I am an international student from China applying to both US and UK universities. Most UK programs prefer IELTS while US schools traditionally accept both, though many still default to toefl test scores in their official documentation.
I took a diagnostic for both exams last month. My IELTS practice score was around 7.0 and my TOEFL practice score was around 96. Given the conversion, these are roughly equivalent, but I felt more comfortable with the TOEFL computer-based format compared to the IELTS paper sections.
If you are applying only to US programs, the english proficiency test question is straightforward — TOEFL is more widely used there. You can use the TOEFL practice test resources here to simulate the real exam environment. For dual-country applications, which test do admissions consultants typically recommend?
Most US admissions consultants recommend TOEFL for US-only applications because American faculty are more familiar with interpreting those scores. For dual US/UK applications, take IELTS — all US schools accept it now and UK schools strongly prefer it. The formats are genuinely different, so pick the one where your natural strengths show up better rather than chasing a conversion table.
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