Test takers have global access to take the TOEFL, spanning multiple time zones. We recognize that admissions teams rely on precise date ranges to evaluate test takers within specific intake windows. Understanding how TOEFL Access handles time zones ensure you're always pulling the right cohort, with no one accidentally excluded.

Filters on both the Dashboard and Applicants tab accept dates in your local time zone. TOEFL Access handles this automatically by converting it to UTC. For most time zones, this requires no action from you. However, if your time zone is ahead of UTC, you may need to adjust your entered dates by one day.

Western hemisphere (e.g., EST: UTC-5):
To retrieve scores for January 1 to March 31, 2025, enter exactly:

Eastern hemisphere (e.g., JST: UTC+9):
Entering September 1 as your start date converts to August 31 UTC in the background which may exclude scores from day one of your intended range. To capture all scores from September 1, 2024 through June 4, 2026, enter:

This applies to any time zone ahead of UTC - IST (UTC+5:30), JST (UTC+9), AEST (UTC+10), and others.

Test Date is reflective of the time zone where the test taker gave the test. A student who tested in Japan will show a Japanese test date; one who tested in India will show an Indian test date.

My Downloads shows your filter selections and download metadata in UTC.

If your institution is in a time zone ahead of UTC, the report dates in My Downloads will appear one day earlier than what you entered. This does indicate missing or incorrect data but rather reflects a standard format to accommodate multiple time zones consistently.

A user in Japan who entered 09/02/2024 – 06/05/2026 in the Test Date filters will see My Downloads display as: 09/01/2024 – 06/04/2026

This ensures that all test takers whose actual test dates meet your requirement are included in the results.

Need Help?

If you still can't locate an expected applicant, please reach out to us at help.toeflaccess@ets.org.