This page explains information owned by the body that runs the exam, rewritten in plain language for our students in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. Format, fees and dates can change without notice, so always confirm on the official site before you register or make a decision.
In short
The essentials
- Each of the four sections receives its own score.
- The overall score is derived from the four section scores together.
- ETS has updated how scores are reported, so confirm the scale in force at the time of your test.
- There is no universal pass mark; the university sets the threshold.
- The MyBest option combines your best score per section across attempts, and acceptance is up to the university.
- Your score report shows sections separately, and that is the right basis for a retake plan.
Direct answers
Understanding your TOEFL score report
The score scale is owned by ETS and has changed; rely on its official page for the scale in force at the time of your test.
How is the overall TOEFL score calculated?
The overall score is derived from the four section scores together, so a strong section cannot fully compensate for a weak one.
The derivation method itself has been updated by ETS, so do not rely on an old explanation read in a forum. Open the official scores page while you are preparing.
Official source: Understand TOEFL scores
What are MyBest scores?
MyBest is an ETS option that combines your highest score in each section across different attempts within a set validity period, and presents them as a combined result.
In practice this means a second attempt can raise the result shown even if you did not improve in every section at once.
Important exception: MyBest is not automatically accepted: some universities only accept scores from a single test date. Confirm your university's rule before building a plan around it.
Official source: Understand TOEFL scores
What score do I need for admission?
There is no universal score; each university and each programme sets its own overall requirement and any per-section minimum in its admission requirements.
Note both numbers from the programme's own page before you begin preparing, because preparation without a target number turns into an endless general review.
Who is responsible for what
The bodies behind the TOEFL test — and exactly where Apostrophe fits
Many students assume a preparation centre registers them or issues their score. These roles are entirely separate.
ETS
Owns the test
Writes the TOEFL test, sets format, fees and dates, runs registration, and issues and sends scores to universities.
Authorised test centres
Deliver test day
Institutions authorised by ETS that host the test and provide the equipment and seats; they neither write nor mark it.
Universities
Decide what a score means
Each university sets the total and section scores it accepts. There is no official pass mark in the TOEFL test.
Apostrophe Academy
Preparation and guidance
Prepares students and explains registration and how the score is used in admissions. Apostrophe is not a testing body or an authorised TOEFL test centre, and does not issue scores.
The timeline
The TOEFL journey: before, during and after
Timing differs by current level and target score; format, fees and dates are always checked with ETS.
- Before
Decide and prepare
- Confirm your university accepts the TOEFL test specifically, and which version it accepts.
- Know the total score required and any minimum for particular sections.
- Sit a full practice test from ETS's official materials to find your starting point.
- Register early: seats at nearby centres fill faster than students expect.
- Test day
What actually happens
- The test is taken on a computer, with all four sections in one continuous sitting.
- Speaking is recorded through a microphone; it is not an interview with an examiner.
- Bring the accepted ID specified in ETS's official instructions, matching your registered name.
- Sections come in a fixed order, and each is timed independently.
- After
Your score and the next step
- Scores appear in your ETS account on the official schedule published for that test.
- Read each section score, not just the total; that is what shows which skill needs work.
- Compare your score with the university's requirement before deciding to retake.
- Scores are sent to universities from your account, and official fees may apply.
Why you find contradictory figures online
Because ETS has updated both the test format and how its scores are reported, and many articles and forums have not been updated with it. A student reads an old scale, then is surprised that their report presents numbers in a completely different way.
Our rule here is simple: we do not quote scale figures on this page, and we send you directly to the ETS scores page. The scale in force at the time of your test is the only one that matters to you.
Turning a score report into a plan
Start by ranking your sections from weakest to strongest, then look at your university's requirement: is the problem the overall score or a minimum in a specific section? The answer decides where your time goes.
Then go one level deeper: within the weak section, are you losing marks on independent or integrated tasks? That distinction completely changes the type of practice needed, and without it you repeat a general review and get a result close to the last one.
Official sources
Verify with the official source
Dates, fees and requirements change and are not ours to update. The links below open the official sources responsible for this information.
- Understand TOEFL scores(opens in a new tab)The current score scale and how the overall score is calculated.
- ETS — the TOEFL test(opens in a new tab)The body that owns the TOEFL test and publishes every official update.
- TOEFL test content and sections(opens in a new tab)Sections, task types and timing as published by ETS.
Student questions on this topic
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