ETS retired the 0–120 TOEFL scale on January 21, 2026. Nearly every published university requirement is still written in those numbers, so this converts between the two using the official ETS concordance.
Test Ninjas Research · Updated September 11, 2026
100 / 120
Equivalent band
5.0
Band 5.0 covers 95–106 on the retired Total scale.
Each section converts on its own scale. A 28 is band 5.5 in Reading but band 6.0 in Listening — so convert each line of an old score report separately rather than applying one rule to all of them.
The full ETS concordance
Every band and the range it covers on the retired scales, reproduced from the ETS score scale update.
Band to retired-scale equivalent, by score
Band
Total
Reading
Listening
Speaking
Writing
6.0
114–120
29–30
28–30
28–30
29–30
5.5
107–113
27–28
26–27
27–27
27–28
5.0
95–106
24–26
22–25
25–26
24–26
4.5
86–94
22–23
20–21
23–24
21–23
4.0
72–85
18–21
17–19
20–22
17–20
3.5
58–71
12–17
13–16
18–19
15–16
3.0
44–57
6–11
9–12
16–17
13–14
2.5
34–43
4–5
6–8
13–15
11–12
2.0
24–33
3–3
4–5
10–12
7–10
1.5
12–23
2–2
2–3
5–9
3–6
1.0
0–11
0–1
0–1
0–4
0–2
Converting a requirement, not a score
The practical problem is not the arithmetic, it is that the old numbers are still everywhere: a university page asking for “100 iBT”, an adviser talking about “getting to 105”, a scholarship listing a “TOEFL 100+” minimum. All of those predate the switch. Convert the requirement and you can keep using that material without mis-calibrating your target.
The retired total scale had 121 possible values; the band scale has 11. A concordance cannot be one-to-one across that gap, so each band spans a range of old scores. That also means the reverse direction is inherently imprecise: converting a band back gives you a window, not a single number. ETS describes these as equivalent scores rather than exact translations.
Applying to US graduate programmes?
Most also require the GRE, which ETS administers alongside the TOEFL. Our GRE course covers Verbal and Quant in full, with adaptive practice tests and instant scoring.
ETS replaced the 0-120 scale with a 1-6 band scale on January 21, 2026, alongside a shorter adaptive test. The change makes scores map directly onto CEFR proficiency levels rather than to a scale unique to one exam. It does not make the test easier or harder.
Yes, within their normal validity. TOEFL scores are valid for two years from the test date, so scores earned on the 0-120 scale remain reportable until they expire. Institutions are using the concordance to read them against the new bands, and for a 2-year transition every new score report also carries a comparable 0-120 total.
No, and this is the detail people miss. Each section has its own column in the ETS concordance. A 28 is band 5.5 in Reading but band 6.0 in Listening, because the sections have different score distributions. You have to convert each line of an old report separately.
An old total of 100 falls in the band 5.0 range. Most published requirements are still written in the old numbers, so converting the requirement rather than your own score is usually the more useful direction.
It is the official ETS mapping, but it is a concordance, not arithmetic. The old scale had 121 possible totals and the new one has 11 bands, so each band covers a range. Converting a band back to the old scale gives you a range, not a single number.