What is the TOEFL Score Validity Period and How to Use it 2022?

TOEFL score validity is for two years after the test date. This means that if you appeared for TOEFL on May 1st, 2019, your scores are valid until May 1st, 2021. If you’re applying to schools, you can only use valid TOEFL scores. You will receive their TOEFL scores within 6 days of the test date. TOEFL scorecard can be downloaded in PDF form from the online website or from the official TOEFL app.

TOEFL Validity Period 

After 2 years, TOEFL scores are considered as expired scores. Remember, the TOEFL score is available within 6 to 7 business days. You will receive your TOEFL score after 6 days of taking the test, and within 8 days they will get the PDF form of their scores for download.

TOEFL exam validity is counted not from the day of publication of the result but from the day of the exam taken. To be more specific, the TOEFL validity time is 2 years from the day of the exam. Moving on to the TOEFL duration of validity, it is not possible to extend the TOEFL test validity period. In fact, there is no possibility to extend the TOEFL validity years.

During the pandemic, ETS launched the TOEFL Special Home Edition whose TOEFL validity duration is similar to the original exam. Though it is to be noted that the PDF scorecards are not available in Mainland China.

If you have requested the TOEFL scorecard in paper form then that will be delivered within 11 days of taking the exam. Also, if you are someone requiring an answer to ‘TOEFL is valid for which countries?’, the answer is the majority of the countries across the world.

Retaking TOEFL Exam 

Since the TOEFL exam is conducted 50 times a year, candidates can take the test numerous times according to their requirements. TOEFL offers the facility to retake the exam if a candidate cannot meet the minimum TOEFL cut-off for his/her desired institution. As per the changes made in August 2019, a candidate can retake the exam after a week or 7 days. Previously, a candidate had to wait 12 days for retaking TOEFL. However, a candidate will be charged separately for each retake.

Though it must be noted that candidates cannot retake a specific section of the TOEFL syllabus. The TOEFL test validity for retaking the exam is also two years.

TOEFL Score Validity Rules

As the TOEFL score comes with a validity time of two years, you need to plan the usage of valid TOEFL scores to submit when you apply to schools. Do follow the steps to help you plan when to take the TOEFL:

1. Before Applying to any School check their TOEFL score validity rules. TOEFL score validity policies are different for every school.
2. Mark the time frame that you’re taking the TOEFL exam. If you want to take the TOEFL early, you must keep in mind that you can’t take it more than two years before the validity deadlines for the schools you’re applying to.
3. You can take the TOEFL multiple times because you want the practice to feel confident you’ll score high. The achievable TOEFL highest score is 120. You can consider taking free practice TOEFL tests to save money.

Why Does TOEFL Score Validity Expire? 

Universities require fresh knowledge of English and an old TOEFL score may mean that the candidate has mostly forgotten what they learned. The TOEFL iBT validity is, therefore, kept for two years.

A person who had cracked TOEFL in 2015, may not be that much efficient in English in 2020. TOEFL score expiry date ensures that the candidate has not forgotten his/her commands over the English language and the candidate is still having a good vocabulary and grammatical knowledge of English.

So, there is no better alternative than utilizing the TOEFL score when it is valid or within 2 years of the exam. Here, is how the candidates can do that:

• Check the admission deadline of the universities you are planning to study.
• Prepare accordingly.
• Find a suitable TOEFL date and TOEFL exam center from the official website of ETS.
• Remember, the result can be obtained after 6-7 days of the exam – consider this as well as the end date of the admission during TOEFL registration.
• Register when you are fully prepared (registration is possible two days before the exam.
• Few universities have different requirements for TOEFL score validity, check that.
• While retaking the exam, make sure that admission deadlines are not over.

That’s all about TOEFL score validity. Candidates must be serious and sincere regarding the score validity, and they need to apply with the TOEFL score within 2 years. Once this time is over, the scores will be of no use, no matter how good TOEFL score is. We recommend the candidates prepare with proper planning and time-calculation so that the test-takers can make the best use of TOEFL scores.