TOEFL Exam Preparation Classes

What changed in the TOEFL iBT in January 2026?

The score scale. Since January 2026 the TOEFL iBT runs in an updated format and reports results on a 1 to 6 scale, in half-point steps, aligned to the CEFR levels. For two years, until January 2028, score reports also show a comparable score on the old 0 to 120 scale (ETS, TOEFL iBT score scale update).

That matters more than it sounds. A university page may still list a requirement like 90 or 100 out of 120, while your report leads with a number between 1 and 6. Both numbers will be on the report for now, but you need to know which one the admissions office reads, and whether it also sets a minimum per section.

• Write down the requirement exactly as the university states it, including any section minimums.
• If it's on the 0 to 120 scale, ask the admissions office whether they'll accept the comparable score on the new report.
• Be careful with older prep books and videos. Anything describing scores out of 30 per section describes the test before the update.

Older guides also quote question counts and timings that may no longer apply. Check the current format with ETS before you plan your final weeks.

Who in the UAE takes TOEFL rather than IELTS?

Mostly students applying to universities in the United States, where TOEFL has long been the familiar test. That includes students at American curriculum schools in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, graduate applicants, and some scholarship candidates.

Many universities accept both, so check before you choose. If your list is mainly UK, Australian or Canadian universities, IELTS Academic may be the simpler route, and the IELTS preparation overview explains the versions. If a US university is the target and it lists TOEFL first, there's no reason to fight that. Not sure yet? Bring your shortlist to the demo, and the trainer will go through which tests each university names and what score it wants.

What does each TOEFL section test?

All four skills, on a computer, in English as it's used at university. Here's what each one asks of you and where preparation helps most.

Speaking is the section that surprises people. There's no examiner nodding at you. You talk to a screen, a timer runs, and silence costs marks. That's a skill in itself, and it improves quickly with live practice where a trainer stops you, asks what you meant, and makes you answer again in fewer words.

TOEFL or IELTS: which suits you better?

If your universities accept both, choose by format. Most people already know which one would suit them once they see the differences side by side.

• Speaking: TOEFL records you on a computer. IELTS puts you in a room with an examiner for a short interview. Some people relax with a person, others prefer a screen.
• Writing: TOEFL is typed. IELTS can be on computer or on paper, depending on how you book it.
• Scores: TOEFL now reports on a 1 to 6 scale, with the comparable 0 to 120 score shown until January 2028. IELTS uses bands from 1 to 9.

There are other routes too. PTE preparation suits people who like fully computer marked tests, and the Duolingo English Test practice page explains that shorter, at-home format. Whatever you choose, check the accepted list on each university's admissions page first.

Where do UAE students lose TOEFL marks?

In writing and speaking, mostly, and in ways that follow their first language. A trainer who knows the pattern can go straight at it.

• Arabic speakers often drop is and are, add a second pronoun ("the book which I read it") and write long sentences joined with and.
• Hindi and Urdu speakers tend to overuse the continuous tense and leave out a and the.
• Malayalam and Tamil speakers often keep statement word order in questions.
• Tagalog speakers sometimes mix up he and she, because Filipino uses one pronoun for both.

Students from English medium schools here have a different problem. Their English is fluent, but their answers wander. In a timed speaking task, a fluent answer that never gets to the point scores worse than a plainer one that does.

Then there's typing. Writing is typed, and plenty of strong students type slowly or lean on autocorrect, which isn't there on test day. Practise on a plain text editor.

How does TOEFL preparation with WizMantra run?

It starts with the AED 30 demo. The trainer checks your speaking and writing, asks about your universities and their requirements, and estimates where you stand. After that you get a plan and a fee, quoted in AED.

Classes are 30 minutes, one to one, at a fixed weekly slot in Gulf Standard Time. You do timed tasks before class, and the class goes on what went wrong: the speaking answer that ran out of time, the paragraph without a clear point, the grammar slip that keeps coming back.

• Speaking rehearsed live, then repeated until the answer fits the time.
• Typed answers marked for organisation, grammar and clarity, then rewritten.
• A recording and written notes after every class.
• Timed section practice with a score estimate, so you book the test when you're ready.

A plan runs for its stated length from activation and unused sessions lapse, so pick a slot you can keep through the school term. If your general English needs work first, Advance English and English writing classes are good places to start.

When should you book the TOEFL test?

After your practice scores reach the target, in every section the university cares about. Booking first and hoping is how people end up paying the test fee twice.

Between classes, keep it small and daily. Read one academic article and summarise it aloud in a minute. Type one short response without autocorrect. Listen to a lecture for ten minutes and write down the three main points. Half an hour a day like that, on top of class, adds up faster than one long weekend session, and it keeps the test format familiar.

Work back from your application deadline, leave room for one retake if things go wrong, and bring your university list to the demo. Prices for our published courses are on the AED fee page.

TOEFL Preparation Fees (AED)

TOEFL preparation is planned around your target score and how far you are from it, so the fee is quoted after a short level check. The test fee is separate and is paid to ETS.

Each class is a 30 minute live one to one session. A plan runs for its stated length from activation and unused sessions lapse. Published course prices are on the AED fee page.