What is a Good TOEFL iBT® Score?
"Understand what is a good TOEFL score, the benchmarks for each section, interpret various score ranges, and receive expert insights on achieving your target score."
Key Highlights
Understanding what constitutes a good TOEFL iBT® score is key to maximising your opportunities and ensuring you meet your goals. To help you prepare effectively and achieve the score you need, we will cover all the essential points that will give you a clear understanding of what a good TOEFL score is.
ETS, the conducting body of TOEFL, establishes formal benchmarks for TOEFL score proficiency. It provides guidance on setting score requirements for the TOEFL iBT test through a concordance table for institutions that shows the comparison of the TOEFL scores with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) levels.
What is a Good TOEFL Score According to ETS?
The table below explores the comparison between the overall TOEFL scores with CERF levels and provides you with an idea about an ideal score that you need to achieve to prove your mastery.
CEFR Level |
TOEFL iBT total score (0-120) |
C2 |
114–120 |
C1 |
95-113 |
B2 |
72–94 |
B1 |
42–71 |
A2 |
N.A. |
A1 |
N.A. |
Below A1 |
N.A. |
Note: Along with your TOEFL results, you will receive a document titled "performance feedback", which includes a synopsis of your overall score in each TOEFL section. However, your performance in each TOEFL section will be described separately.
TOEFL Score Levels for Reading and Listening
ETS's performance feedback divides the TOEFL score into four range levels: Advanced, High Intermediate, Low Intermediate, and Below Low Intermediate.
Let us have a look at a quick summary of the TOEFL score levels for the TOEFL TOEFL Reading iBT and TOEFL Listening iBT sections.
Level |
Score Range for Listening |
Score Range for Reading |
Advanced |
22-30 |
24-30 |
High Intermediate |
17-21 |
18-23 |
Low Intermediate |
9-16 |
4-17 |
Below Low Intermediate |
0-8 |
0-3 |
TOEFL Score Levels for Writing and Speaking
Five TOEFL Speaking performance feedback categories are provided in TOEFL performance reports: Advanced, High Intermediate, Low Intermediate, Basic, and Below Basic. The following are brief descriptions of these five levels.
Level |
Score Range for Speaking |
Score Range for Writing |
Advanced |
25-30 |
24-30 |
High Intermediate |
20-24 |
17-23 |
Low Intermediate |
16-19 |
13-16 |
Basic |
10-15 |
7-12 |
Below Basic |
0-9 |
0-6 |
Check out - What is a Good TOEFL iBT® Writing Score in 2024?
What is a Good TOEFL Score According to TOEFL Score Percentiles?
A student's proficiency with the English language is indicated by their TOEFL percentile rank. ETS calculates your percentiles by comparing your TOEFL score against that of other test-takers who are similarly educated, speak the same language, are citizens of the same nation, or are of the same gender as you.
TOEFL Overall Score |
Percentile |
120 |
100 |
116 |
99 |
112 |
96 |
108 |
91 |
104 |
83 |
100 |
73 |
96 |
63 |
92 |
53 |
88 |
44 |
84 |
37 |
80 |
30 |
76 |
24 |
72 |
19 |
68 |
15 |
64 |
12 |
60 |
9 |
Note: The information provided above is based on test-taker data from January to December 2023.
Want to achieve your desired TOEFL score?
Check out our expertly curated TOEFL practice tests.
What is a Good TOEFL Score for Top Global Universities?
Explore the required TOEFL score of some of the top universities in the four most desired countries for educational opportunities.
Name of University |
Country |
Minimum Overall TOEFL Score (out of 120) |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) |
USA |
90 |
Harvard University |
USA |
100 |
Stanford University |
USA |
100 |
University of California (UCB) |
USA |
90 |
University of Chicago |
USA |
80-100 |
University of Oxford |
UK |
100 |
University of Cambridge |
UK |
100 |
Imperial College London |
UK |
100 |
Durham University |
UK |
78 |
University of St Andrews |
UK |
92 |
University of Sydney |
Australia |
96 |
University of Queensland |
Australia |
87 |
Australian National University |
Australia |
100 |
Griffith University |
Australia |
79 |
University of Adelaide |
Australia |
79 |
University of Toronto |
Canada |
89 |
University of British Columbia |
Canada |
90 |
McGill University |
Canada |
86 |
University of Alberta |
Canada |
90 |
University of Victoria |
Canada |
90 |
What is a Good TOEFL Score for You?
Top-notch international universities or organisations usually have strict rules about TOEFL scores, making them a must-meet criterion for prospective students. It's not just about eligibility; some schools see the TOEFL score as the gold standard for what's considered a ‘good’ score.
Now, here's where it gets interesting. There isn't a one-size-fits-all ideal TOEFL score since different universities set their own minimum requirements. A score between 90 and 100 positions you as a strong candidate for most top-tier universities. Surpassing the 100 mark puts you in good stead to clear the minimum TOEFL cutoffs for prestigious institutions like Ivy League schools. So, prepare accordingly. All the best!
Also Read:
- List of USA Colleges Accepting 100-110 TOEFL iBT® Scores
- List of Universities in USA Accepting TOEFL iBT® Scores Between 90 -100
- Top 5 Hacks to Crack TOEFL iBT® Exam in First Attempt
- One Month Study Plan for TOEFL iBT® Exam 2024
- Top 10 TOEFL Accepting Universities in Japan
- Top 10 Universities in Germany Accepting TOEFL Scores
- Top 10 Universities in UAE Accepting TOEFL Scores
Frequently Asked Questions
Most top US universities have a minimum TOEFL cut-off score of 90–100.
You must find out what the precise TOEFL requirements are for the university you want to get admitted to and make sure you have access to the most recent and reliable data on their official site.
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