Nothing baffles me more than the fact that you need to prove to the descendants of your colonizers that you can speak a language they shoved down your throat, even better than an average native speaker. Even though some former colonies might be largely exempt, South Asian countries are not among them. So here we are.
You are required to take an English proficiency test for nearly every country you apply to. Some universities do waive it if you can provide a letter from your previous degree institution stating that the medium of instruction was English but make sure to check this well in advance by emailing them. Even if it is not mentioned on their website, there is no harm in trying.
Now, if you really need to take the test, then buckle up, as there is a near oligarchy of two testing agencies, IELTS and TOEFL. There is a new underdog in town known as DET, which is gaining popularity in the market, but it is still leagues behind these two big guns. So, let us first understand the two bosses before addressing this new bird in the room.
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IELTS: International English Language Testing System
TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language
DET: Duolingo English Test
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IELTS is widely used and is more popular in countries like the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, while TOEFL is usually more common among applicants to the US. Even though both scores are widely accepted, some countries or programs prefer IELTS over TOEFL, while the reverse is rarely the case. For example, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requires IELTS, as it is a Secure English Language Test (SELT). Even though you might be surprised to learn that TOEFL is about 30 years older, to be on the safe side, it is better to go with IELTS.
The testing philosophy is more or less the same, as both try to assess your reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills within a 2–3 hour time frame. The difference arises mostly in the format, as IELTS is more conversational and includes different accents such as British, Australian, Canadian, etc., whereas TOEFL is more rigid in that sense, as it is primarily focused on the American accent. Moreover, IELTS is more conversational because you appear in front of an interviewer, unlike TOEFL, where you speak to a computer.
Based on your comfort level, one might be more suitable than the other. One way to look at it is that if you have gained command over English by watching movies or talking to native speakers, then IELTS may be better for you. But if you picked it up through academic exposure, then TOEFL might suit you better. Here, I am not dissecting each of these tests in terms of what is actually asked or how much you need to score in each section, since these change year by year or vary from university to university. Thus, it is better to refer to TST prep for TOEFL or the British Council for IELTS for up-to-date resources and practice mock tests.
Even the official agencies conducting these tests provide some guidebooks for free and sell their own mock test papers for an additional fee, so make use of them if you can afford to. Though both require you to have a diverse vocabulary to gain some brownie points, Magoosh’s flashcards can come for your rescue. But overall, the free resources available online serve the purpose well.
The actual trade-off for me came mostly down to cost. The test fee for IELTS was around INR 2k higher than TOEFL (any numbers mentioned in this text are subject to change due to the unquenchable greed of these agencies and the bull run of our currency depreciation). Meanwhile, IELTS lets you send your scores to 5 universities for free, with a charge of around INR 300–400 for additional applications. On the contrary, TOEFL allows sending scores to just 4 universities, with a fee of around INR 2–2.5k for each additional university.
In my case, I was applying to just 4 universities (mostly US-based) that required an English score, and even if I needed to, I could self-report using a downloaded scorecard for any additional applications and hope they either did not ask for official scores or did not admit me. Based on the constraints of your target countries or universities, decide which one suits your needs best and proceed.
Now here comes the fun part. Your test scores are valid for just two years, after which these agencies seem to believe that English will leave your body like a soul. If, for some reason, you miss admission this year, you will most likely get to apply at max the next year or reappear for the test (the late-stage capitalism that Marx talked about). Moreover, these agencies take a couple of days to send your final score and a few weeks to report your scores to universities. If, for some reason, you mess up the test, which is highly unlikely even if you put in an iota of effort, you get the option to choose whether to send your scores or not. Thus, plan to take this test around August-September so that you have enough margin to appear for an unexpected retest. I took it around the end of October, but I always advise others not to do the same. It is really not worth procrastinating on this.
Let’s come back to DET now. This test is offered by Duolingo, a language learning app (no brand endorsement here since that green owl took away my 1000+ days German streak). It has existed for a decade now but gained momentum only during COVID, when in-center test-taking through TOEFL/IELTS was inaccessible for most. Even though a lot of universities now recognize it, it is still not that widespread and is certainly not a safe bet if your student visa requires it. Part of this hesitation is due to the fact that it is purely home-based, and you can somehow game the system. This is the same criticism the home version of TOEFL or IELTS faces, and hence it is recommended to opt for the offline test center version of these two unless you cannot appear due to some genuine physical constraints.
But the key feature that favors DET is that it costs just around one-third of the other tests, with no limit or additional fees to send your scores. Moreover, since it doesn’t require you to book a slot at a test venue, you can take it from anywhere at any time (it’s a boon or bane depending upon your state of discipline). The cherry on top is that you get your scores in just a couple of days, with an option to expedite them to receive them the same day for an additional fee (someone took Amazon’s same day delivery model quite seriously). Thus, if you slept through your application timeline, then it is the last straw for your redemption.
In case you don’t know, TOEFL and IELTS ask you to provide a list of universities before appearing for the test by filling in their university and program codes on their portal. Make sure to check with your department beforehand to confirm these codes to avoid misfiling and do fill out this section without fail; otherwise, you’ll just miss out on those 4 or 5 free score reports and bleed your pocket unnecessarily. I was about to miss that too, since this option is hidden somewhere at the bottom of their portal. So, unless you are some crazy rich Asian, do find and fill these out diligently. DET is a saint in that sense, since it lets you select universities after the test, giving you ample time to plan.
Now, one factor that a lot of people overlook is that you need English test scores for your TAship appointments, and the cutoff is higher than for usual admission. For example, Purdue lets you into their graduate engineering programs with a TOEFL score of 88, as long as you have 20 or higher in each section. But to work as a TA, you must have at least a 26–27+ score in the speaking subsection. Moreover, DET or a language test waiver might not be accepted here, so if you really want that role, then you may need to appear for an internal Oral English Proficiency Test (OEPT) to show that you are still worthy. Thus, based on your goals and constraints, choose your battles wisely.
Before I conclude this chapter, just a practical piece of advice for TOEFL test takers based on personal experience. Make sure you reach the center as early as possible, since they assign you your test desktops on a first-come, first-served basis. Now you may ask, why does it matter? Well, you cannot jump sections in the test, so the sooner you get in, the faster you can reach the speaking and listening sections. These test centers are usually open cubicles with worst-in-class noise suppression and headphones that look like they were bought from a flea market. So, if you really do not wish your flawless speech to undergo destructive interference or your brain to work an extra mile to process computer audio amid human noise, then please be overly punctual. It turns into a fish market really quickly down there.
Also, practice writing your answers on a notepad with autocorrect turned off, since the actual test interface will be exactly the same. Nothing humbles you more than reading your raw text. No wonder PTMs with my English teacher were that long :)