“When Will I Get My TOEFL Scores?”

his is a question that I get A LOT!  And frankly, it is amazing to me, how many people actually take the exam, but have no idea when or how they will actually receive their scores, or how that process is actually done.

n addition to this — I think that a lot of people are very surprised when I explain to them that — first of all — There Is No Such Thing As A TOEFL Certificate!  And Secondly — Your TOEFL Scores Are Not Sent To You!

hat’s right!  Your scores are not actually sent to you!  You will receive access to your scores on-line, by going to the account that you created when you registered for the exam.  Your scores will be available there between 4-8 days after your exam.  But THOSE ARE NOT THE OFFICIAL SCORES.

ure — those are your ACTUAL scores.  They are the scores that you achieved on the exam.  And you can even print them out and show them to whoever you want.  But for universities and other organizations that require you to present your TOEFL scores — that print-out is not recognized as your “Official Scores”.

hen you are registering for the exam — you can specify up to 4 score reports to be sent to different organizations.  These 4 score reports are included in the fee, but must be specified BEFORE you actually take the exam.

ny additional score reports that you need to have sent will be at a cost of $20 (as of 2023).  If you did not specify anyone to have your scores sent to before your exam — then you will have to pay to have those scores sent.

f you actually DID specify recipients for the your TOEFL scores to be sent to — then you simply need to be patient.  It takes 10-12 business days for ETS to even send them in the  mail  (That’s essentially 2-3 weeks).  But then you have to factor-in the actual time it takes for the mail to be delivered!

f your scores are being sent to a university or organization in The United States — then it usually takes about 1 or 2 weeks for delivery.  If your scores are being sent ANYWHERE outside the US, then it could take between 4-8 weeks for delivery.  But there are also the customs agencies that can cause your mail to be delayed for additional weeks.  😖

lthough it is perfectly logical to assume that your scores or some kind of certificate would be sent to you after your exam — that is not the case.  This is one of the mistakes that people often make because they assume that The TOEFL Exam is just like other exams that they have taken in the past.  But this is not the case.

ou can still have your scores sent to whoever you want.  You simply need to log back in to your account where you should see the option to order additional score reports.  You will, of course, have to pay $20 — which you would not have had to pay if you specified the recipient before you took the exam.

inally — your scores are valid for 2 years from the time that you take the exam.  So if you need to have any additional score reports sent anywhere within that time, you have the option to do so.  After 2 years — if you need to present TOEFL Scores to anyone — you will have to take the exam again.

ecause of the time it takes for scores to be delivered — the organization that created The TOEFL Exam states that you should take your exam at least two months before your deadline.  But this is still waiting until the last minute, and does not factor in ANY possible problems that could arise.  So — in my opinion…  That Is Bad Advice!  🤨

nd since all of these factors are too much to have to worry about, when you should be focusing on PREPARING for the exam…  And because your TOEFL Scores are valid for 2 years after you take The TOEFL Exam…

hen there is absolutely NO REASON TO WAIT TO TAKE YOUR EXAM!!!  In fact — there is MORE reason to take The TOEFL Exam EARLY!!!  So I Say:  You Should TAKE Your Exam 3-6 MONTHS Before Your Deadline!

hat way — no matter what problems which may arise — you will have plenty of time to work around them.  And if you have NO problems that arise — then you will have taken care of this whole situation a LOT earlier than everyone else, and you won’t have to stress about it.

here is A LOT more to “taking The TOEFL” than simply taking the actual exam.  It is an entire process!  And unfortunately — almost nobody is actually telling anyone about this process.  You can’t learn about it in a text-book.  And most of the time — the teachers of Traditional TOEFL Courses do not even know about it.

f you want to make sure that you are FULLY Prepared for The TOEFL Exam — including ALL of the other aspects of the entire TOEFL Process — then the only place (that I know of) where you will get ALL of that information In ONE Place!  Is with The TOEFL Excellence Training System.  (I know because I created it!)  😎

n fact — this article that you are reading is PART of The TOEFL Excellence Training System!  So if you are here because of an email that you got from me after signing-up for The Introductory TOEFL Mini-Course — then you are already doing a good job getting yourself ready!  😉

ut if you got to this article on your own, and you want to BE Fully Prepared For The TOEFL Exam — so that you don’t have to be in the situation like so many other people who contact me, not know what is going on with some aspect of their TOEFL Process — Then Go To TOEFL Excellence  ⇒  Watch The Video On the Front Page  ⇒  And then Click The Button Below The Video that best describes your situation…  And then I’ll get in contact with you — so that I can help YOU…