons learned in home-based test administration over the past year.

Mr Gopal adds, “The scores are as reliable, true, and correct as any ETS test.” “However, as universities around the world continue to attract high-quality students, they want to do whatever they can to reduce student barriers, including English language testing. We wish to assist universities in attracting new and diverse students while still maintaining high-quality standards.

Preparing for the launch

In a survey of about 250 universities worldwide, 90 per cent said they would accept TOEFL Essentials ratings for admissions in 2022. The test was deemed advantageous by nearly all respondents (95%) in attracting quality applicants. Throughout the first half of this year, ETS is holding briefings for organisations preparing for the new test’s official release in August 2021.

ETS expects to release a concordance table mapping TOEFL Essentials test scores to the iBT and other standardised assessments between now and then, as well as test planning materials and instructor tools.