Find out how soon you can retake TOEFL, how many attempts are allowed, what each retake costs and when rescheduling, a score review or MyBest scores may help.
If your TOEFL iBT score is not what you wanted and it is less than what your target university needs, you can take the test again. The people at ETS do not make it very hard for you to take the test again. Let us see how this works and what it means for students who want to study in UAE institutions at a university.
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Minimum gap between attempts | 3 full days |
| Retake limit | None (no annual or lifetime cap) |
| Retake fee | Same as full registration, ₹15,254 base (+GST) |
| Reschedule deadline | At least 4 full days before your test date |
| Reschedule fee | ₹5,000 base (+GST) |
| Score validity | 2 years from test date |
| MyBest® Score availability | Yes, but acceptance varies by university |
There's no cap. You can sit for TOEFL as many times as you need across your lifetime or in a single year, provided you respect the 3-day minimum gap between appointments. This applies whether you're testing at a centre or via TOEFL iBT Home Edition, and it holds even if you cancelled your scores at the end of a previous sitting; ETS still counts that as an attempt.
If you are in India and you want to take the TOEFL test, you should know that the rules for the TOEFL test are the same as they are everywhere else.
The only thing that is different in India is how much the test costs and how you pay for it, which is explained below. Also, in India, the test is not given by IDP; it is given by ETS. If you are willing to take the test or change the date of your test, you have to do it through your account on the ETS website.
These terms can often be used for the same context, but in reality, they work differently.
| Factors | TOEFL Retake | TOEFL Reschedule |
|---|---|---|
| What it means | Booking a new test after completing or cancelling a prior attempt | Moving an existing, unused appointment to a new date |
| When it applies | After you've already sat for the test | Before your original test date |
| Earliest action window | 3 days after your last test date | Up to 4 full days before your scheduled date |
| Cost | Full registration fee again, no discount | Lower rescheduling fee only |
Questions like "Can I reschedule my TOEFL exam?" may arise because your date no longer works and you haven't taken the test yet. That's a reschedule, not a retake, and it costs less.
A retake makes sense in a few clear situations:
Don’t take the TOEFL test if your score is not satisfactory. Before booking another attempt, you should check:
The 3-day window is a hard system lock; ETS's registration platform will not let you book a new appointment within 3 days of an existing or completed one. For example, if you take a test on a Friday, the earliest you can schedule your test is the following Monday.
Usually, study advisors say you should wait a little longer than 3 days. They think it is better to wait around 3 to 4 weeks before you take the test again. If you take the test again in the week, you probably will not have enough time to work on the things you got wrong. You will likely get the bad results because you did not have time to fix your weaknesses
There's no discounted "retake fee" category. Every time you take the test, it is considered a registration. This is true no matter if it's your first time taking the test or your fifth.
For reference, ETS's benchmark US registration price is $195 USD; the India price is set and published separately in INR by ETS India rather than converted daily, but currency and tax movements can still shift the final payable amount over time.
No. The TOEFL test is different from the PTE test. You cannot retake one section of the TOEFL test. You have to take the test again. This means you have to do the Reading section, the Listening section, the Speaking section and the Writing section over again.
The TOEFL test does have something you can use. You can ask for a review of your Speaking or Writing score. This means the scoring specialist of the company that makes the TOEFL test will evaluate your work again. This can be done up to 30 days after you take the test, and it costs ₹6,694.92 for reviewing each section. This is not a retake of the test. It is a review of the work you already did. Your score might go up; it might go down. It might stay the same.
To retake the test, first log in to your ETS account using the official ETS TOEFL Registration Portal.
Next, pick a test date. Make sure it is at least 3 days after your last TOEFL attempt.
Then choose your test format. You can go to a test centre or take the TOEFL Home Edition.
Pay the full registration fee.
Confirm your booking; you'll get an email/SMS confirmation.
Since your ETS account and passport details are already on file, retaking registration is typically faster than your first booking.
No. Universities don't see multiple attempts as a red flag, and you control which score report(s) get sent. ETS also generates MyBest® scores automatically: your highest section scores across all valid attempts from the last 2 years, combined into one profile.
For tests taken on or after January 21, 2026, ETS posts scores to your account in approximately 3 days. Tests taken before that date follow the earlier 4-8 day timeline. You should plan further, but keep in mind that if you book a retake near the time when your application is due, the test scores will still need some time to be posted and sent to the university you are applying to.
Your study journey simplified — get instant answers, tailored recommendations, and trusted guidance powered by AI. Stay tuned while we prepare your results.
Log in with Google
