When to Start Preparing for IELTS or TOEFL; www.ielts.org

If you belong to a country where English is not the native language, you will be required to take the IELTS or TOEFL if you wish to study, shift, or apply for a PR to a country where English is spoken. The question is that when should you do it? When to start preparing for the same? How long should yoy prepare for these exams? What is the best time to write the exam?

To start answering one or all of the above, let us quickly recap the important aspects of the two exams.

	IELTS	TOEFL
Conducted by	International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is conducted by British Council, IDP IELTS Australia, and Cambridge English Language Assessment.	Test of English as a Foreign Language is conducted by Educational Testing Services (ETS)
Accepted by/ for	Across Europe, Australia, Canada as well as USA and Singapore.	Across the USA and also in Europe, Australia, Canada but might vary from institute to institute
Test Structure	IELTS Academic Divided into 4 sections: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking	TOEFL is also broadly divided into Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking
Score Range	IELTS is scored on a band range of 0 – 9 with 9 being an expert user.	TOEFL Internet-based test (iBT) is scored on a range of 0 – 120
Score Validity	Valid for 2 years	Valid for 2 years
Repetitions	Can be taken multiple numbers of times (on the days given)	Can be repeated multiple numbers of times provided there is a gap of 12 days between two consecutive attempts

Summarily, both the tests are similar in manner, content, and test the candidates in same areas. As far as repeating them is concerned, they are similar too and hence would necessarily require a similar timeline. So, when should you start preparing and when should you write the exam?

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The important point to note about both exams is the validity of 2 years as against the validity of a GMAT / GRE score that is for 5 years. Moreover, since a normal timeline for study abroad aspirants – from deciding to go abroad to actually going abroad, is about 18 months, this validity is of great importance. In addition, while some courses would require you to prove efficiency in the language, while for some courses you might have to provide the score for visa purposes. Again, for admission processes, you would have to have the scores at least 12 months to 8 months ahead of the planned intake. For visa purposes, on the other hand, you might require it only at the time of applying for a visa, which would be about 4 months before the session begins.

You must be clear when you have to provide your IELTS score or TOEFL score. What we recommend is that you should be ready with the scores 12 months before the intended sessions. This provides the candidate with the option of applying to various session intakes across different countries where the scores are valid. Taking it too early could necessitate a re-take, and too late might cause unnecessary stress. Moreover, different universities have different timelines. In order to meet those timelines, you must be prepared with your application documents well before time.

If the course, that you are applying to, does not require you to provide an IELTS/ TOEFL score, and you only need it for visa purposes, we suggest you keep it till the time you have started with the application process. Once the letters start to arrive, you can always register and write the exam. A word of caution though…do not keep it for the last minute. You might not get a date and the delay might cause a delay in your visa application as well. Hence, either way, a 12-month window before your intended departure is suitable. We always recommend that if you are planning to study abroad, starting early is the mantra for success.

Having said all this, it is safe to that that day you decide to go abroad for your studies is when you should ideally start preparing for these exams. Unless and until you have taken up a course which removes the necessity of a language proficiency test, these tests might be asked of you at any point. Hence, you can start preparing for these exams. Moreover, since the exams are necessarily about learning the language, preparing for them can never truly go waste. Just brush up your language, pay more emphasis on understanding the nuances, and make it a point to communicate – both verbal and written, in the language. So, even if you are still years from your intended study abroad journey…start working on your language.

If you have doubt about which test to choose, you might want to read the following articles:

IELTS vs TOEFL vs PTE Academic: Which test you should take	Choosing between TOEFL and IELTS: A Comparison
IELTS Pattern	TOEFL Pattern
IELTS Preparation	TOEFL Preparation