Both are computer-based, both lean heavily on automated scoring, and both report results in days rather than weeks. The real differences are where you can sit them, how long they take, and how each one organizes the four skills.
Both fees are set per country; the US figures are reference points as of October 2026. Check the fee for the country where you will actually test.
PTE Academic is organized into three parts. Pearson lists Part 1, Speaking & Writing, at 76–84 minutes with nine question types; Part 2, Reading, at 23–30 minutes with five; and Part 3, Listening, at 31–39 minutes with eight. In any one test you answer between 65 and 75 questions. Pearson added two new speaking question types in its July 2025 update, bringing the total to 22, and said pricing, ID requirements and score delivery were unchanged.
The TOEFL since January 21, 2026 keeps the four skills in four sections, each with its own band. Reading and Listening are adaptive: a routing stage decides whether you get a lower or an upper module. Writing combines ten Build a Sentence items with a timed email and an academic discussion post; Speaking is seven Listen and Repeat items and four interview questions.
The practical consequence: on the TOEFL, the time for each skill is fixed in its own section, a weak section shows up clearly as one low band, and the overall band follows directly from the four. On the PTE, speaking and writing share the longest part of the test, so stamina in the first hour matters, and the overall score has to be read alongside the skill scores rather than worked out from them.
This can decide the question on its own. Pearson’s official PTE Academic page states that the test is taken at an authorized PTE test center and cannot be taken at home. If there is no convenient center near you, or dates are scarce, that matters.
The TOEFL iBT is offered at test centers and as the Home Edition, which is the same test taken on your own computer with a live remote proctor. Home testing has its own demands — a private room, specific equipment, no headsets — which our Home Edition guide covers. But having the choice is an advantage, especially for people far from a center.
PTE Academic reports an overall score from 10 to 90 and four communicative skills scores (Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing), also 10–90. Pearson notes that the overall score is not an average of the skill scores. The TOEFL reports four section bands from 1.0 to 6.0 in half steps, and the overall band is their average, rounded to the nearest half band — which makes it easy to work out what you need in each section. Our score calculator does the arithmetic.
Without a current concordance, the common reference point is the Common European Framework of Reference. Pearson publishes a PTE-to-CEFR alignment in its score guide, and ETS publishes a band-to-CEFR mapping for the TOEFL. Side by side:
Each level spans a range on both tests, so this shows which scores describe broadly similar ability, not equivalent points. A PTE 60 and a PTE 75 are both B2; so are a TOEFL 4.0 and a 4.5. Institutions that accept both normally publish a separate minimum for each, and those numbers are what you need to meet. More on the TOEFL side in TOEFL CEFR levels.
Pearson says most PTE results arrive within two business days, occasionally up to five, and that scores can be sent free to as many institutions as you need. ETS says TOEFL scores reach your ETS account 3 days after the test; the fee includes up to four free score reports, which you choose by the day before the test, with extra reports charged.
For retakes, Pearson lets you book again once you have your previous results, up to twelve times in twelve months. The TOEFL has no cap on attempts but requires at least three days between them. Scores on both tests are valid for two years.
One administrative detail to check early: Pearson’s handbook requires a valid passport to take PTE Academic, while ETS accepts a valid, original, government-issued photo ID that matches your registration exactly.
Lean towards PTE Academic if all your institutions accept it, there is a convenient center with dates that suit you, you hold a valid passport, and free unlimited score sending is useful for a long application list.
Lean towards the TOEFL if you want to test at home, prefer a shorter test with clearly separated sections, or need a score for a program that names the TOEFL specifically. If a requirement you see is still written on the old 0–120 scale, convert it with our score converter before comparing.
In every case, confirm acceptance and the exact minimum with each institution, and with the immigration authority if a visa is involved. Requirements differ between programs, and they are the only comparison that counts.
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Official pages checked for this guide. Last reviewed October 2026.