TOEFL® score converter: how an old 0–120 score becomes a 2026 band

The short answer

An old TOEFL total converts to the 2026 band by ETS's table: 72 to 85 is a 4, 86 to 94 is a 4.5, 95 to 106 is a 5, 107 to 113 is a 5.5, and 114 or more is a 6. So an old 80 is a 4, a 90 is a 4.5 and a 100 is a 5. The converter does this for a total and for each section.

How the conversion works

Before 21 January 2026, each TOEFL section was scored from 0 to 30 and the total was their sum, 0 to 120. Since then, each section and the overall score are reported as a band from 1 to 6, in half steps. ETS linked the two scales with data from test takers who sat both versions and published the result in its research report on the banded scale: for every band, the range of old section scores it covers and the lowest old total it covers.

Two features of that table decide how a conversion behaves:

• Totals are given as minimums. Band 5 starts at 95 and band 5.5 starts at 107, so everything from 95 to 106 is a 5. Eleven old totals, one band.
• Each section has its own range. An old 24 is a band 5 in Reading but a band 4.5 in Speaking, because Speaking scores on the old test ran higher for the same level of English. Converting the sections one by one gives a more faithful picture than converting the total.

Converting a total

Old total	2026 band	CEFR
120	6	C2
110	5.5	C1
100	5	C1
95	5	C1
90	4.5	B2
86	4.5	B2
80	4	B2
72	4	B2
70	3.5	B1
60	3.5	B1
50	3	B1
40	2.5	A2

Totals that fall just under a boundary are the ones to watch. A 94 is a 4.5 and a 95 is a 5; a 106 is a 5 and a 107 is a 5.5. One old point can be half a band.

Converting each section

The section ranges are in the band scale guide, row by row. Two examples show why they matter:

Old section scores	Section bands	Average	Overall band
Reading 26, Listening 25, Writing 24, Speaking 23 (total 98)	5, 5, 5, 4.5	4.875	5
Reading 22, Listening 22, Writing 27, Speaking 27 (total 98)	4.5, 5, 5.5, 5.5	5.125	5

Both candidates had an old total of 98, and both come out as a 5 overall, but their section bands differ, and a programme that asks for "no section below 5" would take the first and not the second. On the 2026 test, the overall band is the average of the four section bands rounded to the nearest half band, so the sections, not a sum, are what count.

What the number on a new score report means

For two years from January 2026, every TOEFL score report shows three things: the 1–6 bands, the CEFR level, and a comparable score on the old 0–120 scale. ETS describes that comparable score as the midpoint of the old range for your band. A 5 is shown as about 100, a 4.5 as about 90. It is there for institutions that have not yet rewritten their requirements; it is not a separate measurement, and it will not match a converter that works from exact section scores, because a band covers a range.

What an old requirement means now

Many programme pages still state a 0–120 requirement. ETS's guidance to institutions is to move a cut-off to the band whose range contains it and to set the same band for each section. In practice:

Old requirement	Band most programmes have moved to
80	4
90	4.5
100	5
110	5.5

A requirement that sits between two bands, such as 92, is the institution's to decide. Ask the admissions office which band they accept, and do not assume; what universities are asking for has the published examples.

What the converter cannot tell you

• It is an estimate. ETS built the mapping from data gathered before the new test launched and says it will keep checking it. A converted score is a reading of where an old score would land, not a prediction of what you would score on the new test, which has different task types.
• It does not convert an official report. Only ETS issues scores. If you took the old test, your old score report stands as it is; new-format reports show older MyBest scores converted by ETS, and not every institution accepts MyBest.
• It says nothing about the new tasks. The 2026 test has Listen and Repeat, Take an Interview, Write an Email and nine other task types that did not exist in that form before. Old practice scores do not transfer to them. A full mock on the new format does, and it reports the same 1–6 bands.

What is 100 on the new TOEFL?

A 5, which is CEFR C1. ETS tells institutions that a band of 5 is the match for a former requirement of 100, and that is the band Cornell, Columbia's Teachers College and others have adopted for tests from January 2026.

What is 80 on the new TOEFL? And 90?

An 80 is a 4 (B2); a 90 is a 4.5 (B2). Both are in the B2 range, which is why the old 80 and 90 requirements have landed on neighbouring bands rather than a whole band apart.

What is a 5 on the old TOEFL scale?

Anything from 95 to 106 as a total. By section it is 24–26 in Reading, 22–25 in Listening, 24–26 in Writing and 25–26 in Speaking.

Is there an official TOEFL score converter?

ETS publishes the mapping table and prints a comparable 0–120 score on new reports, but it does not offer a tool that converts a score you type in. Converters, including ours, apply ETS's published table; the table is the official part.

See where you stand now, not where you were

The converter says where an old score lands. It cannot say what you would score on the 2026 test, with its interview, its email task and its adaptive parts. Skorway's free mock can: 90 minutes, the same task types and timers as test day, a band for every section within minutes of finishing, and every Speaking and Writing answer marked up and rewritten a band higher. No credit card. Take it before you decide how much time you need.

Checked against ETS's score-scale report and pages on 6 November 2026. TOEFL® is a registered trademark of ETS. Skorway is not endorsed or approved by ETS.