Which English test should you take?

At a glance

1Seven questions that settle it

Answer these in order. Most students have their test by the third question.

• Does every university on your shortlist accept the test? Check each course page first, not a list of “accepting universities”.
• Does your visa route accept it? A UK route that needs a Secure English Language Test means IELTS for UKVI or PTE Academic UKVI, and an Australian student visa rules out the Duolingo English Test.
• Are you applying for Canadian permanent residence? Then you need IELTS General Training or PTE Core (or CELPIP), not an academic test.
• Is your deadline close? PTE and the Duolingo English Test usually report in about two days, TOEFL in three.
• Would you rather speak to a person or to a computer? Only IELTS has a face-to-face speaking test.
• Can you type quickly and accurately? PTE and TOEFL lean on typing, while IELTS lets you write on paper.
• Is cost the deciding factor? The Duolingo English Test costs about a third of the others, where it is accepted.

2IELTS in brief

IELTS Academic tests Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking in about 2 hours 45 minutes. Speaking is a conversation with an examiner, and Writing and Speaking are marked by people against published band descriptors. You can sit it on computer or with Writing on paper at a test centre.

It is the most widely accepted of the four, and IELTS for UKVI is one of the two academic tests for UK visa routes that need a SELT. If one section lets you down, the One Skill Retake lets you resit just that section.

3PTE in brief

PTE Academic is about 2 hours on a computer at a test centre, in three parts: Speaking and Writing, Reading, and Listening. Most of it is scored automatically, with a human check of content on seven tasks, and results usually arrive within 48 hours.

It suits students who want a quick result and would rather not speak to an examiner. PTE Academic UKVI covers UK visa routes, PTE Core is the version for Canadian permanent residence, and Australia accepts PTE Academic for student visas.

4TOEFL in brief

Since 21 January 2026 TOEFL iBT is about 90 minutes of test time, with Reading and Listening that adapt to your answers and new, shorter task types. Scores are now a band from 1 to 6, with the old 0–120 score shown alongside for about two years.

It is the test many US and Canadian universities know best, and you can take it at a centre or at home. It is not a UK visa test, and many universities still publish requirements on the old scale: on ETS’s table an old 90 is band 4.5 and an old 100 is band 5.

5Duolingo English Test in brief

The Duolingo English Test is about an hour long, taken at home on your own computer, and adapts its short questions to your level. It reports one score from 10 to 160, usually within two days, and costs the least of the four.

Acceptance is the catch. Many US, Canadian, UK and Irish universities accept it, but not all, and not for every course. It is not accepted for Australian student visas or UK visa routes that need a SELT. The home-test rules are strict, so read them before you book.

6Attempts and retakes

None of the four has a lifetime limit for most students, but each spaces attempts differently. Plan your first attempt early enough to leave room for a second before your deadline.

• IELTS: book again whenever you like. The One Skill Retake lets you resit one section within 60 days of your result.
• PTE: book your next test once your score from the last one arrives. You can hold one booking at a time.
• TOEFL: no limit on attempts, but not more than once in any 3 days. MyBest scores combine your best section scores from recent attempts.
• Duolingo English Test: up to 3 tests in any 30 days.
• All four scores are valid for 2 years, though a university can set its own limit.

7Which countries and universities accept which test

For degree courses, universities decide which tests they accept, and most in the UK, Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand accept IELTS and PTE. US universities set their own lists: TOEFL and IELTS almost everywhere, the Duolingo English Test and PTE at many.

Visas are stricter than universities. The UK lists approved SELTs for routes that need one. Australia lists the tests it accepts for student visas, which do not include the Duolingo English Test. Canadian permanent residence needs IELTS General Training, PTE Core or CELPIP. Check the visa rules before you book, not after.

8What score you need

The table above shows typical ranges, but your course page sets the real number, often with a minimum in each section as well as overall. A master’s course asking for IELTS 6.5 with no band below 6.0 means a 7.0 overall with a 5.5 in Writing does not qualify.

Comparing across tests, use the provider’s own tables: Pearson’s July 2025 concordance for PTE and IELTS, and ETS’s table for the old and new TOEFL scales. Our score converter uses Pearson’s table.

9How to prepare for each test

The English you need is the same, but the tasks are not. Start with an official practice test, then spend most of your time on the task types that cost you marks.

• IELTS: write essays and letters marked against the band descriptors, and practise Speaking out loud with someone who will interrupt you.
• PTE: practise speaking fluently without long pauses, typing accurately under time, and the high-value tasks such as Repeat Sentence and Write from Dictation.
• TOEFL: practise on the January 2026 task types only, and build a note-taking shorthand for one-time listening.
• Duolingo English Test: practise every short question type under the real home-test rules, with your camera on.
• For all four: take a full timed practice test in your last week.

10GMAT and GRE: the other test you may need

GMAT and GRE are not English tests. They are admissions tests of reasoning, and many master’s and MBA programmes abroad ask international applicants for one of them as well as an English test. A strong GMAT or GRE score does not replace an English test, unless a university says so.

In short: the GRE is the usual test for an MS or a PhD, and the GMAT for business school, though most MBA programmes accept either. Both cost more than any English test, both are valid for five years, and both can be taken at home.

• GRE: 1 hour 58 minutes, scored 130–170 for Verbal and for Quant and 0–6 for Writing. It costs US$249 (about ₹23,700 on 30 Oct 2026), paid in US dollars, and you can take it once every 21 days, up to 5 times in 12 months.
• GMAT: 2 hours 15 minutes, scored 205–805. It costs US$275 at a test centre, US$300 online (about ₹26,200 and about ₹28,600 on 30 Oct 2026), paid in US dollars, and you can take it up to 5 times in 12 months, at least 16 days apart.
• Most international MS and MBA applicants take one English test and one of the GRE or GMAT. Plan both dates together so neither score holds up your application.

11Cost

In India, PTE costs ₹18,900 and IELTS ₹19,000. TOEFL costs US$164 (about ₹15,600 on 30 Oct 2026), paid in US dollars, and the Duolingo English Test US$70. Every fee is paid to the test provider, not to a coaching centre, and fees change. Ours come from one fee file, checked on 28 October 2026.