Choose overall or an individual skill to compare TOEFL score scales. Use the complete ETS table and worked examples to avoid confusing a comparison range with an official result.
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Compare earlier TOEFL overall or section scores with the ETS 1–6 bands. An earlier overall score of 95–106 compares with 5.0, while section ranges differ. A reverse lookup returns the supported range, not an exact earlier score.
Choose the score type on your report. This tool compares the two TOEFL scales; it does not score answers, predict a result or decide whether an institution will accept you. The lookup runs in your browser and needs no account.
On a current report during the transition, use the comparable overall value shown on your official report for an application and check the recipient's requirements. View the ETS comparison source.
The earlier total is out of 120; each earlier section is out of 30. Read across the correct column. Bounded overall ranges below end one point below the next ETS threshold.
| 1–6 band | Earlier overall | Reading | Listening | Speaking | Writing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | 114–120 | 29–30 | 28–30 | 28–30 | 29–30 |
| 5.5 | 107–113 | 27–28 | 26–27 | 27 | 27–28 |
| 5.0 | 95–106 | 24–26 | 22–25 | 25–26 | 24–26 |
| 4.5 | 86–94 | 22–23 | 20–21 | 23–24 | 21–23 |
| 4.0 | 72–85 | 18–21 | 17–19 | 20–22 | 17–20 |
| 3.5 | 58–71 | 12–17 | 13–16 | 18–19 | 15–16 |
| 3.0 | 44–57 | 6–11 | 9–12 | 16–17 | 13–14 |
| 2.5 | 34–43 | 4–5 | 6–8 | 13–15 | 11–12 |
| 2.0 | 24–33 | 3 | 4–5 | 10–12 | 7–10 |
| 1.5 | 12–23 | 2 | 2–3 | 5–9 | 3–6 |
| 1.0 | 0–11 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 |
Consider an older report with Reading 24, Listening 24, Speaking 24 and Writing 24. The total is 96, which sits in the overall 5.0 comparison range. The Speaking column compares 24 with 4.5. An overall comparison cannot settle a separate Speaking requirement.
Consider another older report with Reading 22, Listening 24, Speaking 24 and Writing 24. Its total is 94, which compares with overall 4.5. The individual comparisons are Reading 4.5, Listening 5.0, Speaking 4.5 and Writing 5.0. Averaging those converted bands gives 4.75 and rounding gives 5.0, not the 4.5 comparison for the original total. Keep the report and its original scale intact.
Both 95 and 106 fall in the overall 5.0 range. Knowing only a band therefore cannot recover a learner's exact earlier total. A receiving organisation's requirement of 100 needs its own current policy and your official report, not a claim that every band 5.0 means exactly 100.
These are original worked arithmetic examples, not learner records or admissions decisions.
For tests from 21 January 2026, ETS reports four section bands and an overall band on the 1–6 scale. The current overall is the mean of the four current section bands, rounded to the nearest half band. ETS gives 5.125 → 5.0 and 5.25 → 5.5 as examples.
During the two-year transition, reports also show a comparable overall value on the earlier 0–120 scale. Check that value on your official report. Institutions decide which tests, dates, overall scores and section minimums they accept.
For cross-test planning, use the IELTS–TOEFL comparison resource with its separate research limitations. For practice, open the current TOEFL task guide.
Sources checked . This independent English AIdol guide and its worked examples were prepared with AI assistance. No ETS endorsement or human expert review is claimed.
Start with the total score, then check the four section scores. Many universities list an overall minimum but also require minimums in Speaking, Writing, Reading, or Listening. A total score that looks acceptable may still fail if one section is below the required threshold.
If your score is below target, review the section breakdown and current retake rules before booking again. Use timed practice to check whether the relevant weakness has changed; a total-score conversion cannot show whether a section score satisfies a programme's individual minimum.
In the ETS overall table, 100 falls within 95–106, which compares with band 5.0. This does not establish whether a particular institution accepts your report or whether you meet its section minimums.
The comparison table gives a range. For example, overall band 5.0 corresponds to 95–106. Current official reports also contain a comparable overall value during the transition; use the value on that report instead of inventing an exact score.
No. An earlier section score of 24 compares with 5.0 in Reading, Listening and Writing, but 4.5 in Speaking. Always select the relevant skill.
No. Compare an earlier total using the overall column and earlier sections using their own columns. A current overall result is based on the four current section bands; converting older sections and averaging them is not the same operation.
No. It compares TOEFL reported-score scales only. It does not turn practice accuracy, a raw question count or an IELTS band into an official TOEFL result.