Test Prep

Practice tests are most useful when they produce evidence that changes what you study next. The current GRE General Test is shorter than the pre-September-2023 version: it has one 30-minute Analyze an Issue writing task, two Verbal Reasoning sections with 27 questions total, and two Quantitative Reasoning sections with 27 questions total. Verbal and Quantitative are section-level adaptive, so performance on the first section influences the difficulty of the second. That structure makes realistic practice valuable for pacing as well as content diagnosis. ETS currently provides POWERPREP tools that simulate…

Mental Floss publishes readable articles about science, history, language and cultural curiosities. Those stories can make English practice engaging while helping you recognise a main idea, distinguish evidence from speculation and learn vocabulary in context. However, Mental Floss is not an ETS TOEFL preparation provider, and its articles should not be treated as actual TOEFL iBT test passages or scaled-score predictors. The TOEFL iBT changed on January 21, 2026. Reading now includes Complete the Words, Read in Daily Life and Read an Academic Passage, rather than only long university textbook…

A productive TOEFL iBT study schedule is not the one with the most hours. It is the one that matches today’s exam, addresses actual weaknesses and leaves time to review errors. You may be balancing university classes, employment, family or other commitments; the right plan should make measurable use of the time you really have rather than demand a fixed number of hours every day. As of October 2026, the TOEFL iBT uses the tasks introduced on January 21, 2026. Reading and Listening are adaptive, and Speaking and Writing contain…

Reading science articles is useful for developing academic English, particularly when you practise identifying a main claim, interpreting technical vocabulary from context and connecting evidence to a conclusion. But as of October 2026, the TOEFL iBT Reading section is no longer an exam composed mainly of long university science passages. ETS now assesses Complete the Words, Read in Daily Life and Read an Academic Passage using focused texts in an adaptive design. This guide recommends six identifiable science websites for supplementary reading. They are not ETS-endorsed TOEFL practice providers, and…

Several major TOEFL iBT changes have occurred over different years, and the dates matter. ETS shortened the exam in July 2023, introduced new Home Edition support measures in May 2025, and launched a substantially redesigned, adaptive TOEFL iBT on January 21, 2026. A guide that calls all of these “the 2025 format” can lead students to practise questions and timings that no longer apply. This article separates the historical announcements from the test administered in October 2026. It covers current Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing tasks, score reporting, what has…

TOEFL iBT Listening changed materially in January 2026. ETS now describes the section as using short, focused audio rather than the older long listening sets, and both Reading and Listening use an adaptive design. The section still tests whether you understand meaning, organization, and speaker intent, but the best note-taking strategy must match the newer, shorter task structure. That means the old advice to build dense lecture outlines for every recording is no longer ideal. Notes should preserve only information that helps you distinguish answers: purpose, key relationship, contrast, cause,…

TOEFL iBT Reading changed substantially on January 21, 2026. The test no longer follows the older fixed schedule of several lengthy academic passages, each with a block of questions. Today’s adaptive Reading section measures understanding of words in context, practical everyday texts and shorter academic passages. Effective preparation begins by matching the practice task to that format. ETS lists approximately 50 Reading items and 30 minutes of base time, with the actual experience varying as the assessment adapts. These ten strategies focus on evidence, accurate language interpretation and efficient practice….

TOEFL iBT Listening changed in January 2026. The current test uses shorter audio and tasks that resemble everyday exchanges and contemporary academic situations. Reading and Listening also use an adaptive design. That means older advice built entirely around taking exhaustive notes during long lectures can mislead candidates, even though listening for the main idea, tone, relationships, and supporting details still matters. The best strategy is not to write faster. It is to recognize what each spoken message is doing and to remember enough evidence to choose a defensible answer. These…

TOEFL Reading changed substantially in January 2026. The Reading section is now part of a multistage adaptive design, so the test adjusts based on performance instead of presenting the older fixed structure that many preparation guides still describe. That means time management should be built around accurate first-pass decisions and flexible pacing, not around memorizing a single number of long passages and allocating identical minutes to each one. The updated test includes Complete the Words, Read in Daily Life and Read an Academic Passage. ETS lists an approximate Reading base…

The TOEFL iBT Writing section changed in January 2026, and preparation advice built around the former Integrated Writing essay no longer describes the live test. Candidates now work with three shorter task types: Build a Sentence, Write an Email, and Write for an Academic Discussion. The underlying goal is still clear, accurate English, but the work now ranges from arranging sentence parts to responding to a practical situation and contributing to an exchange of ideas. That change affects how you should practise. Writing a polished five-paragraph essay every evening will…

Preparing for the TOEFL iBT now requires one decision before anything else: are you practicing for the test that is actually administered today? ETS introduced a substantial redesign on January 21, 2026. Older practice books and downloadable PDFs can still help with reading comprehension, grammar and vocabulary, but some of their task formats, timing advice and score descriptions no longer describe the live exam. The safest approach is to use current official materials to learn the format, then supplement them with carefully chosen language practice. A free practice test is…

Taking the LSAT “cold” means sitting for the actual exam without first learning its question types, format or pacing. A few people may do well, but a live, unprepared attempt is an expensive way to discover your starting level. You can get most of the same diagnostic information from official LSAC LawHub practice tests without using a reportable LSAT sitting. The practical recommendation is to take a cold practice test before committing to a cold real LSAT. The first gives you a baseline; the second can create a reportable score,…

Cancelling an LSAT score is an irreversible choice with different deadlines depending on whether you purchased LSAT Score Preview. The crucial distinction is simple: without Score Preview, you normally cancel before seeing the result; with Score Preview, you can view the released score and then decide within the permitted six-calendar-day window. Cancellation withholds the numerical score from law schools, but it does not erase the attempt. LSAC’s score record notes that an LSAT result was cancelled, and the sitting still counts against the test-taking limits. A lower-than-expected score is therefore…

A lower-than-expected LSAT score does not automatically mean you should retake, cancel, or abandon the application cycle. The right response depends on when you see the score, whether you purchased Score Preview, how the result compares with your recent practice range, and what your target law schools actually require. The first step is to separate disappointment from decision-making. A score can feel bad because it is lower than your best practice test while still being competitive for the schools you are targeting. Conversely, a score that looks respectable in isolation…

Retaking the LSAT can be worthwhile when a higher score would materially improve your law school options and you have a credible plan to perform better. It is not automatically necessary because your score falls below a school’s median, nor is it automatically harmless because you can pay for another test. The decision should bring together your current score, several fresh timed practice tests, the school-specific admissions and scholarship rules, the next LSAT score-release date, and LSAC’s limits on attempts. A retake is a strategic choice, not proof of commitment…