You’ve just taken the TOEFL (or a TOEFL practice test), and you’ve received a score in the form of a number from 0 – 120. But what does this number mean? How does this score compare to everyone else’s score? That’s where score percentiles come in!
TOEFL Percentile Breakdown
Score percentiles tell you how your score compares to everyone else’s. Your “percentile” tells you what percentage of test-takers you scored better than. For example, if your score puts you in the 75th percentile, this means that you scored higher than 75% of all test-takers. You can find out your percentile rank with this chart:
| Total Scale Score | Percentile Rank |
|---|---|
| 120 | 100 |
| 116 | 99 |
| 112 | 97 |
| 108 | 93 |
| 104 | 88 |
| 100 | 81 |
| 96 | 74 |
| 92 | 67 |
| 88 | 59 |
| 84 | 51 |
| 80 | 44 |
| 76 | 37 |
| 72 | 31 |
| 68 | 25 |
| 64 | 20 |
| 60 | 16 |
| 56 | 13 |
| 52 | 10 |
| 48 | 8 |
| 44 | 6 |
| 40 | 4 |
| 36 | 3 |
| 32 | 2 |
| 28 | 1 |
| 24 | 1 |
| 20 | — |
| 16 | — |
| 12 | — |
| 8 | — |
| 4 | — |
| 0 | — |
So, if you scored a 116, you scored better than 99% of all test-takers (according to this data from ETS).
Does your TOEFL score percentile matter?
Yes, and no. Your score on the TOEFL matters, of course. But, that’s all that universities will look at — they won’t also check your percentile rank. As long as your score meets the requirements for the universities you’re applying to, then that’s all that matters. Here are some requirements for top universities, and you can learn more about what makes a “good” TOEFL score in this post. If you’d like to improve your score so that you meet your universities’ requirements, take a look at our online TOEFL preparation course!
Percentiles are just a useful way to help you compare yourself to the general population of TOEFL test-takers. And if your percentile isn’t as high as you’d like it to be, don’t worry! When you apply to universities, you won’t be measured against everyone else who took the TOEFL — only the students who are also applying to the same universities as you. So, be sure to check out those score requirements above, and happy studying!
My friend requires an total score of 80 on his test. He needs 20 in all sections. Your percentile table gives me hope. It is only the 44th percentile and I think he can do that. But still my anxiety won’t be gone until we get the test results. 🙁
I’m glad this could help ease some of the anxiety for both you and your friend. 🙂 Some test day anxiety is normal, of course. But hopefully your friend can go into the test center feeling relaxed and confident. A good mood can help someone get a good score.
I got 100 in total. r:26, L:28, S:23, W:23. How competent is this score>?
Hi Rishu,
Congrats on taking the TOEFL! A 100 is a solid TOEFL score, and you performed better than 80% of test-takers. However, the answer to this question really depends on what school you are applying to! Each school will have it’s own requirement. I recommend that you research the programs you are interested in and determine their score requirements–that is the best way to determine if your score is where you need it to be 🙂
I received 113 on my TOEFL test. Thanks for your writing PDF document that you guys shared for free. It really helped me a lot !!
Congrats on such an awesome score, Mani! I’m so glad that our resources were helpful for you 🙂
Mani, could you share with me this “writing PDF” that Magoosh has for free?
I can help, Daniel! 🙂 Mani must be talking about one of our three TOEFL Writing eBooks. Links to them are below:
1) The Magoosh TOEFL Writing PDF (How to Ace TOEFL Writing)
2) The Magoosh TOEFL Writing Tips eBook
3) The Magoosh TOEFL Writing Template PDF
I’ve just received a 117 score on my TOEFL 🙂 Thanks for the speaking materials shared for free, as you guys helped me a lot on the session I had the most difficulty!
That’s an amazing outcome, Ana! Well done. We are glad to have been part of your success. 🙂
Hey ! I have a score of 101 in TOEFL
R : 27
L : 23
S : 24
W : 27
Although the overall is a pretty good score, i believe my listening is below average. I’ve applied to 8 US universities (all top 50 schools)for a master’s program. Each school had a min req ranging from 80-100 which ik i’ve breached but i am worried about having to take up extra english courses upon arriving there to prove my potential since i have low listening and speaking scores. Although, no such thing has been mentioned on the univ websites, one of my senior friend told me that in his university students below 105 had to give an english exam in their first semester to make up for low Toefl scores.
Hi Shreyas,
Ultimately, I do not know what will happen in your case, because it varies program to program, not to mention university to university. It is possible that you will have some conditions on you——this could mean you are not able to apply for certain TA positions without further tests or it could be as simple as one quick listening test at some time or… it could never affect you. If you are concerned, you need to submit your questions to the admissions and academic authorities of the universities you want to attend. Good luck! 🙂
Hello , I need to calculate the percentiles by topic (listening, reading, etc) is there another table II can check? thanks.
Yes, there is another table you can check, right on the official ETS website. 🙂 Just go to page 5 of the PDF entitled “Test and Score Data Summary for the TOEFL iBT.”
Hi, I used Magoosh Toefl for my preparation. I got 113/120 in Toefl.
R-29, L- 30, S- 27, W- 27.
Will it affect my chance of getting Teaching assistantships (TAs) in certain colleges?
Hi Sidhaarth,
First of all, congrats on such an amazing score! Many universities require that TAs (or even Research Assistants) gain higher scores in order to be eligible for those positions. The university might require a certain minimum score in one section (such as speaking), or the overall score requirement might be higher. In either case, you will have to look at the requirements for your particular school. With such a high score, I doubt these different requirements will be an issue for you, though 🙂
Hello! I took the test in August 24, 2019. Are the above percentiles still valid? Also, I got a score of 103/120 overall which is not in the above scale. The university I am applying to asks for my percentiles. Could you help on how can I find them?
Thank you in advance
Hi Dafni,
Here are the newest percentiles, but you’ll notice that they don’t really change from year to year (this is how ETS ensures that the test is standardized across years). 103 still isn’t listed specifically. I would recommend that you contact the admissions office of your target school to ask them where they expect you to find this information, since it’s not generally listed on the score report.
Just got my scores: 118/120
I am just 1000% happy right now as this gives me the chance to start my doctoral studies soon 🙂
Thank you
Sami
Congrats, Sami!