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    How to Calculate TOEFL Score? Understand TOEFL iBT Score

    How to Calculate TOEFL Score? Understand TOEFL iBT Score

    Prabhjyot KaurUpdated on 30 Jan 2025, 12:52 PM IST

    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.

    How to Calculate TOEFL Score? Understand TOEFL iBT Score
    How to calculate TOEFL scores

    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

    SectionEstimated Timing
    Questions/Tasks
    Description
    Reading35 minutes20 questionsRead passages and respond to questions.
    Listening36 minutes28 questionsAnswer questions about brief lectures or classroom discussions.
    Speaking16 minutes4 tasksTalk about a familiar topic and discuss material you read and heard.
    Writing29 minutes2 tasks

    Read a passage, listen to a recording, and type your response.

    State and support an opinion in an online classroom discussion.

    TOEFL Essentials Pattern

    SectionTimeQuestionsTasks

    Listening

    21–34 min.

    30–45

    Answer questions about conversations and talks in various settings

    Reading

    22–33 min.

    30–45

    Answer questions about short academic and nonacademic texts

    Writing

    24–30 min.

    14–18 questions and 2 tasks

    Build sentences and write responses for everyday and academic situations

    Speaking

    13 min.

    3 tasks with 19 responses

    Retell written and spoken input, and speak to a simulated interviewer

    Personal Video Statement

    5 min.

    2

    Answer questions about yourself and your opinions (not scored)

    The TOEFL Essentials test takes about 1.5 hours to complete. A check-in time of 20 minutes should also be added to the total duration which makes the total time for the TOEFL Essentials to be 1 hour 50 minutes. Applicants can conveniently take this test through their homes. The TOEFL score for TOEFL essentials can be expected 6 days after the test date.


    Section-Wise Breakdown of the TOEFL Test

    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.

    No. of Questions

    Duration

    Scores

    20

    35 minutes

    0–30 (1 Point for each correct response)

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    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.

    No. of Questions

    Duration

    Scores

    28

    36 minutes

    0–30 (1 Point for each correct response or 2 points for questions worth 2 points)

    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.

    No. of Questions

    Duration

    Scores

    4 tasks

    16 minutes

    0–30 (1 Point for each correct response)

    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.

    No. of Questions

    DurationScores
    2 tasks29 minutes0-30
    TOEFL Preparation Tips
    Candidates can able to Know the best tricks to approach every section and crack the test.
    Check Now

    You May Also Like: TOEFL Result

    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

    SkillLevel
    Reading

    Advanced (24–30)
    High-Intermediate (18–23)
    Low-Intermediate (4–17)
    Below Low-Intermediate (0–3)

    Listening

    Advanced (22–30)
    High-Intermediate (17–21)
    Low-Intermediate (9–16)
    Below Low-Intermediate (0–8)

    Speaking

    Advanced (25–30)
    High-Intermediate (20–24)
    Low-Intermediate (16–19)
    Basic (10–15)
    Below Basic (0–9)

    Writing

    Advanced (24–30)
    High-Intermediate (17–23)
    Low-Intermediate (13–16)
    Basic (7–12)
    Below Basic (0–6)

    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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    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Q: What is a good TOEFL score out of 120?
    A:

    90 is an average TOEFL score. Anything above 100 is a good TOEFL score.  

    Q: What is the passing score for TOEFL?
    A:

    There is no failing or passing score in TOEFL as set by ETS.

    Q: How is the TOEFL score calculated?
    A:

    The TOEFL score is calculated by adding the scores of each of the four sections. Each section namely reading, writing, listening and speaking carries equal points, i.e. 30.  

    Q: How can I predict my TOEFL score?
    A:

    Applicants are advised to take a practice test and calculate their scores. each TOEFL section is scored out of 30, making the total score 120. Analyze the sample test results and predict your score accordingly. 

    Q: Is TOEFL harder than IELTS?
    A:

    Many applicants find TOEFL to be more formal and structured as compared to IELTS. IELTS is relatively shorter. The reading section in IELTS is perceived to be far easier than in TOEFL. Hence, applicants have to prepare for TOEFL much harder, considering just the reading section.

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