Educational Testing Service (ETS), a leader in educational assessment and creator of the TOEFL iBT test, held a TOEFL Experience Day here on Tuesday to provide a preview of the improved TOEFL iBT test, which will launch on January 21.
The event saw experts, advisors and partners explain the changes and offered attendees an immersive deep dive into the upcoming changes. Focused sessions included upcoming improvements to the test, principles of education and equity in each section, and how the redesigned test better supports today’s students in a competitive global admissions environment.
The new format is shorter, covering approximately two hours, features adaptive testing for reading and listening sessions, a new 1-6 point scale, scores available within 72 hours, and AI-enhanced identity verification for easy check-in, among other things.
ETS India currently operates two active testing centers in Hyderabad including a Prometric facility. The centers cater to a growing urban base of testers. However, keeping in view the expanding area of education and study in Hyderabad, ETS India plans to further expand the network by the end of December 2025, its officials said.
Speaking to the press, Sidnei Rodrigues de Souza, Managing Director of Global Partnerships & Sales, explained the new features and said that the newer format is welcomed by educators for its expanded preparation resources.
Global CEO of TOEFL, ETS, Omar Chihane said that Hyderabad is a core market for ETS in South India, especially for study abroad applicants. The redesigned TOEFL iBT is designed to provide a fairer, more intuitive and customized experience, he added.
According to ETS data, the United States (55%) remains the top destination for students from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to study abroad, followed by Canada (16%), the United Kingdom (12%) and Australia (10%).
The majority of TOEFL test takers, she added, were from Hyderabad (48%) and Vijayawada (18%), followed by Visakhapatnam (16%) and Guntur (10%).
Published – 16 Dec 2025 20:42 IST
