TOEFL MyBest Scores Explained

By Muntasir Jul 26, 2026 8 min read

TL;DR

TOEFL MyBest Scores combine your highest Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing scores from every valid TOEFL iBT attempt in the past 2 years. Under the 1-6 band scale live since January 21, 2026, the overall score is the average of the four section scores, rounded to the nearest half band. On new-scale reports, ETS converts your older 0-120 scores into 1-6 bands inside the MyBest section. Older 0-120 reports added the four best section scores into a MyBest total instead. Your official report shows your selected test-date scores next to your MyBest scores. Schools decide on their own whether to accept MyBest, so confirm with each program before you rely on it.

If you sit the TOEFL iBT more than once, ETS does not force you to pick one full test date to send to schools. TOEFL MyBest Scores pulls your highest section scores from every valid attempt in your testing history. Those best sections are reported next to your regular test-date scores on the same official report. Admissions staff see both sets of numbers at once.

A strong Speaking score from March and a strong Reading score from June both count, even when neither test date holds all four of your best sections. The picture changed in January 2026, when ETS moved the TOEFL iBT to a 1-6 band scale and made the overall score an average rather than a sum. Knowing how MyBest works under both scales helps you decide when a retake is worth the fee. It also tells you which schools will read your combined result and which will read one sitting only.

What Is TOEFL MyBest Scores

MyBest Scores combine the highest section scores, Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing, from all of your valid TOEFL iBT attempts, according to ETS. Each section is taken from whichever attempt produced your best result for it. The four best sections then form the overall MyBest result on your report. Your single test-date scores stay on the report as well, unchanged.

The scale on your report sets the arithmetic behind the overall number. On the 1-6 band scale live since January 21, 2026, the overall score is the average of the four section scores, rounded to the nearest half band, per ETS. On legacy 0-120 reports, the MyBest total was the sum of the four best section scores, one per section on the old 0-30 scale, per ETS. On reports using the new scale, the MyBest section shows your older 0-120 scores converted into 1-6 bands, per ETS. Both versions draw from the same pool of valid attempts.

Suppose your Reading peaks on your first attempt and your Speaking peaks on a later attempt. MyBest takes Reading from the first sitting and Speaking from the second. It pairs them with your best Listening and Writing from anywhere inside the window. You never need one sitting where all four sections perform at their best.

Which Attempts Count Toward Your MyBest Score

TOEFL iBT scores stay valid for 2 years from the test date, and ETS pulls MyBest section scores only from attempts inside this window, per ETS. Once a score passes the 2-year mark, ETS stops reporting it and stops sending it to schools. The expired section drops out of your MyBest result at the same time. Your MyBest result is a rolling picture of your last 2 years of testing.

The window rewards recent retakes over old ones. A section peak from 30 months back carries no weight, even when it was your strongest result. Plan your test dates so your best sections stay inside the window across your whole application cycle. Read our TOEFL retake policy guide for the rules on how soon you are allowed to sit the test again.

How MyBest Scores Appear on Your Score Report

Your official score report displays your selected test-date scores and your MyBest scores together in a dedicated MyBest section, per ETS. Both sets of numbers sit on the same report, not in a second document. Admissions staff see your single-date performance next to your combined best-section result. ETS publishes a sample report layout showing the two blocks together.

Read the block labels closely before you send anything. The test-date block covers one sitting, and the MyBest block covers sections drawn from across your history. A school reading the test-date block only will see lower numbers when your best sections are spread across attempts. For a full breakdown of what each part of your report shows, see our TOEFL score reporting guide.

Do Schools Accept MyBest Scores

Acceptance of MyBest Scores is each institution's own choice, based on its own needs and goals, according to ETS. ETS advises test takers to check directly with the institutions they are applying to. No blanket rule covers every program, and two departments at one university are allowed to differ. Treat MyBest as an option to confirm, not a default.

ETS maintains a directory of institutions confirmed to accept MyBest Scores through university websites and other official sources. The directory is a searchable tool rather than a fixed published list, and entries change as schools update their policies. Check it on the ETS site for the current status of your target programs. Ask the admissions office for an answer in writing when a deadline depends on it.

MyBest Scores Under the 2026 Scoring Redesign

ETS redesigned the TOEFL iBT scoring scale in January 2026, and MyBest still applies under the update. The change affects the units your best sections are reported in and the arithmetic behind your overall result. It also creates a two-year stretch where reports carry two scales at once. Your MyBest block is converted during the stretch so old and new attempts stay comparable.

The New 1-6 Band Scale

As of January 21, 2026, TOEFL iBT reports a 1-6 band score for each section, Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking, in half-point increments aligned to CEFR levels, per ETS. The overall score is the average of the four section scores, rounded to the nearest half band. This replaces the 0-30 per-section and 0-120 total scale used since 2005.

Section scores move in half-point steps, so an improvement smaller than half a band will not appear on your report. Aim a retake at a full half-band gain in one target section. Under an average of four sections, a gain in one section moves your overall by a quarter of the gain before rounding. See our TOEFL scoring explained guide for a walkthrough of the new scale and what each band represents.

Dual Reporting During the Transition

For a two-year transition period, from January 2026 to January 2028, every TOEFL iBT report shows three values together: your CEFR level, your 1-6 band score, and a comparable 0-120 score marking the midpoint of the matching range, per ETS. Schools reading your file during this period see both scales side by side. The comparable score is a mapping, not a fresh result from a 0-120 test. The table below shows sample 0-120 score ranges and the band each converts to, per ETS.

0-120 Score Range	1-6 Band Score
95-106	5
86-94	4.5
72-85	4

After the transition period ends, reports drop the old 0-120 scale entirely. MyBest still applies during and after the redesign, per ETS. When your most recent report reflects the updated 1-6 scale, the MyBest section converts your older 0-120 scores into 1-6 band scores for direct comparison. When your most recent test still sits on the old scale, MyBest pulls from your prior 0-120 scores only.

Using MyBest Scores in Your Retake Strategy

MyBest Scores change how you weigh a retake. Instead of needing every section to peak on one test date, you need one attempt inside your 2-year window where a single section improves. This lowers the bar for a useful retake and lets you prepare narrowly. The trade-off is a full test fee and a full test day for a gain in one section. Plan around these points:

Target weak sections one at a time. Retake with a focus on your single lowest section, since your other section scores from earlier attempts still count toward MyBest.
Track your 2-year window. An attempt from more than 2 years back drops out of both your reportable history and your MyBest result.
Confirm each school's policy before you plan around MyBest. Acceptance is each institution's own choice, and ETS advises checking directly with the institutions you are applying to.
Weigh the arithmetic. On the 1-6 scale the overall score is the average of the four section scores, while old 0-120 totals summed the sections, so a gain in one section plays out differently on each scale.
Watch the scale printed on each report. During the 2026 to 2028 transition an older report might show 0-120 numbers and a newer one might show 1-6 bands, so compare using the converted values ETS provides.

Before you book a retake, find out which section is holding your MyBest result down. Our free TOEFL practice tests and section drills run full timing and score every section separately, with no signup required. Use a full-length run to confirm the weak section, then drill it until the expected gain is worth another test fee.