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What do international students prefer to study for, IELTS or TOEFL?

Sweetcorn - 2010-04-12 10:56:00 - Studying Abroad

In my experience most students opt for the TOEFL exam instead of the IELTS exam. Why is that?

Best Answer:

TOEFL has been around longer (since 1964) while IELTS is relatively new (1989 onwards). That alone is enough for the former to be a lot more famous, talked about and to have been taken by more people. Although IELTS has been gaining more and more candidates each year, TOEFL is still the No. 1 English exam in terms of popularity. TOEFL is also cheaper, takes less time to be sat (3-4 hours, only one day, IELTS is a bit longer) and results get to you more quickly (by a matter of days, but still).

Answers:

TOEFL has been around longer (since 1964) while IELTS is relatively new (1989 onwards). That alone is enough for the former to be a lot more famous, talked about and to have been taken by more people. Although IELTS has been gaining more and more candidates each year, TOEFL is still the No. 1 English exam in terms of popularity. TOEFL is also cheaper, takes less time to be sat (3-4 hours, only one day, IELTS is a bit longer) and results get to you more quickly (by a matter of days, but still).

I've found that TOEFL is also the most widely accepted. More places ask for TOEFL than IELTS and some still don't recognize IELTS.

Which test you prefer is up to the different countries.TOEFL is for international students who want to study in United States.IELTS is for those who want to study in Commonwealth of Nations like British or Australia.Some countries accept both tests,like Canada.In my experience,IELTS is a little easier than TOEFL and most countries accept IELTS test,even USA.