I actually had to answer the whole TOEFL vs IELTS which is easier question the hard way because I ended up taking both. When I first started applying, everyone around me had a different opinion and it just made me more confused. Some people swore TOEFL was easier because it felt more academic. Others said IELTS was easier because it felt more human. After doing both, I don’t think one is universally easier, but one can definitely feel easier depending on your personality.
For me, IELTS felt easier overall, even though I expected the opposite.
My first exam was TOEFL. I picked it because I thought speaking into a microphone would be less awkward than talking to a real person. In reality, the speaking section stressed me out way more than I expected. The room was full of other people speaking at the same time, and it felt chaotic. I also hated the timing. You have to organize your thoughts super fast and start talking before you really feel ready. If you freeze under time pressure, TOEFL speaking can feel brutal.
Reading and listening on TOEFL were fine for me because they felt structured. If you’re good at taking notes and staying focused for a long stretch, TOEFL might suit you better. The writing also felt straightforward because it was very academic and formula-friendly.
Then I took IELTS a few months later. What surprised me was how much calmer I felt. The speaking test being face-to-face sounded scary in theory, but it was actually easier for me because it felt like a conversation instead of a recording. If I didn’t catch something, the interaction itself helped me stay grounded. On TOEFL, one bad moment felt impossible to recover from.
IELTS listening was trickier for me though. I made silly mistakes because you have to be really careful with spelling and exact answers. TOEFL listening felt more forgiving since it was multiple choice a lot of the time. IELTS reading also depends on your speed. If you overthink questions, the clock becomes your enemy fast.
So if someone asks me TOEFL vs IELTS which is easier, this is basically how I’d break it down:
- Choose TOEFL if: you’re comfortable with computers, fast note-taking, and academic-style tasks.
- Choose IELTS if: you communicate better in real conversation and prefer a test that feels less robotic.
- TOEFL speaking is harder if background noise and strict timing throw you off.
- IELTS listening/reading can be harder if detail mistakes and time pressure are your weak spots.
The biggest lesson for me was that “easier” had less to do with English level and more to do with format. My English didn’t magically improve between exams, but my score was better on the one that matched how I naturally process information.
If you’re stuck choosing, I really recommend trying one full practice test of each under timed conditions. Not just sample questions, but the whole thing. That made the answer obvious for me way faster than reading random opinions online.
Curious if anyone else had the same experience, because I went in thinking TOEFL would be easier and came out feeling the exact opposite.