TOEFL scores
What is a good TOEFL score?
If you are looking for a number out of 120, you are reading advice for a test that no longer exists in that form. The updated TOEFL iBT reports each of the four sections on a band from 1 to 6. This page explains what each band actually means, and which one you need. If you want the wider picture, see what changed in the 2026 test, which also covers how the bands relate to the previous 0 to 120 scale.
The short answer
Band 4 is the usual target. It corresponds to CEFR B2 and is the level most universities treat as workable for study in English. Band 5 gives you room for competitive admissions. Band 6 is native-like and almost nobody is required to reach it.
Before you aim at a number, check the actual requirement for your programme. Institutions differ, some set a minimum per section rather than an overall figure, and an overall band that hides a weak section can still fail a per-section requirement.
Use the free TOEFL score converter and overall calculator to compare a band with the previous 0–120 scale or average four section bands.
What each band means
| Band | CEFR | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | C2 | Full, native-like command.Beyond what almost any programme asks for. |
| 5 | C1 | Handles complex, academic English with ease.Comfortable for demanding degrees and competitive admissions. |
| 4 | B2 | Handles most everyday and academic English.The level most universities treat as workable. |
| 3 | B1 | Manages familiar topics, stumbles on complex ones.Usually below entry requirements for degree study. |
| 2 | A2 | Copes with simple, routine exchanges.Early stage. |
| 1 | A1 | Basic words and phrases.Starting out. |
CEFR levels are broad, so treat this as a guide rather than an exact conversion.
How the overall band is worked out
Your overall TOEFL iBT score is the average of your Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing band scores, rounded to the nearest half band. For example, an average of 5.25 rounds to 5.5. This averaging is the official ETS rule. That arithmetic has a consequence worth planning around.
Suppose you sit at 5, 5, 5 and 3. Your average is 4.5. Pushing two of those fives to six moves you to 4.75, which still rounds to 4.5. Lifting the 3 to a 4 moves you to 4.75 as well, but lifting it to a 5 moves you to 5.0.
Work on your worst section. It feels less pleasant than polishing what you are already good at, and it is worth several times more.
Where the bands come from
Each section builds its band from item-level scores rather than a single overall impression, and each section counts them differently:
- Reading and Listening are adaptive and marked automatically. Your first module decides whether the second is the easier or harder set, which shapes the difficulty and content of the questions you see.
- Writing combines 10 Build a Sentence points with Write an Email and the Academic Discussion, each scored 0 to 5, so the sentence items are half the section.
- Speaking scores each of 11 items separately, so one poor answer costs you one item rather than the whole section.
Official rule vs practice estimate
The averaging above - the overall score as the average of the four section bands, rounded to the nearest half band - is the official ETS method. But ETS does not publish a simple formula that turns raw section performance into a 1 to 6 band, so the section bands YourTOEFLPrep shows you are an estimated practice score to help you prepare, not the official ETS section score.
Common questions
- What is a good TOEFL score on the new scale?
- Band 4 is the level most universities treat as workable, and corresponds roughly to CEFR B2. Band 5 is comfortable for demanding academic programmes. Band 6 is native-like command and is rarely required.
- Why is TOEFL not scored out of 120 any more?
- The updated test reports each of the four sections on a 1 to 6 band, in half-point steps, rather than 0 to 30 per section and 0 to 120 overall. For two years after 21 January 2026, official score reports also show a comparable score on the previous 0 to 120 scale, so a university quoting an older requirement can still read your report. ETS provides an official concordance table between the new bands and the old totals; it is a matched comparison, not a simple arithmetic conversion. Advice written around the old total no longer maps directly onto what you receive.
- How is the overall TOEFL band calculated?
- It is the average of your four section bands, rounded to the nearest half point. One weak section pulls the average down, so it is usually worth more to lift your worst section than to polish your best.
- What CEFR level is each TOEFL band?
- Roughly: band 6 is C2, band 5 is C1, band 4 is B2, band 3 is B1, band 2 is A2 and band 1 is A1. CEFR levels are broad, so treat the mapping as a guide rather than an exact conversion.
Find your current band
Guessing where you stand is the most common way people waste preparation time. A free practice test gives you a band for each section, so you know which one is actually holding your average down.
Practice bands are an estimate to help you prepare. They are not an ETS score and are not reported to anyone.