TOEFL guide for Canada: tests, fees and what IRCC accepts
The TOEFL is ETS's English test. In Canada the TOEFL iBT costs US$249 on ETS's fee list, before tax, and our reading is that it is a study test, not an immigration test. IRCC says TOEFL Essentials is designated but not currently accepted, and the TOEFL iBT is not on its Express Entry list.
This guide is for people in Canada who want the TOEFL facts in one place: which TOEFL, what it costs, how to register, what is on it and what it can and cannot do. It also settles the spelling question. Every factual line comes from ETS, IRCC or another named official source, with a quote.
TOEFL in Canada at a glance
The facts most people come for, each from its owner.
Most Canadian readers want one of three things: the price, whether a university will take it, or whether it counts for immigration. This table answers all three from ETS and IRCC's own pages.
| Question | Answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| What does the TOEFL iBT cost in Canada? | US$249, in US dollars and before tax. | ETS fee list |
| Do universities accept it? | ETS says it is accepted by 13,500+ institutions in over 160 countries, including all universities in Canada. | ETS, its own claim |
| Does IRCC accept it for immigration? | It is not on IRCC's Express Entry list. TOEFL Essentials is designated, but IRCC says it is not currently accepted. | IRCC |
| How long is it? | ETS says allow approximately two hours. | ETS |
| When are scores ready? | 3 days after your test date, in your ETS account. | ETS |
ETS's own updates page says immigration authorities recognise TOEFL as the gold standard for academic English proficiency, but IRCC's lists do not include the TOEFL iBT, so go by IRCC.
Read the university line as ETS's claim, and check your own school, because each institution sets its own score requirement. ETS says there are no passing or failing scores of its own.
"There are no passing or failing scores set by the TOEFL Program or ETS. Each institution sets its own score requirements."
Which TOEFL are you looking at?
TOEFL iBT, the Home Edition and TOEFL Essentials are different things.
TOEFL is a brand. The test most people mean is the TOEFL iBT, which ETS offers at a test centre or at home. TOEFL Essentials is a separate test, and it is the one connected to Canadian immigration news.
| Test | What ETS says | Canada note |
|---|---|---|
| TOEFL iBT | On a computer at an authorized test center. | Fee in Canada US$249. |
| TOEFL iBT Home Edition | On a computer at home, monitored by a live human proctor. | Same family as the iBT. |
| TOEFL Essentials | ETS's test page says take it in 1.5 hours from home; its Canada press release says approximately 1.5 hours at a secure test centre. See our TOEFL for Canadian immigration page. | US$199 for all countries, before Canadian tax. |
Our TOEFL for Canadian immigration page explains the Essentials story and what IRCC says.
What is on the TOEFL iBT
Four sections, in a fixed order.
The TOEFL iBT has four sections in this order: Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking. ETS now calls it the updated TOEFL iBT and its new score scale started in January 2026, so check that any practice material matches the current test.
| Section | Task types | Number of items | Approximate base time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading (comes first) | Complete the Words, Read in Daily Life, Read an Academic Passage | 50 | 30 minutes |
| Listening | Listen and Choose a Response, Listen to a Conversation, Listen to an Announcement, Listen to an Academic Talk | 47 | 29 minutes |
| Writing | Build a Sentence, Write an Email, Write for an Academic Discussion | 12 | 23 minutes |
| Speaking | Listen and Repeat, Take an Interview | 11 | 8 minutes |
ETS says the time does not include directions and that the test adapts, so time and items may vary. The Reading and Listening sections are multistage adaptive.
How to register
An ETS account, a matching name, and a date.
You register for the TOEFL iBT by creating an ETS account at ets.org. The name on your account must match the name on the ID you will show on test day. Your ETS account is not transferable.
- Create your ETS account and register for the TOEFL iBT.
- Use a name that exactly matches your identification document.
- Check the fee for Canada and the deadlines on our TOEFL fee page for Canada.
- At a test centre, arrive at least 30 minutes before your assigned start time.
ETS's Information Bulletin covers ID, forms and policies in full.
"complete instructions for registration, forms, reporting information, ID requirements, policies and procedures"
On test day
No breaks, no phone, notes on scratch paper.
- There are no scheduled breaks during the TOEFL iBT test.
- At a test centre, scratch paper and pencils are provided.
- Writing assistance software is not permitted.
- Mobile devices are not permitted during the test.
- If you do not complete at least one Reading question, one Listening question, one Speaking task and one Writing task, your test will not be scored.
Your test fee includes up to four free score reports to recipients you add in your ETS account. ETS's scores page says until 10 p.m. on the day of your test, but its Bulletin says until 10pm, local test centre time, on the day before, and charges a fee for each report after that, so add them the day before.
Your score
A 1 to 6 scale, and 3 days to wait.
Since January 2026 ETS reports the overall score and each section on a 1 to 6 scale, in half-point steps. The overall score is the average of the four sections, rounded to the nearest half band. For a two-year transition period ETS also gives a comparable overall score on the 0 - 120 scale, because some institutions still ask for it.
"Institutions are continuing to update their score requirements to reflect the 1 to 6 format."
Your scores are available in your ETS account 3 days after your test date and are valid for 2 years.
TOEFL, tofelf or tofel?
One test, one spelling.
The test is spelled TOEFL, short for Test of English as a Foreign Language. You will see it typed as tofel, tofelf and other variants, and they all mean the same test. Australia's Department of Home Affairs writes the full name out in its list of accepted tests.
"Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT)"
When you book, use ETS's own website, and check the address before you pay.
Common questions
It is TOEFL, short for Test of English as a Foreign Language. The longer name for the main test is the TOEFL iBT, which Australia's Department of Home Affairs writes out as Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-Based Test.
ETS lists US$249 for the TOEFL iBT in Canada, in US dollars and before tax. Extra fees apply for things like express registration and rescheduling. All are on our TOEFL fee page for Canada.
ETS says to allow approximately two hours. The base times are 30 minutes for Reading, 29 for Listening, 23 for Writing and 8 for Speaking.
ETS says TOEFL iBT is accepted by 13,500+ institutions in over 160 countries, including all universities in Canada. Each institution sets its own score requirement, so check yours.
Not on the pages we read. IRCC's Express Entry list names five other tests, and IRCC says TOEFL Essentials is designated but not currently accepted.
ETS says 3 days after your test date, in your ETS account. They are valid for 2 years.
ETS offers the TOEFL iBT Home Edition, on a computer at home, monitored by a live human proctor. The ETS pages we read do not list which countries it is offered in, so confirm at registration that it is open to you in Canada, and check that your school or programme accepts the Home Edition before you book it.