How to Calculate TOEFL Score? Understand TOEFL iBT Score

TOEFL, the Test of English as a Foreign Language is conducted by ETS. This test is required to prove the English proficiency of the study abroad applicants aiming to study in English-speaking countries. The TOEFL score is accepted in over 200 countries and 13,000 universities and institutions. The TOEFL score has four sections and each section carries 30 points which makes it a total of 120 points for the TOEFL exam. It takes approximately 4-8 days for the final TOEFL score to come in after the TOEFL exam date. The universities also receive the final TOEFL score within the same timeline or in a maximum of 11 days. The validity of your TOEFL score is two years from the test date. In this article, we explain the different concepts related to the TOEFL scoring process and also how the test is scored.

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TOEFL Test Pattern

TOEFL is of two types: TOEFL iBT and TOEFL essential. TOEFL iBT is delivered via the Internet. The test measures your ability to use and understand English at the university level. It checks how well you combine your listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills to perform academic tasks. TOEFL essential is a shorter version of the TOEFL iBT test. the duration is 1.5 hours and it can be given from the comfort of your home.

There are four sections (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) in the TOEFL iBT, which consumes a total of about 2.5 hours to complete, including 30 minutes of check-in. The TOEFL test patterns of both types are mentioned below.

TOEFL iBT Pattern

TOEFL Essentials Pattern

Reading: The reading section comprises 20 questions, where you have to read some passages from academic textbooks and answer accordingly. The section TOEFL score ranges from 0 to 30 similar to the listening section.

Listening: This section comprises 28 questions where you are required to listen to lectures and different kinds of conversations including classroom discussions. After which, you have to answer questions surrounding the discussions. The listening section measures test takers' abilities to understand English in everyday settings.

Speaking: It comprises 4 tasks which are rated from TOEFL scores 0 to 4. This is later converted to a TOEFL score of 0 to 30. In the speaking section, there will be an Independent Speaking Task which will require the applicant to answer according to their own ideas, opinions, and experiences. The other task will be Integrated Speaking Tasks which will require applicants to combine their English-language skills in or out of a classroom. The listening and speaking section includes native English speakers with accents from North America. Thus, you are likely to hear speech in different accents from Australia, New Zealand, and UK.

Writing: The writing section has two tasks, where you have to write essay responses based on the reading and listening tasks. You have to support your opinion in the writing section. In this section, scores of TOEFLare rated from 0 to 5 are converted to a scale of 0 to 30.

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Understanding TOEFL Scores

The scoring pattern of TOEFL is different from other English proficiency tests like PTE and IELTS. While all three English language proficiency tests your understanding of the foreign language, each test has different test pattern and duration. TOEFL score is measured on a 0–120 scale, i.e. 0–30 TOEFL scores for each section.

TOEFL Score Level

How to Calculate TOEFL Scores?

Although the score range for each of the four test sections (Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing) is from 0 to 30, each section has a separate measure and each measure has its own scale. Here, we are introducing the way to calculate TOEFL scores for each section of the exam.

How to Calculate TOEFL Scores: TOEFL Reading Score Calculator

The reading section has multiple-choice items, thus your TOEFL scores are based on your performance. The Reading section has 20 questions based on reading passages from academic texts and answering questions. You will receive one point for each correct response except for the last question of each set, which is worth two points. The total TOEFL scores for the reading section are then converted to a score on a scale of 0–30.

How to calculate TOEFL scores: TOEFL Listening Score Calculator

The Listening section has 28 questions based on listening to lectures, classroom discussions, and conversations, and then answering questions. Applicants are allotted one point for each correct answer. Some questions are even worth 2 points. The total points that you receive are converted to 0–30 a scale.

How to calculate TOEFL scores: TOEFL Speaking Score Calculator

Speaking skills are scored with a SpeechRater program - an automated scoring system for the TOEFL speaking test. The SpeechRater program uses all 4 task's responses to determine your overall speaking abilities, which is then converted to TOEFL scores on a scale of 0–30.

How to calculate TOEFL scores: TOEFL Writing Score Calculator

While the two writing tasks are scored by e-rater automatic scoring technology. The score range for the writing skill is from 1 (low) to 5 (high), your writing task rating is summed and converted to a score on a scale of 0–30. Candidates might even get 0 for wrong answers.

Extra TOEFL Questions

The test you take may include extra questions in the Reading or Listening section that do not count toward your TOEFL score. These are either questions that allow ETS to make scores of TOEFL comparable across administrations or new questions that help ETS determine how such questions function under actual testing conditions. It is recommended to read the timing instructions for the Reading Section carefully. The instructions will indicate how many passages you will receive and the amount of time you have to respond to questions for those passages. Make sure to pace yourself so that you have time to answer all the questions without leaving any answers.

Also, after completing the scored sections of the TOEFL Essentials test, there is an unscored Personal Video Statement section. Here the applicant will be asked to answer two questions in English. This Personal Video Statement will allow the applicants to share additional insights about themselves and showcase their unique traits. Note that these responses are not scored.

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