Changes to the tests
Thursday 1 October 2026
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US driving tests · Change
North Carolina drops the Driving Eligibility Certificate for teen permits
From 1 October 2026, North Carolina teens no longer need a Driving Eligibility Certificate to get a Level 1 limited learner permit. A driver education certificate is still required.
Wednesday 26 August 2026
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Duolingo English Test · Report
Duolingo English Test publishes IELTS skill-by-skill score comparison
Duolingo has published a study that compares its Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking subscores with IELTS Academic band scores, while keeping its 2022 table for overall scores unchanged.
Tuesday 25 August 2026
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US citizenship · Change
USCIS brings back neighborhood checks for citizenship applicants
USCIS has written neighborhood investigations back into its naturalization policy and tells officers to confirm applicants' information and documents. Applicants may offer character reference letters, which USCIS will weigh when deciding whether to skip…
Saturday 22 August 2026
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SAT · Change
SAT extra fees rise for 2026-27: late registration now $38
The SAT registration fee stays at $68, plus $43 for international testers, but the change and late registration fees went up for 2026-27. Joining the new waitlist is free.
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SAT · Change
SAT Bluebook device minimums rise for 2026-27: Windows 11, iPadOS 18
For the 2026-27 school year Bluebook needs Windows 11 24H2, macOS 15, iPadOS 18 or ChromeOS 144 with verified mode. Older systems, including Windows 10, will not run the digital SAT.
Wednesday 12 August 2026
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GMAT · Change
GMAT Superscore goes live on score reports and mba.com
GMAT Superscore is now live. It combines your best Quantitative, Verbal and Data Insights scores from valid attempts of the current GMAT and appears automatically on Official Score Reports.
Tuesday 30 June 2026
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Australia citizenship · Change
Australian citizenship fee rises to AUD 595 from 1 July 2026
The standard application fee for Australian citizenship by conferral went up from AUD 575 to AUD 595 for applications made on or after 1 July 2026. The citizenship test is still included in the…
Tuesday 23 June 2026
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US citizenship · Report
N-400 fee could rise to $1,330 under a June 2026 DHS proposal
The Department of Homeland Security has proposed raising the citizenship application fee to $1,330 on paper and $1,280 online, and ending the reduced fee and fee waivers. Today's fees still apply.
Monday 15 June 2026
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GMAT · Report
GMAC announces GMAT Superscore, combining best section scores
GMAC will combine each candidate's highest GMAT section scores across valid attempts into a Superscore, shown on mba.com and on Official Score Reports, at no extra cost, from August 2026.
Thursday 11 June 2026
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IELTS · Change
IELTS Test Report Forms add Ofqual logo from 15 July 2026
From 15 July 2026 every IELTS Test Report Form carries the Ofqual logo and qualification title. People who received a form from June 2024 can ask for a free updated copy, but do not…
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English for visas · Report
Ofqual fines Cambridge English £875,000 over IELTS marking errors
The exams regulator Ofqual has fined Cambridge English £875,000 after faulty automatic marking of on-screen IELTS Listening and Reading gave 62,794 people wrong results between 2023 and 2025.
Monday 8 June 2026
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English for visas · Change
Expired BRP now accepted as test ID for 24 months, until end of 2026
People who cannot use their eVisa can now sit the Life in the UK test or a UK English test with a BRP up to 24 months past expiry, but only until 31 December…
Friday 22 May 2026
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SAT · Change
SAT fall 2026 changes: waitlist, Seat Reserve and Chromebook rules
From fall 2026 US students can join a free SAT waitlist, schools can hold seats for their own students, and Chromebooks need verified mode. Afternoon sessions open in some US regions.
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SAT · Dates
SAT test dates for 2026-27, with deadlines and score release
There are eight SAT Weekend dates in 2026-27, from 22 August 2026 to 5 June 2027. Scores for most dates are due about two weeks after test day.
Wednesday 1 April 2026
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US driving tests · Change
Pennsylvania hands-free law: $50 fines replace warnings from June 2026
Pennsylvania's ban on hand-held phones while driving moved from warnings to fines in June 2026. Drivers convicted under Paul Miller's Law now pay $50 plus court costs and fees.
Thursday 26 March 2026
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English for visas · Change
UKVI extends IELTS as an approved Secure English Language Test
UK Visas and Immigration has extended its agreement with IELTS, so IELTS for UKVI and IELTS Life Skills remain accepted for UK visas while the Home Office prepares its new test.
Tuesday 17 March 2026
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English for visas · Report
IELTS pulls out of bidding for the Home Office English test contract
The three IELTS partners will not bid to run the Home Office English Language Test, saying a fully remote test does not meet their security standards for high-stakes testing.
Thursday 5 March 2026
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English for visas · Change
Paper-based IELTS ends from mid-2026 as all tests move to computer
IELTS will stop offering the paper test from mid-2026, with dates set market by market. Some markets keep a Writing on Paper option, and IELTS for UKVI becomes fully digital.
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English for visas · Change
English for UK settlement rises to B2 from 26 March 2027
Settlement applications made on or after 26 March 2027 must show B2 speaking and listening, up from B1, under the rule change laid on 5 March 2026.
Monday 23 February 2026
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Duolingo English Test · Report
Duolingo keeps its TOEFL score comparison after TOEFL’s new 1 to 6 scale
After TOEFL iBT moved to a new 1 to 6 score scale in early 2026, Duolingo says its existing comparison with TOEFL's 0 to 120 scale remains the one to use for now.
Tuesday 27 January 2026
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Duolingo English Test · Change
Duolingo English Test named in 2026 business school reporting standards
The 2026 GME Admissions Reporting Standards, drawn up with GMAC, now list the Duolingo English Test as an approved measure of English for business school applicants.
Friday 16 January 2026
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English for visas · Report
Home Office plans mainly remote English test for visas from late 2027
The Home Office says its new English Language Test, replacing today's in-centre SELT system, should start in late 2027 or early 2028 and will be mainly taken remotely.
Friday 9 January 2026
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Duolingo English Test · Change
Duolingo English Test adds room scan and ear scan by phone before tests
The Duolingo English Test's standard security check now includes a phone app that sets up a second camera, a scan of your room and a quick check that you are not wearing earbuds.
Wednesday 7 January 2026
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UK theory test · Report
Minimum wait between theory and driving test proposed for learners
The Department for Transport has consulted on making car learners wait a set time, possibly 3 or 6 months, after passing the theory test before they can take the practical test.
Thursday 1 January 2026
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US driving tests · Change
Connecticut learner’s permit now needs a work zone safety course
Since 1 January 2026, anyone applying for a Connecticut learner's permit must complete a free online Work Zone Safety Course and hand the certificate to the DMV before the knowledge test.
Friday 19 December 2025
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English for visas · Change
UK postgraduate certificate now counts as English proof for settlement
Home Office guidance updated on 19 December 2025 accepts a UK university postgraduate certificate as proof of English for settlement and citizenship, and tightens what medical exemption claims need.
Thursday 11 December 2025
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Canada citizenship · Change
Canada’s new citizenship by descent law in force from 15 December 2025
Bill C-3 came into force on 15 December 2025. It ends the first-generation limit for many families born abroad and adds a three-year presence test for Canadian parents born abroad. The citizenship test itself…
Monday 1 December 2025
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US driving tests · Change
No REAL ID at the airport now costs $45 for TSA ConfirmID
Since 1 February 2026, air travelers who reach TSA without a REAL ID or other acceptable ID can pay $45 to try identity checks through TSA ConfirmID, valid for 10 days.
Monday 24 November 2025
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SAT · Change
SAT adds September test date and self-identified fee waivers
College Board says it has added a new September SAT date, more than 170,000 extra seats, and fee waivers that US students can claim by self-identifying, not only through a counsellor.
Thursday 20 November 2025
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English for visas · Report
Earned settlement plan sets B2 English and Life in the UK test
The Home Office consultation on earned settlement, open from 20 November 2025 to 12 February 2026, treats B2 English and a Life in the UK test pass as baseline requirements for settling.