If you're planning to fly next year, I would suggest you look for colleges waiving these exams

You can transfer your IELTS test at any point before your exam date at no additional charge.

6 to 8 weeks are enough to prepare for IELTS

The IELTS exam fee for the Indicator test is 149 USD.

There are a lot of factors that go into deciding if you should take the test-

Eligibility If the university will accept your scores Technical and environment requirements
and more

You can read more about them here.

Try asking again. If they say no, you'll have to wait it out.
According to this post, test centers for IELTS have started to reopen (with safety precautions).
So hopefully, you won't have to wait much.

Hey Shruti,

You should know about these English proficiency exams to make a good decision so here's some brief info about IELTS vs TOEFL vs PTE:

IELTS-English language proficiency test with 2 different modules- Academic(for higher education) and General (for those who wish to immigrate/work abroad)

TOEFL- An English test with strictly an academic module which is a major difference between IELTS and TOEFL.

PTE- Pearson Test of English (PTE) is a single consolidated test that includes both writing and speaking sections. The test is conducted entirely online.

Based on your future choices, you should choose between IELTS, TOEFL, and PTE, keep in mind that certain types of Australian visas need IELTS scores. For more information check this blog about IELTS, TOEFL, and PTE, out it will tell you the difference between these exams.

It is quite popular. Better acceptance than TOEFL.