TOEFL Score, how to understand the TOEFL test score

TOEFL iBT Internet Based Test Score

The TOEFL iBT is scored on a scale of 0 to 120 points. You can receive a score from 0 to 30 in each of the four TOEFL test sections: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Your total TOEFL score is the sum of the scores from the four sections.

In order to receive an official TOEFL score, you must answer at least one question in both the Reading and Listening sections, complete at least one Speaking task and write at least one essay.

TOEFL PBT Paper-based Test Score

The final TOEFL PBT score can range from 310 to 677. It is based on the subscores from these three sections of the TOEFL test: Reading (31–67), Listening (31–68) and Structure (31–68). The score from the Writing section is not included in the final score. It is reported separately (from 0 to 6 points) and is referred to as the Test of Written English TWE.

The score that you get on the Reading, Listening and Structure sections of the TOEFL PBT is not simply the percentage of correct answers. Since it is taken into account that some test questions are more difficult to answer than others, the converted score is a more accurate evaluation of your English skills.

How do I receive my TOEFL test score?

Your TOEFL test score will be posted online within two weeks after the test date. Your score will also be mailed two weeks after the test date to the universities or institutions you selected when you registered yourself for the TOEFL test. You can order additional score reports after your TOEFL score has become available online. You should allow 7 – 10 days for mail delivery of your TOEFL test score in the United States and more than four weeks for other areas. Therefore you should take the TOEFL test at least two to three months before your earliest application deadline. A TOEFL score is valid for two years, and you can take the TOEFL test as many times as you like.

Accepted TOEFL Test Score

There is no passing or failing the TOEFL test: higher education institutions and agencies set their own TOEFL score requirements. The minimum required TOEFL iBT score ranges from 61 (for example, at Bowling Green State University) to 109 (for example, at Columbia and Harvard). An analysis of TOEFL admission scores has shown that a TOEFL iBT score of 74.2 for undergraduates and 82.6 for graduates can be required. 

As for the TOEFL PBT test, the highest TOEFL test score that you might need is around 630. The lowest TOEFL score that you will need is probably about 450.