Current format, sourced
TOEFL® scores in 2026: the 1–6 scale, the 0–120 estimate, and what a practice score is
For TOEFL® tests taken on or after January 21, 2026, official score reports use a 1–6 scale in half-band increments. During ETS’s transition through January 2028, reports also include a comparable overall estimate on the previous 0–120 scale — but the 1–6 scale is the primary, official one.
What ETS states
- For TOEFL tests taken on or after January 21, 2026, official score reports use a 1–6 scale in half-band increments. ETS score guidance, accessed 17 July 2026.
- During ETS’s transition through January 2028, reports also include a comparable overall estimate on the previous 0–120 scale. The 1–6 scale is primary; the 0–120 figure is a comparison estimate during a transition that ends in January 2028.
The three numbers you might see
Reach120 interprets — our framing of the score landscape, built on the sourced facts above.
| Number | What it is | Who issues it |
|---|---|---|
| 1–6 (half bands) | The official score scale for tests taken from January 21, 2026 | ETS only |
| 0–120 | A comparable overall estimate during the transition through January 2028 | ETS only, alongside the 1–6 report |
| Any practice score | An unofficial practice estimate from a prep tool | Never official — whoever shows it |
Two rules follow. First, read any score requirement against the scale it was written for — a university page quoting “90/120” predates the 2026 reporting change unless it says otherwise, and the authoritative statement of what that institution accepts is the institution’s own current policy. Second, no practice platform issues official scores. Official scores are issued only by ETS.
What a practice estimate is — and is not
Reach120 recommends.
Treat every practice number, from any tool including ours, as evidence about your practice performance — never as a predicted or equivalent official result. A useful practice report should tell you what was measured, what was not covered, and what to practice next. It should never present its number as an official score.
Reach120 results are practice estimates, not official TOEFL® test scores. Official scores are issued only by ETS.
The disclosure attached to every practice result on this site. Reach120 is a brand name, not a score guarantee.
Common questions
- Is 1–6 the official TOEFL score scale now?
- Yes, for tests taken on or after January 21, 2026: official score reports use a 1–6 scale in half-band increments.
- Do I still get a 0–120 score?
- During ETS's transition through January 2028, reports also include a comparable overall estimate on the previous 0–120 scale. It is a comparison estimate; the 1–6 scale is the primary, official one.
- My target university asks for a 0–120 score. What do I do?
- Institutional requirements written before 2026 typically reference the old scale, and the transition-period 0–120 estimate exists for exactly that comparison through January 2028. Confirm the current requirement with the institution itself — its own policy is the authority on what it accepts.
- Is a score from a practice app my official score?
- No. Official scores are issued only by ETS. Any number a practice tool shows — including a Reach120 practice estimate — is unofficial practice evidence, not an official result and not a prediction of one.
What this page does not tell you
This page explains score reporting scales. It does not state how ETS converts performance to bands, does not predict any individual’s official result, and does not evaluate any institution’s admission policy. Requirements vary by institution and change — verify against the institution’s own current pages.
Sourced from ETS score guidance, accessed 17 July 2026. Next review 16 August 2026 — the January 2028 transition statement is revalidated at every review.