Testing from home: what is actually available
For many learners in Afghanistan and Iran, the hardest part of an English exam is not the preparation — it is finding a way to sit the test at all. The most accessible option today is the Duolingo English Test, which is taken entirely online from your own computer, generally costs much less than centre-based exams, and returns results within days. Because it needs no test centre, it has become a realistic first choice for many learners in both countries — provided the institutions you are applying to accept it.
TOEFL and IELTS also offer at-home or online editions in many parts of the world, but availability varies by country and changes over time. Do not plan around a home edition until you have confirmed on the official ETS or IELTS websites that it is currently offered where you live.
If you are still deciding between exams, our comparison of TOEFL, IELTS and the DET walks through format, cost level and recognition. Always confirm with your target university which tests it accepts before you register for anything.
Test centres: plan early, verify officially
In-person availability differs sharply between the two countries, between cities, and between exams — and it can change with little notice. Seats are limited and popular dates fill quickly, so if you need a centre-based exam, start looking at registration as early as your timeline allows, and make sure your passport is valid well in advance. Check the identification rules for your exam on its official registration pages too: the accepted documents are not always the same for every exam or every country, and arriving with the wrong one can cost you a seat you waited weeks for.
Some candidates end up travelling — sometimes to another city, sometimes to a neighbouring country — to reach an available centre. That adds cost, visa questions and travel planning, so build buffer time between your test date and your application deadlines. It is also sensible to leave room for a possible retake: if your first result falls short, you want a second attempt to still fit before the deadline rather than after it. Whatever you hear from friends or agencies, treat the official website of your exam as the only reliable source for where and when you can currently test, and keep your own record of every registration confirmation you receive.
Paying the exam fee without an international card
Registration for international exams normally requires an international credit or debit card, and in both Afghanistan and Iran those are difficult for most people to obtain. For many candidates this is the second big hurdle after finding a seat.
Common workarounds include paying through a currency-exchange office or payment intermediary, using hawala or a local transfer to someone who pays on your behalf, or asking a relative abroad to pay with their card. All of these are widely used; just budget for the intermediary's commission and work only with services you trust. Exam fees themselves change over time, so check the current fee on the official website of your exam rather than relying on older figures.
Preparation, at least, does not have to involve this hassle: ScoreProMax prices in Afghan afghani for Afghanistan and in toman for Iran, with manual activation after your local payment is confirmed — the details are on the access page.
Internet and equipment for at-home tests
At-home exams have strict technical rules: a computer that meets the requirements, a working webcam and microphone, a quiet private room, and an internet connection that stays stable for the full duration. Stability matters more than raw speed — a wired connection is safer than Wi-Fi where possible, and in areas with power cuts you should plan around a charged laptop and a backup internet source such as mobile data. Before you start, close background applications and downloads, and if other people share your connection, ask them to stay off it for the duration of the exam.
Run the official equipment check for your exam well before test day, and then rehearse under the same conditions: same room, same computer, same hours. Untimed study is useful for learning, but the rehearsal that matters most before an at-home exam is timed, uninterrupted and completed in one sitting. Sitting full timed practice in your real testing environment — you can try a free sample in our demo test — removes a lot of avoidable stress.
Realistic preparation with ScoreProMax
Whichever route you choose, preparation is the part fully under your control. ScoreProMax was built for exactly this audience: 167 full TOEFL practice tests, 239 IELTS mock tests with 38,376 practice questions, and 50 full DET mocks with 26,779 practice questions — all with a Persian interface, separate untimed Practice and timed Exam modes, and Reading and Listening auto-scored against verified keys.
We are honest about the limits. IELTS Speaking and Writing are not auto-scored, and we never claim AI IELTS bands; TOEFL Speaking and Writing receive an unofficial AI practice band that is clearly labelled as such. The Score Predictor gives you an evolving estimate of where you stand — an estimate, never an official score and never a guarantee.
You can see all of this before paying anything: four free read-only demos show the real product. Start there, pick your exam, and build a study plan around honest numbers rather than promises.