{"id":360,"date":"2014-03-19T16:31:34","date_gmt":"2014-03-19T23:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/?p=360"},"modified":"2020-12-10T13:47:16","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:47:16","slug":"how-the-toefl-scoring-system-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/how-the-toefl-scoring-system-works\/","title":{"rendered":"How the TOEFL Scoring System Works"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For many non-native English speakers who want to earn a degree from a university in an English-speaking country, the TOEFL is a must. But unfortunately, the TOEFL score scale isn&#8217;t the most straightforward. So hopefully I can make it a little bit clearer for you.<\/p>\n<h2>How are TOEFL scores derived?<\/h2>\n<p>Like any standardized test (e.g. the GRE, GMAT, SAT\u2026) the TOEFL has its own unique scoring system. It is not a percent-correct score, so getting 100 on the TOEFL doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re a native speaker!<\/p>\n<p>Instead, the maximum score on the TOEFL is 120. The test is broken into four parts, and the scores reflect that. Each of the four sections\u2014reading, listening, speaking, and writing\u2014is worth 30 points. Generally speaking, graduate school or college programs do not look seriously at the individual scores, though: the combined score out of 120 is the most important number.<\/p>\n<h2>How Is the Percent Correct Related to the Final TOEFL Score?<\/h2>\n<p>Since the TOEFL is standardized, the scores are \u201cequated\u201d. This means that the number of correct answers you have does not correspond perfectly with the final mark.<\/p>\n<p>This is because one version of the exam might be harder than another version. One test might have a reading passage which average students have a lot of trouble on, but another test might have slightly easier reading passages. Equating the tests means that TOEFL scores are comparable even though test-takers read different passages, hear different lectures, and answer different questions on different days.<\/p>\n<p>ETS does not share their system for equating scores, so it\u2019s not easy to calculate your TOEFL score using just a percentage correct. Each test must be scored differently from other versions of the test.<\/p>\n<h2>What\u2019s a Good TOEFL Score?<\/h2>\n<p>This depends completely on what programs you are interested in. The short answer is that you should check with the college or university you are going to apply to and ask if they have minimum TOEFL scores (or take a look at our <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/toefl-scores\/\">infographic<\/a> to see the required scores of top universities). It\u2019s very important to know your <i>personal<\/i> goal when you <a href=\"https:\/\/toefl.magoosh.com\/?utm_source=TOEFLBlog&amp;utm_medium=BlogPost&amp;utm_campaign=InText\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">start studying<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Some test-takers only need a combined score of 60 or 70\u2014this would usually be for associate\u2019s degree programs, but it\u2019s possible to find other programs that accept scores at that level. Meanwhile, the top master\u2019s or PhD programs in the country usually require much higher scores, many at over 100\u2014this is a very advanced, completely conversational level of English. And at that level, many schools don\u2019t even require TOEFL scores if you have high enough GRE, GMAT, LSAT, or MCAT scores. Other tests already check English skills, so the TOEFL isn\u2019t always necessary.<\/p>\n<p>But the most important thing is that you find out what <b>your<\/b> programs want.<\/p>\n<p>And don&#8217;t forget to check out more from me on TOEFL:<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"TOEFL Reading Practice\" href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/the-best-toefl-reading-practice\/\">TOEFL Reading Practice<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For even more information about the TOEFL exam, check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/\">Magoosh TOEFL Blog<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For many non-native English speakers who want to earn a degree from a university in an English-speaking country, the TOEFL is a must. But unfortunately, the TOEFL score scale isn&#8217;t the most straightforward. So hopefully I can make it a little bit clearer for you. How are TOEFL scores derived? Like any standardized test (e.g. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13599],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[13628],"class_list":["post-360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-scores"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.7 (Yoast SEO v21.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How the TOEFL Scoring System Works<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Want to know more about TOEFL scores and how they&#039;re derived? 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