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About this tool
Decide whether to retake IELTS, TOEFL, PTE or Duolingo based on your score gap, deadline and weekly study time.
This helper tells you whether retaking IELTS, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic or the Duolingo English Test is realistic by comparing the study hours your score gap needs against the hours you actually have before your deadline. It prices improvement using the Cambridge English guideline of roughly 200 guided study hours per CEFR level (about one IELTS band), converting TOEFL, PTE and Duolingo gaps to band equivalents via the published score concordances. It is built for applicants who missed a university's language requirement and must decide between rebooking, delaying an intake or changing programme.
Open Test Retake Decision Helper on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Add your input to the workspace.
Adjust the options until the result looks right.
Copy or download the output and put it to work.
Uses the ~200-hours-per-CEFR-level study guideline rather than guesswork.
IELTS, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic and Duolingo gaps are normalised through score concordances.
Returns realistic, tight, or reconsider — with the hour arithmetic that justifies it.
Plan on roughly 100 hours of guided study, based on the Cambridge English guideline of about 200 hours per full CEFR level, which corresponds to approximately one IELTS band in the middle of the scale. At 12 hours a week that is around 8-9 weeks, though gains come faster if your first attempt suffered from unfamiliarity with the test format.
In the middle of the scales, about 15 TOEFL iBT points correspond to one IELTS band — for example ETS's comparison table places IELTS 7.0 alongside TOEFL 94-101 and IELTS 6.0 alongside 60-78. The relationship is not perfectly linear, so treat conversions near the extremes with caution.
Retake when the hour arithmetic works: if your available study hours cover the estimated hours for the gap, a retake is usually cheaper than a pre-sessional course. If the gap needs far more hours than you have, a conditional offer with a pre-sessional English programme or a later intake is normally the safer route.
There is no mandatory waiting period for IELTS or PTE Academic — you can rebook as soon as slots exist. TOEFL iBT allows a retake after 3 days, and the Duolingo English Test permits two attempts within any 30-day window. Booking lead times and score-release times still add several days to any plan.