New Delhi: The duration of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) which is a standardized test to measure the English speaking skills of those who wish to pursue higher studies abroad has been reduced from 3 hours to less than 2 hours.

The popular global test is known as TOEFL-iBT, where iBT denotes 'internet-Based Test'.

The changes will be effective from the test that is scheduled on 26 July, 2023.

Besides, those who take the test from July onwards can know the score in real time.

The ‘Independent Writing’ section has been replaced by ‘Writing For An Academic Discussion Task’. Meanwhile, unscored questions will be avoided. The contents in the reading section too would be reduced.

The registration process for the test will be simplified from July onwards.

In a major change that would benefit the candidates, the payment options would be shown in ‘Rupees’ in India. Besides, the candidates could pay the exam charges via various payment portals like the UPI. Moreover, a customer care center would be specially opened for India.

TOEFL is valid in countries like the Unites States of America and Canada. Besides, thousands of institutes and firms in more than 150 countries too have approved the validity of the test.