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Two major changes occurred in the TOEFL world last week. ETS announced updates to the format of the TOEFL iBT exam and the NAPB revised the score requirements for pharmacists. These are both major developments and will affect many students.
Let's break down what these changes mean in reality and how you might need to adapt your TOEFL studying to take account of them.
ETS announced some logistical changes to the At-Home test such as better proctoring and more stream-lined check in procedures, some technical enhancements for in-person testing as well as faster score reporting and a better registration process.
But there are two other changes that caught everyone's attention.
ETS announced that, starting in January 2026, they are going to use a "multistage adaptive design" in the reading and listening sections. This means that the test will "adjust in real time based on how a student performs".
So if you answer difficult questions correctly, you'll continue to get questions at that level. If you answer questions incorrectly, the level will be adjusted. This is a way of testing that is frequently used in other high stakes exams. It's generally an accurate and fair way to assess someone's level.
ETS also stated that they will remove traditional content and replace it with more modern topics. I interpret that to mean that Europe-centric topics (like Greek mythology) will be replaced with more global topics in an attempt to remove cultural bias.
They also added that the new reading and listening sections will "better reflect how students use English in real academic settings, like group discussions and project work".
We will know much more about this when ETS releases new preparation materials in July 2025.
What does this mean for your studying?
The big question is, how is this going to affect your preparation for TOEFL? We do need to wait until July to get an idea but I think (and hope) this will mean a return to testing based on language proficiency and not based on strategies and memorization. It means that basic skills such as grammatical knowledge, vocabulary depth, and reading and listening comprehension will be rewarded.
ETS also announced that while the TOEFL will still out of 120, a new banded scoring will be introduced and these new banded scores will be reported alongside the score out of 120. This is to align TOEFL scores with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) banding so scores will be easier to compare.
This is a nice enhancement for students who have studied under other systems and who would like to get an idea of their level before they begin TOEFL preparation.
Second, over the weekend, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NAPB) seemingly took everyone by surprise and announced updated score requirements for pharmacists who are attempting the FPGEE exam.
🟠 The current score requirements are: Reading 22 Listening 21 Speaking 26 Writing 24
🟢 The new score requirements are: Reading 21 Listening 22 Speaking 25 Writing 22
The NAPB states the existing scores are needed for FPGEC applications accepted before September 1, 2025. And the revised scores are for applications accepted on or after October 23, 2025.
🌟 So if you intend to take FPGEE in 2026, these new score requirements apply to you. 🌟
DISCLAIMER: Please check your personal circumstances with the NAPB. For example, if you already have the new TOEFL score requirements and you want to wait until 2026 to take the FPGEE, make sure that's acceptable. Check for yourself. Don't take anyone else's word for it.
My Thoughts about the New Score Requirements
While all the focus seems to have been on the new speaking requirement, I think that’s missing the point a bit. Let me explain…
The speaking score requirement is being lowered from 26 to 25. You’ve probably heard from a hundred different people that this is a major change. Getting a speaking score of 26 is an endless source of stress for all the pharmacists I’ve worked with but 26 to 25 is not that much of a jump. Yes, 25 allows a little bit of a relaxation in fluency but it’s still considered an Advanced score and equates to CEFR C1.
Look at the rubric below to see.
Now look at the writing rubric. The writing score requirement has been lowered from 24 to 22. This is a huge deal and much bigger than the speaking change in my opinion!
The requirement has dropped from Advanced C1 level to High-Intermediate B2 level. Look at the differences in the specific requirements. Notice how there will be more flexibility in including the relevant information and the grammatical errors that will be acceptable.
Most writing students I’ve worked with started at around 21 or 22 and required 24. It’s rare for students to come to TOEFL lessons with writing levels less than B2. In fact, a language proficiency of B2 indicates that a student will need to work on language proficiency first before starting TOEFL preparation.
Also, the writing tasks are designed to replicate academic situations. They are hardly relevant to the everyday work of pharmacists therefore relaxing the requirements seems very sensible.
So, my point is that if you are aiming for a speaking score of 25, you should already have the language proficiency to be able to achieve a writing score of 22. You may need a little help with strategy, but your writing should be already at that level. If it's not, then you should definitely work on language proficiency first. This will save time and money.
For pharmacists studying for TOEFL, these new requirements mean you can devote a lot more time to studying speaking to get to Advanced C1 level, and focus solely on that. This should save you time, reduce wasted exam attempts and ultimately it means that you’ll get your license faster. This is good news.
Header photo by Tien Vu Ngoc on Unsplash