By Muhammad Abdullah · Published 05 Nov 2026
Ask a group of students which English test is "easiest" and you will get three different answers, each delivered with complete confidence. The truth is less exciting and more useful: the tests measure the same four skills, listening, reading, writing and speaking, but they package them so differently that the best test for you depends on where you are applying, how you think under time pressure, and whether you would rather talk to a human being or a microphone. Choosing well can save you a retake fee. Choosing badly, usually by copying a friend's choice, is one of the most common ways students burn money in the application season.
Before comparing anything else, answer one question: who has to accept this score? A scholarship body, a university admissions office and a visa officer are three different audiences, and they do not always accept the same tests.
So the decision tree is short. List every place you seriously intend to apply. Find the test that all of them accept, or accept that you may need the test the strictest one demands. Only if all three tests work everywhere on your list do you get to choose purely on comfort.
IELTS is the test most Pakistani students already know. It comes in Academic and General Training versions; for study you almost always need Academic. You can take it on paper or on a computer depending on the centre. The speaking test is a face to face conversation with a trained examiner, which many students from Pakistan find more natural than speaking into a headset. Scores are reported in bands from 0 to 9 for each skill and overall, in half band steps. Universities typically ask for overall bands between 6.0 and 7.5 depending on the level and field.
TOEFL iBT is the American standard, run by ETS, and accepted widely in the United States and Canada, and by many universities elsewhere. It is taken on a computer at a test centre (a home edition also exists, though acceptance of the home edition varies, so check before booking). All four skills are tested in one sitting, and the speaking section means recording answers into a microphone against a timer. Scores run from 0 to 120 in total. Requirements often fall roughly in the 80 to 100 range, but treat that as orientation only. Your programme's page is the authority.
PTE Academic, run by Pearson, is fully computer based and uses automated scoring for much of the test, including speaking. Its fans like the quick results and the frequent test dates. Scores run from 10 to 90. PTE has strong acceptance in Australia and New Zealand and growing acceptance in the UK and elsewhere, but it is still not accepted everywhere, and some scholarship programmes and European universities do not list it at all. That single fact decides the question for many applicants.
Students constantly ask what a 6.5 in IELTS "equals" in the other tests. Test makers publish their own comparison research, and the rough picture looks like this: an IELTS band of 6.5 sits somewhere around a TOEFL total in the high 70s to low 90s, and around the high 50s to mid 60s on PTE. A band of 7.0 corresponds roughly to a TOEFL score in the mid 90s to about 100, and a PTE score in the mid 60s to low 70s.
Now the health warning, and it matters. These are ranges, not exchange rates. Universities do not convert your score with a formula; they set a separate minimum for each test they accept, and those minimums do not always line up neatly with the comparison tables. A university might ask IELTS 6.5 but TOEFL 90, which is stricter than the "equivalent" band. Always read the requirement for the exact test you plan to submit, on the page of the exact programme. If you want to see which opportunities even ask for a test, browse the current scholarships on Parwaz and open a few listings to see how requirements are worded in real calls. Some students are surprised to learn how many options exist for applicants without a test score at all, which our guide to scholarships without IELTS explains honestly.
This is where personal fit enters, and it is not a small factor. A nervous candidate can drop half a band simply because the format fights their habits.
Speaking. IELTS gives you a human examiner who can nod, react and move the conversation along. TOEFL and PTE give you a microphone, a countdown and other candidates talking around you in the same room. If speaking to a person calms you down, that favours IELTS. If talking to a person is exactly what makes you freeze, the machine based tests may suit you better.
Writing. IELTS Academic opens with describing a chart, graph or diagram, then an essay. TOEFL writing leans academic: read a passage, listen to a lecture, then write about how they relate, plus a discussion style task. PTE writing includes summarising written text in a single sentence, which is its own peculiar skill. Students who write slowly by hand should note that paper based IELTS exists in some centres, while TOEFL and PTE are typed only. If your typing is slow, practise before you book, not after.
Listening and reading. IELTS listening uses a mix of everyday and academic recordings with varied question types, including spelling sensitive answers. TOEFL listening is lecture heavy and note taking matters. PTE mixes skills inside single tasks, so a listening task may also feed your writing score. None of this makes one test objectively easier. It makes them different sports, and you should train for the one you will actually play.
Results and retakes. PTE results are typically the fastest, often within about two days. IELTS on computer is also quick by modern standards, and TOEFL usually reports within roughly a week. All three scores are generally valid for two years, though some institutions set their own shorter windows. Fees change and differ by country; check the official booking pages for the current price in Pakistan rather than trusting any blog's figure, including ours.
If you are still torn, run this sequence honestly:
1. Write down your target programmes and check each one's accepted tests and minimums. Eliminate any test that a must-apply programme refuses.
2. Take one full, timed, free practice test of each surviving option. Official sample materials exist for all three. Your scores and your stress levels in these trials are real data.
3. Pick the test where your practice performance is closest to your target with the least pain, then prepare for that test only. Splitting preparation between two formats is how students end up mediocre at both.
Notice what is not in this sequence: asking seniors which test is easy. Their answer describes their brain, their typing speed and their destination list, not yours.
Once your test is sorted, the rest of the file still has to hold together. Our motivation letter guide and the listings on the fully funded scholarships page are good next stops.
Which test is easiest for Pakistani students?
There is no universal answer, and anyone who gives you one is guessing. IELTS is the most familiar format locally and its human speaking test suits many students here, but your practice test results are a far better guide than popularity.
Can I apply with one test and switch later?
Only if the institution accepts both and your second score also meets its minimums. In practice, plan to submit one test, chosen against the strictest requirement on your list.
My university accepted PTE. Will my visa be fine too?
Not automatically. Visa authorities keep their own approved lists and sometimes require specific test versions. Check the immigration authority's page for your destination country before booking.
How long should I prepare?
For most students with intermediate English, four to eight weeks of focused, format specific preparation moves the score meaningfully. If your practice tests show a wide gap to the target, allow longer, and fix the underlying English, not just test tricks.
Do all scholarships need an English test?
No. Some programmes test language their own way, some accept medium of instruction certificates, and some teach in English without demanding a score at application. Read each call on its own terms, and never pay for a test a programme never asked for.