TOEFL vs PTE Price Comparison

Test-takers have asked me if the price of the TOEFL will be adjusted when the test changes in July.  I don’t know the answer to that question.  But at this time it’s worth comparing the cost of taking the TOEFL to the cost of taking the Pearson PTE-Academic test.  The latter test is about two hours long (as will be the new TOEFL) and it is rapidly gaining market share.  It’s possible that the revisions to the TOEFL are a specific response to the growth and attractiveness of the PTE.

Below is a chart comparing the cost of the two tests in twenty countries right now.  These are the twenty countries which send the most visitors to this website.  As you can see, the PTE is almost always a little bit cheaper than the TOEFL.  A few things are worth mentioning, though:

• The TOEFL seems to be cheaper in China.  I don’t think ETS controls the price in China.
• I indicated with an asterisk countries where Pearson charges a fixed fee in a local currency.  I converted them to USD based on today’s exchange rate.  Those rates will fluctuate, of course.
• Note how the prices are pretty much identical in India, which is a target market for both tests. 
• The selected countries are the ones that send the most traffic to this blog.

Shorter tests don’t always result in major price savings for test-takers, but I think there are some opportunities for the test-makers to create a more affordable testing experience moving forward.  Shorter tests have reduced item-preparation costs.  The use of AI can reduce scoring costs.  And, obviously, the introduction of at-home testing eliminates the cost of running test centers.  These things, combined with more competition in the market, will be beneficial for test-takers in the long run.  I like to think that even if prices don’t come down that prince increases will be less frequent in the future. I also foresee testing companies abandoning their tendency to see themselves as fee generating machines. When so much is automated, it is increasingly difficult to nickel and dime test-takers like they did in the 1970s.