So, you screwed up your TOEFL IBT login..

Ever tried inputting wrong password for your IBT account several times? Well, if you live in the USA, no problem. If you live in another country, like say, Indonesia, well… you need to make a phone call to the USA.

True story here. Apparently, after entering a wrong password at your login screen several times, ETS will block your account by making your password expire. And the only way to block it? Make a phone call to ETS’s customer service rep in the USA. Fear not, for there is skype for everyone who lives outside the US. Well anyway, here are the steps to get your account back:

1. Make a phone call to +16097717100. Yes, it’s a US number, and it’s up to you  whether you want to make a phone call and get a bloated phone bill, or use skype and pay 0.12 Euro per minute. Yes, I’m promoting Skype because I’m so happy right now that I got my account back.
2. Press 2, 2, 0 to access customer service. It takes a fairly long time waiting for the number selection’s explanation so here’s a shortcut for you.
3. Now you’re connected to the customer service. As a tip, try to have your TOEFL registration data ready because you’ll need to verify your personal datas. Oh and it would be easier if you have your registration number.
4. The customer service rep will reset your password for you and give you a new password. Oh and no need to worry about writing it down. You’ll be notified about your new password via email. You can optionally take a customer satisfaction survey, but there’s a 11 hours difference between here and the US, so no thanks. Sorry customer service rep lady.
5. Go to the ETS site, input your newly retrieved password, and change your password. You’re all good to go!

Well, that’s that. As a note, as stated in the document only IBT TOEFL scores directly sent from ETS is valid. So try not to lose your account if you’re applying for a university abroad.