Convert a TOEFL requirement from 0 to 120 to the 1 to 6 scale, step by step

The same number 22 is band 4 in Speaking and band 5 in Listening. One rule for converting everything will cost you.

Why you still meet the old scale

ETS reports each section and the overall score from 1 to 6 in half bands. For two years after January 2026, your report also shows a comparable overall score on the old 0 to 120 scale, because institutions are updating their requirements at different times. So you will keep meeting pages that say "90 overall" or "at least 22 in Speaking".

The comparison table

ETS publishes a table linking each band to ranges on the old scale. This is the part from band 3.5 to band 6. The full table, down to band 1, is on ets.org.

The method

For each section and for the total, find the band whose range includes the institution's old figure. Never use one rule for all four sections, because the ranges differ.

A mixed requirement, worked

Suppose an institution asks for 100 overall, at least 24 in Writing, at least 25 in Speaking, at least 20 in Listening and at least 22 in Reading.

The floors are band 5 in Writing and Speaking and band 4.5 in Listening and Reading. Notice that 22 appears in the Reading row at 4.5, while 22 in Listening would already be band 5.

From floor to target

A converted figure tells you the floor, not the target. Add half a band to the section you find hardest, because it has the least room to slip.

Say Speaking is hardest. Its floor is 5, so the target is 5.5. For the overall score, band 5 is the floor and 5.5 gives a margin, because a total of 100 sits inside band 5's range of 95 to 106 and a 5.0 overall could still be below it. Aim higher in your strongest sections to protect the average: Reading and Listening at 5.5, Writing at 5.0. The average is 5.375, which rounds to 5.5, so the profile clears every floor, with Writing sitting exactly on its own.

Check the average as well

Your overall score is the average of the four sections, rounded to the nearest half band. ETS gives its own example: an average of 5.25 becomes 5.5. An average can also hide a weak section when a section minimum is set. A profile of Reading 5.0, Listening 5.5, Writing 5.0 and Speaking 4.0 averages 4.875 and rounds to 5.0, yet Speaking sits a full band below the floor in the example above.

When the requirement is unclear

If an institution's wording is unclear after the change of scale, ask it to confirm the figure in writing. Where several institutions disagree, prepare for the highest requirement in each section.