SCORES
EXAMINEE'S SCORE RECORD / OFFICIAL
SCORE REPORTS
Your TOEFL test payment entitles you to:
- 1 printed (if requested) and 1 online examinee score record, and
- up to 4 official score reports that ETS will send directly to the institutions or agencies you designate when registering for the test.
Score report recipients can be added or deleted through the
TOEFL iBT online registration system until 10 p.m. (local test
center time) on the day prior to the test date. ETS will send an
examinee score record to you (if requested) and official score
reports to your designated institutions approximately 13 days
after you take the test. The printed score record that is mailed
to you will contain all of the final section scores as well as
your total score.
NOTE: You can also download a PDF copy of
your Test Taker Score Report from your TOEFL iBT account. On the
"View Scores" page, select the "Download" link under "Score
Details." The list of dates (PDF) gives an estimate of when
your PDF score report will be available.
SCORE REPORT POSTING AND
MAILING
Scores are posted on the TOEFL iBT online registration system
approximately 10 days after the test date (with a few exceptions)
and then mailed to you and your designated score recipients. See
the list of dates (PDF) for an estimate of when
you will be able to view your scores. You will need your user
name and password to view your scores online. Allow 7 to 10 days
for delivery of mail within the continental United States and
additional time for delivery to other areas.
ETS will send the examinee score record to you at the most recent
address you provided. If the postal service returns your score
record as undeliverable, ETS will send it again only if there is
a new address on file. If your address changes after you take the
test, go online and update your profile or contact ETS.
For a fee, you may also request additional official score reports
for institutions you did NOT identify when you registered to
test. Your request may be made online, by phone, mail, or fax.
You may order additional score reports through the TOEFL iBT
online registration system or by using the Score Report Request
Form. This form can be downloaded from the TOEFL website.
NOTE: Test centers do not provide
receipts or printed scores for the test.
INTERPRETING YOUR TOEFL IBT
SCORES
Your scores are based on your performance on the questions in the
test. You must answer at least 1 question in each Reading and
Listening section, write at least 1 essay, and complete at least
1 Speaking task to receive an official score report. You will
receive 4 section scores and a total score:
- Reading (0-30)
- Listening (0-30)
- Speaking (0-30)
- Writing (0-30)
- Total Score (0-120)
In addition to numeric scores, your examinee score record also
includes performance feedback that indicates your performance
level and a description of the kinds of tasks that test takers
within the reported score range can typically do.
On August 1, 2019, ETS introduced a feature called MyBest scores,
which combines test takers' best scores for each section from all of their valid TOEFL iBT
scores in the last 2 years. Everyone has a bad day once in a while, and MyBest scores give test takers a way to show their best overall test performance.
Test takers do not have to do anything to take advantage of this feature. All TOEFL iBT score reports automatically include MyBest scores along with the traditional
scores from selected test dates.
CANCELING YOUR SCORES
At the end of the test session, you will be given the option to
cancel your scores. You cannot cancel your score for one section
of the test and have the scores for the remaining sections
reported. Although you have the option to cancel your scores,
consider very carefully before doing so. Your scores will be
reported to institutions only at your request. If you cancel your
scores, they will NOT be reported to you or any institutions, and
no refund will be made. Canceled scores are deleted from your
permanent record. If you wish to take the test again, you must
reregister and submit another test payment.
Canceled scores can be reinstated if your request is received at
ETS within 60 days after your test date. You may call, fax, or
mail a written request to ETS. The fee for TOEFL iBT score
reinstatement is U.S. $20. Your request should include your:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Daytime phone number
- Registration number
- Payment
Scores will be reinstated and reported online approximately 3
weeks after receipt of your request. Your scores will be mailed
to you and your designated institutions shortly thereafter.
ORDERING ADDITIONAL OFFICIAL SCORE
REPORTS
You can have official score reports mailed to institutions you
did not identify when you registered to test. Additional score
reports can be ordered online through the TOEFL online
registration system or by completing the Score Report Request
Form. This form is available on the TOEFL website. You will
receive an acknowledgement confirming that your score reports
were mailed.
The Score Report Request Form will be returned to you if you do
not include complete and accurate information and the correct
fee. Designated institutions cannot be changed or deleted after
you submit the request. No refunds will be made.
The best way to order additional official score reports is to do
it online. If you order online, reports will be mailed
approximately 4 to 7 days after your request. The fee is U.S. $19
for each report ordered.
If you order by mail or fax, follow the instructions on the back
of the Score Report Request Form for completing and mailing your
request and payment. Reports will be mailed 2 weeks after receipt
of your request form. The fee is U.S. $19 for each report
ordered.
If you are paying by credit card, you may fax your form to
1-610-290-8972. Faxed requests will not be processed unless
complete credit card information is provided. If you think your
faxed request may not have gone through and you attempt to resend
the information, write "DUPLICATE" in large letters on all repeat
requests. This will help avoid extra processing by ETS and
unnecessary charges to your credit card.
PROCESSING TIPS
- Do not send a letter with your request.
- Mark identification codes only for institutions you did not provide when you registered.
- List no more than 8 institutions on one form. To order more than 8 reports, use a second form.
- Sign and date the form.
- Include an acceptable form of payment and include the correct amount (reports will only be sent to the number of institutions for which you have paid).
HOW LONG ARE SCORES VALID?
- TOEFL scores are valid for 2 years. Because language proficiency can change considerably in a relatively short period of time, scores more than 2 years old cannot be reported or verified.
- If you took the TOEFL test more than 2 years ago and need to submit scores to an agency or institution, you must take the test again to have your scores reported.
REQUESTS FOR RESCORES
You can request that the Writing and Speaking section scores of
your test be reviewed through a rescore process up to 3 months
after your test date. You may make this request for either the
Writing or Speaking section, or you may request that both
sections be included in the rescore process. Only 1 request per
administration can be submitted. You cannot request a review of
the Speaking section and then at a later time request a review of
the Writing section. The fee for a Writing or Speaking section
rescore process is U.S. $60. The fee to have both sections
included is U.S. $120.
TOEFL iBT Speaking and Writing sections are reviewed by scoring
specialists in the rescore process. If the rescore process
confirms your score, you will be notified by letter. If the
review results in a change in your score, you will receive a
revised examinee score record. Revised official score reports
will also be sent to the institutions that you designated as
score recipients. These revised scores will become your official
scores.
Complete the Rescore Request Form and send it, with the required
fee, to the address on the form. If you are paying by credit
card, you may fax the form.
The results of the score review process will be available
approximately 3 weeks after ETS receives your Rescoring Request
Form and fee.
OTHER SCORE-RELATED
INFORMATION
SCORE VERIFICATION
Institutions have the ability to verify examinee score records
sent directly to them from examinees. If there is a difference
between the official scores recorded at ETS and those on the
score record you provided, the institution will be requested to
send ETS a copy of the score record you submitted. At the written
request of the institution official, ETS will report the official
scores, as well as any previous scores recorded for you within
the last 2 years. ETS or its authorized representative will also
provide information about your scores at the request of an
institution or agency that has a copy of your examinee score
record.
NOTE: The information in your TOEFL
record is the same as the information printed on your examinee
score record.
ACCEPTABLE SCORES
Each institution that requires TOEFL scores decides for itself
what scores or ranges of scores are acceptable. These
requirements vary from institution to institution, depending on
such factors as your field of study, your level of study
(graduate or undergraduate), whether you will be a teaching
assistant, and whether the institution offers special courses in
English as a foreign or second language. There is no specific
passing or failing score. If you have questions about how your
scores have been used or interpreted, contact the institutions or
agencies that received your test results directly.
TEST SCORE DATA RETENTION
Individually identifiable TOEFL test scores are retained in a
database for only 2 years. After 2 years, all test-taker
information and scores are removed. If you took the TOEFL test
more than 2 years ago, you will have to take the test again to
have scores sent to you, an institution, or agency.
CONFIDENTIALITY OF SCORES
The TOEFL program recognizes the right of examinees to privacy
with regard to information that is stored in data or research
files held by Educational Testing Service and the program's
responsibility to protect information in its files from
unauthorized disclosure. ETS or its authorized representative may
share examinee score data with institutions or agencies for
verification purposes.
TOEFL test score data and writing and speaking responses that may
be used at any time for informational, research, statistical, or
training purposes are not individually identifiable.
Information retained in TOEFL records is the same as the
information printed on the examinee's score record and on the
official score reports. Official score reports will be sent only
to those institutions or agencies designated by the examinee when
he or she registered to test, on a Score Report Request Form
submitted at a later date, or otherwise specifically authorized
by the examinee.
Scores are not to be released by institutional recipients without
the explicit permission of the examinee.
NOTE: Your score record and the documents
you complete that are retained at ETS (for example, your
photograph) may be released to third parties, such as government
agencies or parties to a lawsuit, if requested pursuant to a
subpoena or required by applicable law.
TEST QUESTION INQUIRIES
Language specialists prepare TOEFL test questions. These
specialists follow careful, standardized procedures developed to
ensure that all test material is of consistent high quality. Each
question is reviewed by several members of the ETS staff. The
TOEFL Committee of Examiners, an independent group of
professionals in the fields of linguistics, language testing, and
language teaching that reports to the TOEFL Board, establishes
overall guidelines for the test content and specifications. After
test questions have been reviewed and revised as appropriate,
they are selectively administered in trial situations and
assembled into tests. The tests are then reviewed according to
established ETS and TOEFL program procedures to ensure that all
possible versions of the test are free of cultural bias.
Statistical analyses of individual questions ensure that all
items provide appropriate measurement information.
Although ETS employs extensive quality control checks throughout
the development of test questions and the preparation of final
tests, typographical errors or flaws in questions may
occasionally occur. If you suspect a problem and want to question
a test item for any reason, notify the test administrator before
you leave the test site. You may also write to MS 42N-208, TOEFL
Test Question Inquiries, Educational Testing Service, Rosedale
Road, Princeton, NJ 08541-0001, USA, or send a fax to
1-609-683-2600 immediately after taking the test. Please include
the name of the test, the section of the test, the test date, the
name of the center where the test was taken, and, if possible,
the number of the test item being questioned. If you have a
complaint about the testing facilities or the test administrator,
write to TOEFL within 3 days after the test date. Be sure to give
the date of the test, the name of the test center, and the city
and country in which you tested.
ETS SCORE CANCELLATION
POLICY
ETS strives to report scores that accurately reflect the
performance of every test taker. Accordingly, ETS's standards and
procedures for administering tests have 2 primary goals: giving
test takers equivalent opportunities to demonstrate their
abilities, and preventing any test takers from gaining an unfair
advantage over others. To promote these objectives, ETS reserves
the right to cancel any test score when, in ETS's judgment, a
testing irregularity occurs, there is an apparent discrepancy in
a test taker's identification, the test taker engages in
misconduct, the test taker attempts to use the printed work or
ideas of others as their own in the essay section of the test, or
the score is invalid for another reason. Reviews of scores by ETS
are confidential. When, for any of the above reasons, ETS cancels
a test score that has already been reported, it notifies score
recipients that the score has been canceled, but it does not
disclose the reason for cancellation except when authorized to do
so by the test taker and in certain group cases.
TESTING IRREGULARITIES
"Testing irregularities" refers to problems with the
administration of a test. When testing irregularities occur, they
may affect an individual or groups of test takers. Such problems
include, without limitation, administrative errors (such as
improper timing, improper seating, defective materials, and
defective equipment); improper access to test content; and other
disruptions of test administrations (such as natural disasters
and other emergencies). When testing irregularities occur, ETS
may decline to score the test or may cancel the test score. When
in ETS's judgment it is appropriate to do so, ETS gives affected
test takers the opportunity to take the test again as soon as
possible without charge.
IDENTIFICATION DISCREPANCIES
When, in ETS's judgment or the judgment of test center personnel,
there is a discrepancy in a test taker's identification, the test
taker may be dismissed from the test center. In addition, ETS may
decline to score the test or may cancel the test score and you
will forfeit your test fee.
MISCONDUCT
When ETS or test center personnel find that there is misconduct
in connection with a test, the test taker may be dismissed from
the test center, or ETS may decline to score the test or may
cancel the test score. Misconduct includes, but is not limited
to, noncompliance with the "Test Center Procedures and
Regulations" provided on the TOEFL website.
PLAGIARISM
ETS reserves the right to cancel the scores of test takers when,
in ETS's judgment, there is evidence that an essay includes, for
example, text or ideas that are substantially similar to that
found in other TOEFL responses or quotations or paraphrasing,
without attribution, of language or ideas from published sources.
Such responses do not reflect the independent speaking or
compositional writing skills that the test seeks to measure.
INVALID SCORES
ETS may also cancel scores if, in its judgment, there is
substantial evidence that they are invalid for any other reason.
Evidence of invalid scores may include, without limitation,
unusual answer patterns and/or inconsistent performance on
different parts of the test. Before canceling scores pursuant to
this paragraph, ETS notifies the test taker in writing about its
concerns, gives the test taker an opportunity to submit
information that addresses ETS's concerns, considers any such
information submitted, and offers the test taker a choice of
options. The options include voluntary score cancellation or
arbitration in accordance with ETS's standard Arbitration
Agreement. In addition, the test taker is sent a copy of the
booklet Why and How Educational Testing Service Questions Test
Scores, which explains this process in greater detail. This
booklet is available to any test taker at any time upon
request.
NOTE: The arbitration option is available
only for tests administered in the United States.