Which English test and what score
Which English test should I take, and what score do I actually need?
For most Nepali students the honest answer is: take IELTS Academic unless you have a specific reason not to. It is accepted essentially everywhere for both admission and visa purposes, it is available in Kathmandu and Pokhara, and it removes the risk of discovering late that your chosen test is not accepted for the route you need. PTE Academic is a reasonable alternative — computer-marked, faster results, and preferred by students who write better on a keyboard than by hand. TOEFL suits students targeting the United States.
2 figures on this page have no source yet. They are marked in place, with what it would take to confirm them. Check the authority yourself before acting on them.
What ielts, toefl & pte is
The overall band is not the requirement. A minimum in every section usually sits underneath it, and that is what refuses people.
Illustrative fees and typical requirements. Always confirm the specific requirement for your course and visa route.
Who needs it
- Anyone applying to an English-medium institution
- Almost every destination requires a test, and the accepted tests differ between countries and institutions.
- Students close to a score threshold
- A band below the requirement fails the application entirely, and retaking has its own timeline and cost.
- Applicants to countries with a visa-level score
- Some destinations set a minimum for the visa that is separate from and sometimes higher than the institution's.
What it costs
The column that matters most is the last one. Wide university acceptance is not the same as acceptance for a visa.
| Item | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic2–5 days | Other | Paper or computer, human-marked speaking · NPR 28–32,000Sources: IELTS — scoring, band scale and validity, JLPT — Japanese-Language Proficiency Test |
| PTE Academic2–5 days | Other | Computer, fully machine-marked · NPR 28–32,000Sources: IELTS — scoring, band scale and validity, JLPT — Japanese-Language Proficiency Test |
| TOEFL iBT4–8 days | Other | Computer, integrated tasks · NPR 30–34,000Sources: IELTS — scoring, band scale and validity, JLPT — Japanese-Language Proficiency Test |
| Duolingo English Test2 days | Other | Online, at home, adaptive · NPR 8–10,000Sources: IELTS — scoring, band scale and validity, JLPT — Japanese-Language Proficiency Test |
How long it takes
- 6 months outEstablish the requirementNo source yet. needs a survey of course-level score requirements per institutionOverall score and section minimum for your actual shortlist, plus which tests the visa route accepts.
- 6 months outSit one full timed practice testOur recommendation, not a rule. Our recommended sequence, based on the dependencies between the steps on this page.This is a diagnosis, not a rehearsal. It decides what you prepare.
- 5 months outPrepare, weakest section firstOur recommendation, not a rule. Our recommended sequence, based on the dependencies between the steps on this page.Six to eight weeks of focused work on one or two sections beats months of general study.
- 4 months outBook and sit the testSources: IELTS — scoring, band scale and validity, JLPT — Japanese-Language Proficiency TestEarly enough that a resit is still possible without disturbing anything else.
- 4 months outCheck every band against every requirementOur recommendation, not a rule. Our recommended sequence, based on the dependencies between the steps on this page.Overall and each section, against each university and the visa route.
- 3 months outResit only if a section is below the floorSources: IELTS — scoring, band scale and validity, JLPT — Japanese-Language Proficiency TestAnd only that section, if a single-section resit is available for your test.
- From the test dateTwo-year validity beginsSources: IELTS — scoring, band scale and validity, JLPT — Japanese-Language Proficiency TestValidity is assessed at application, so track the date against your intended intake.
Documents you need
- RequiredFind the section minimum for your actual shortlistNot the average requirement for the country. Course pages state it, and it varies within a single university.
- RequiredCheck which tests that route acceptsUniversity acceptance and visa acceptance are separate lists, and the visa one is shorter.
- RequiredSit a full timed practice test firstIt tells you which section is below the floor, which is the only thing that should shape your preparation.
- RequiredSpend your time on the weakest section onlyImproving a section already above the minimum contributes almost nothing to the outcome.
- RequiredGet writing marked by someone who knows the criteriaWriting is the most common weak section for Nepali candidates and the hardest to self-assess.
- RequiredPractise under real timingMost lost marks are pace, not knowledge. Untimed practice hides the actual problem.
- RequiredBring the exact identity document you registered withA mismatch means you are turned away and the fee is gone.
- RequiredDo not leave any question unansweredThere is no negative marking in these tests. A guess is strictly better than a blank.
- RequiredFinish the writing tasks, both of themAn incomplete second task caps that band hard, which is exactly what breaks a section minimum.
- RequiredCheck every section against every requirementOverall and each band, against each university and the visa route. Do this before celebrating.
- RequiredNote the expiry dateResults are valid for two years, and the date that matters is the one at application, not at test.
- RequiredCheck whether a single-section resit is availableWhere offered, it is far cheaper and faster than repeating the whole test.
Step by step
Work backwards from the requirement
Find the overall score and the section minimum for the specific courses and the visa route you want, before you book a test or a class. Everything else follows from those two numbers.
Diagnose before you prepare
One full timed practice test tells you which section sits below the floor. Preparing without that is preparing for the average student rather than for yourself.
Sit it early enough to resit
Book so there is time for one more attempt before your application deadline. Results are valid two years, so sitting early costs nothing and removes the worst timing risk.
Mistakes that cost money
The overall band is not the requirement
What it costs: Almost every university and visa requirement is written as an overall score plus a minimum in each of the four sections — for example 6.5 overall with no band below 6.0. Students prepare for the overall number, average up their strong sections, and are then refused on a single weak one. For Nepali candidates that weak
Instead: This is the single most expensive error on this page. Address it before anything else.
Booking the test before checking which version the institution accepts
What it costs: Some destinations require a specific secure or academic version, and the wrong one is a wasted fee and a wasted intake.
Instead: Check both the institution's and the immigration authority's accepted list before booking.
Targeting the overall band and ignoring sub-scores
What it costs: Many requirements set a minimum in each component, so a strong overall score with one weak component still fails.
Instead: Target the per-component minimum, not the average.
Alternatives, and the trade-off
A pathway or foundation programme
Better when: When the score is out of reach this intake and the institution offers a route that builds to it.
An alternative accepted test
Better when: When the format of one test suits you better and the institution accepts both.
In favour
- Scores are valid for a defined period, so an early sitting is not wasted
- Requirements are published by both the institution and the immigration authority
- Multiple accepted tests means you can pick the format that suits you
Against
- Not every test is accepted by every institution or every visa route
- A single low sub-score can fail an application even with a strong overall band
- Retaking costs a fee and, more expensively, a deadline
Questions people ask
Which English test is easiest for Nepali students?
There is no reliably easier test — there are tests that suit different candidates. PTE is fully computer-marked and suits students who type quickly and find a human examiner stressful. IELTS has a face-to-face speaking test that many candidates find more natural than speaking to a microphone. TOEFL uses integrated tasks that reward strong note-taking.
The more useful question is which test your destination accepts for both admission and the visa. IELTS Academic is the safest default from Nepal because it is accepted almost everywhere for both purposes, which removes an entire category of risk.
What IELTS score do I need to study abroad?
Commonly 6.0 to 6.5 overall for taught undergraduate and master's courses in Australia, Canada, the UK and New Zealand, and 6.5 to 7.0 for many United States institutions. Individual courses set their own requirements and some professional programmes require considerably more.
The overall figure is only half the requirement. Most are written as an overall score with a minimum in every section, such as 6.5 overall with no band below 6.0. Check the section minimum for your specific courses, because it is what most often causes a resit.
Is the Duolingo English Test accepted?
By a growing number of universities, and by considerably fewer visa routes. That gap is the problem: a student can be admitted on a Duolingo result and then find the score does not satisfy the immigration requirement for the same country.
It is cheap, fast and taken at home, which makes it genuinely useful for early applications and for students testing their level. Before relying on it, confirm acceptance separately with the university and with the immigration authority for the visa you will apply for.
How long is an English test result valid?
Two years from the test date for IELTS, PTE and TOEFL. What matters is that the result is still valid at the point you apply, and some institutions also require it to be valid when the course begins.
Sitting the test early therefore costs you nothing in validity terms and buys room for a resit. Leaving it late is the risk, not taking it early.
Can I retake just one section?
For some tests and in some locations, yes. Single-section resits have been introduced for parts of IELTS and are considerably cheaper and faster than repeating the whole test.
Availability depends on the test and the centre, so check with your test centre in Nepal before assuming it is an option. Where it is available, it is the obvious choice for a candidate who missed one section minimum.
Do I need an English test if my degree was taught in English?
Sometimes. Many universities will waive the test where your previous qualification was taught and assessed in English, and some accept a medium-of-instruction letter from your institution instead.
It is applied inconsistently and rarely advertised, and a university waiver does not automatically satisfy the visa requirement, which is assessed separately. Ask admissions directly, get the answer in writing, and confirm the visa position before deciding not to sit a test.
Sources
Last reviewed .
Test formats, fees in Nepal, result timelines, validity and resit options
Sources: IELTS — scoring, band scale and validity, JLPT — Japanese-Language Proficiency Test
Typical score requirements and section minimums by country and course level
No source yet. needs a survey of course-level score requirements per institution
Which English tests are approved for visa purposes on each route
Sources: Department of Home Affairs (Australia), Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, UK Home Office — Student visa, German Federal Foreign Office, US Department of State — Student Visa, Immigration Services Agency of Japan, Korea Immigration Service, Ministry of Justice, Immigration New Zealand