What is a Good Score in TOEFL Listening? How Is It Calculated?
"A detailed overview of what is a good score in TOEFL Listening and how it is calculated, featuring expert tips and strategies to help you excel in the TOEFL test."
Key Highlights
The calculation of your TOEFL iBT Listening score is a simple process. You earn a single point for each correct answer, and these points are summed up to form your raw score. This raw score is then converted to a scaled score ranging from 0 to 30, which becomes your final TOEFL Listening score. Thus, a score of 25+ is generally considered a good score in the TOEFL Listening section.
Want to know what a good TOEFL Listening score is and how it's calculated? You've come to the right place. Let's dive in and learn more about it!
What is a Good Score in TOEFL Listening?
Here's an overview of the score descriptors to help you understand what each score means and what’s a good score in the TOEFL iBT Listening section. Generally, a score of 25+ is considered a good score in the TOEFL Listening section
Level |
Score |
CEFR Level |
Description |
Advanced |
22–30 |
C1 |
Test takers have a strong understanding of conversations and lectures in academic settings. Note: Test takers scoring 28-30 may perform at CEFR Level C2. |
High-Intermediate |
17–21 |
B2 |
Test takers generally understand the main ideas and important details of academic conversations and lectures. but struggle with densely packed information. |
Low-Intermediate |
9–16 |
B1 |
Test takers understand the main ideas and some important details of academic conversations and lectures. |
Below Low-Intermediate |
0-8 |
— |
Test takers with scores below 9 have not demonstrated proficiency at the Low-Intermediate level. |
TOEFL Listening Score Calculation
The TOEFL listening section consists of 28 questions. Each correct answer is worth one point. So, the highest possible raw score is 28. To determine your final score, this raw score is then converted to a scale of 30 points, known as a scaled score.
A simple formula to convert your raw listening score to the scaled score is - (Raw Score ÷ 28) × 30 = Scaled Score. Refer to the chart below to understand the TOEFL Listening score calculation.
TOEFL iBT Raw Score (0-28) |
TOEFL iBT Scaled Score (0-30) |
28 |
30 |
27 |
29-30 |
26 |
27-30 |
25 |
25-30 |
24 |
24-29 |
23 |
23-27 |
22 |
22-26 |
21 |
21-25 |
20 |
19-24 |
19 |
18-23 |
18 |
17-21 |
17 |
16-20 |
16 |
14-19 |
15 |
13-18 |
14 |
12-17 |
13 |
10-15 |
12 |
9-14 |
11 |
7-13 |
10 |
6-12 |
9 |
5-10 |
8 |
3-9 |
7 |
2-7 |
6 |
1-6 |
5 |
1-4 |
4 |
0-2 |
3 |
0-1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Note: The raw scores convert only to a range of scaled scores. Every test is different.
Tips to Get a Good Score in TOEFL Listening Section
Here are some effective strategies to get a good score in the TOEFL Listening section and improve your performance.
- Before choosing between two answers, make sure you've eliminated the obviously wrong ones.
- Be careful to eliminate obviously wrong options on multiple-choice questions before narrowing it down to two options.
- Listen closely to the audio and create a mental picture of it. This will help you remember the details, especially when dealing with longer passages. Visualizing the information can make it easier to recall later.
- Pay close attention to words and phrases that signal important information, transitions, or conclusions, such as "however," "on the other hand," and "to sum up.").
- Practices identifying tones of voice that reflect a person's emotions or attitudes, such as skepticism, enthusiasm, or disagreement. The ability to identify this skill is critical for being able to determine some question types.
Remember, consistent practice and wise application of strategies is the way to getting a good score in the TOEFL listening section.
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