What a difficult decision! Sometimes you have no choice because the university or the immigration department dictates which one you have to do.
The most important thing to remember is all of these tests are PROFICIENCY tests - this means no one test is easier than the other. They only aim to measure your current level of English language ability.
your understanding of English and
your ability to use English (communicate)
Perhaps this table will help you make your decision, but you must check with the government department, the employer or the university you are applying to. Each organisation will have its preference for which test you should take.
All information taken from official sites at the time of publication. Prices, exchange rates, test formats, availability can all change. Please consult the test organisation in your country.
| IELTS (academic) | PTE (academic) | OET | TOEFL-iBT | TOEIC |
Countries | 1600 centres in over 140 countries | 170 centres worldwide | Australia/NZ/UK/USA/Ireland/Dubai/Singapore/Namibia/Ukraine | 4500 centres in 190 countries | common in Japan and South Korea, but also accepted in Europe |
Test format | 4 tests - Listening / reading / Writing / Speaking | 3 parts - Speaking and Writing / Reading / Listening | 4 tests - Listening / reading / Writing / Speaking | 4 tests - Reading / Listening / Speaking / Writing | 2 separate assessments - Listening and Reading - Speaking and Writing |
Scoring comparison | band score from 1 - 9 | overall score from 10 - 90 | score for each test from 0 - 500 | total score from 0 - 120 | total score up to 990 |
Example score compared to CEFR | 6.5 = B2* | 63 = B2* for academic Text strategies | 340 = B2* | 90 = B2* | 785 = B2* |
Length of time | 2 hours 45 minutes | 3 hours | 2 hours 50 minutes | 2 hours 50 mins - 3 hours 20 mins | 2 hours and 30 minutes AND 1 hour 20 minutes |
Computer/paper-based/both - C/P/B | B | C | B | B (also C at home) | P |
Organisation | British Council, IDP/IELTS Australia/Cambridge assessment | Pearson English | since 2013 - Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment Trust | ETS (Educational Testing Service) / The College Board (USA) | ETS (Educational Testing Service) / The College Board (USA) |
Cost (USD) | $245-280 | $280 | $455 | $160-300 | $140 for each test |
Best for study/work/immigration (S/W/I/ALL) | ALL | S and I | W in healthcare | S and I | W |
* English level B2 is the fourth level of English in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), a definition of different language levels written by the Council of Europe. In everyday speech, this level might be called “confident”, as in “I am a confident English speaker”. The official level descriptor is “upper intermediate”. At this level, students can function independently in a variety of academic and professional environments in English, although with a limited range of nuance and precision.
Useful links
IELTS academic - https://www.ielts.org/for-test-takers/test-format
PTE academic - https://www.pearsonpte.com/pte-academic/test-format
TOEIC - https://www.ets.org/toeic/test-takers/speaking-writing/about/content-format + https://www.ets.org/toeic/test-takers/listening-reading/about/
I hope this has been useful for you in your decision-making. Take every chance to keep improving your English and don't worry about the test details.
For example, right now I wrote ...
"BE + adjective + preposition + PRONOUN + preposition + NOUN PHRASE"
"has been + useful + for + YOU + in + YOUR DECISION-MAKING"
See! You just learnt and improved your writing and speaking even as you read this post.
I wish you all the best as you prepare for your English test.
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