TOEFL Scores

The TOEFL iBT scores range from 0 to 120.  The four sections (reading, listening, speaking and writing) are each given scores on a scale from 0 to 30.  These subscores are then added together for the total score.  
The questions on the reading and listening sections are scored automatically by computer. Each of the 6 tasks in the speaking section has an initial score of 0 to 4 which is then converted to the 0 to 30 scale.  Certified test scores will rate your responses based on how well you develop your topic and deliver your response in English. Likewise, the two writing section tasks each have an initial score of 0 to 5 which is then converted to the 0 to 30 scale.  The certified test scorers grade your responses based organization, grammar, vocabulary and overall quality.

The TOEFL scores on the Paper-based (PBT) test range from 310 to 677.  The listening comprehension and structure/written expression sections are both scored on a range of 31 to 68.  The reading comprehension section is score on a range of 31 to 67.  The raw scores for each section are then converted to the TOEFL test scale range of 310 to 677.

Getting your TOEFL Scores

TOEFL Scores are available online and are mailed about 15 business days after your TOEFL test date.

Interpreting your TOEFL Scores

The best way to understand your TOEFL Scores is by comparing them to other students and seeing what your preferred colleges or organizations require. Your scores on each of the four sections can be broadly grouped to give you an indication of how well you scored.  The table below lists these groupings.

Skill	Score Range	Score Level
TOEFL Reading	0 -14 15-21 22-30	Low Intermediate High
TOEFL Listening	0 -14 15-21 22-30	Low Intermediate High
TOEFL Speaking	0 -9 10-17 18-25 26-30	Weak Limited Fair Good
TOEFL Writing	1-16 17-23 24-30	Limited Fair Good

The table below lists your percentile compared to other students.  For example, if you scored a 24 on your TOEFL Listening score, this implies that your percentile score is 56 (i.e., you scored better than 56% of the other students who took the TOEFL Test).  For students who took the exam last year, the average (mean) TOEFL Scores were 19.1 for reading, 19.8 for listening, 19.2 for speaking and 20.2 for writing.  The average (mean) total TOEFL score was 78.

 

 TOEFL Percentiles for Individual Sections

Scale Score	Reading	Listening	Speaking	Writing
30	97	98	99	98
29	86	88	98	95
28	79	79	96	90
27	73	72	93	84
26	68	67	89	n/a
25	63	61	n/a	76
24	59	56	82	68
23	55	52	73	n/a
22	51	48	63	58
21	48	44	n/a	48
20	45	41	54	38
19	41	38	44	n/a
18	38	34	34	31
17	36	31	23	23
16	33	29	n/a	n/a
15	30	26	14	17
14	28	24	96	11
13	25	21	n/a	n/a
12	23	19	4	732
11	20	17	3	n/a
10	18	15	2	11
9	16	13	1
8	14	12
7	12	10
6	10	8
5	8	7
4	6	5
3	4	3
2	3	1
1	1
0

TOEFL Percentiles for Total Scores

Total	Percentile
120	100
116	99
112	95
108	90
104	84
100	78
96	71
92	65
88	58
84	52
80	47
76	41
72	36
68	31
64	27
60	23
56	19
52	16
48	13
44	10
40	8
36	5
32	4
28	2
24	1
20	1
16
12
8
4
0

Source: ETS (pdf) 

 To improve your scores, try our Free TOEFL Practice Tests.