Is TOEFL still scored out of 120?

The 1–6 scale is the score of record after the January 2026 redesign. ETS also reports a comparable score on the legacy 0–120 scale for a transition period, so an institution quoting "100+" is quoting the old scale. Check the requirement with the institution rather than assuming a conversion.

How many reading questions will I get?

ETS publishes a section item count and a base time, and states that both time and items vary as the test adapts. We print the published figures with their source and do not invent a per-task split, because with an adaptive test a fixed split may not exist.

Does the new TOEFL map to CEFR levels?

ETS describes the 1–6 scale as aligned to the CEFR, but we do not print per-band cut points because we could not verify them against a published ETS page. When ETS publishes them, this page will carry them with the source.

Should I still use old TOEFL reading practice books?

For the academic passage task, the reading skill they build still transfers. For the other two task types and for the timing, they describe an exam that was retired in January 2026. Use them for comprehension work, not for format.

TOEFL iBT Reading

Rebuilt in January 2026: adaptive, a 1–6 CEFR-aligned scale, and short focused texts instead of long academic passages.

Official exam page

This exam is mid-change

TOEFL iBT was redesigned on 21 January 2026. Scores are now reported on a 1–6 scale in half-point increments; ETS also reports a comparable score on the legacy 0–120 scale for a two-year transition period after January 2026. Reading and Listening are now multistage adaptive, so item counts and timings vary between test takers.

If a preparation page tells you TOEFL Reading is three long passages in 54 minutes scored out of 120, it is describing an exam that no longer exists. ETS redesigned the iBT on 21 January 2026. Reading is now adaptive, built from three task types, and reported on a 1–6 scale in half-point steps.

The reading section

Reading time: 30 minutesSource
Scored reading items: 50Source
Texts or passages: not published
Approximate words: not published

CEFR level: no official CEFR mapping
Published annual volume: not published — no annual figure exists from the awarding body
Awarding body: ETS

Question types the awarding body publishes

Complete the Words
Read in Daily Life
Read an Academic Passage

Source

What that means in practice

The 30 minutes is base time: ETS states test time and items vary as the test adapts. ETS no longer publishes a word count for the academic passage, nor a fixed split of the 50 items across the three task types — with an adaptive test, a fixed split may not exist. All texts stay visible while answering.

Last verified 2026-08-29 Every figure on this page was checked against the awarding body on that date. Exam formats change; check the official page before you book.

How well reading practice fits this exam

A full reading section

Reading is a complete, separately scored section with real passages. Training it moves a number that appears on your result.

LingoRead trains reading. It does not prepare a speaking or writing paper, it does not mark free-text answers, and it does not issue or predict an official result.

Practise reading for this exam

Start with this exam already selected. You get a passage at your level every day, with audio, tap-to-translate and comprehension questions.

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What actually changed

Three changes matter to a reader. The score scale moved from 0–120 to 1–6 in half-point increments, with ETS describing the new scale as more intuitively aligned to the CEFR. Reading and Listening became multistage adaptive, so the questions you get depend on how you are doing. And the reading content is no longer one shape: it now spans word-level work, everyday texts and an academic passage.

Because the test adapts, a fixed item-per-task split may not exist at all, and ETS publishes the section time as a base rather than a guarantee. Any page that gives you an exact breakdown of the new reading section is telling you something the awarding body does not publish. Scores on the retired 0–120 scale are still reported as a comparable figure during the transition period ETS announced, which is why some institutions are still quoting old requirements.

The three task types, and what each rewards

"Complete the Words" is lexical and orthographic: it tests whether a word is genuinely in your active vocabulary, not whether you can recognise it in a list. "Read in Daily Life" uses the practical, non-academic texts a student actually meets. "Read an Academic Passage" is the closest thing to the old TOEFL, and the texts stay visible while you answer, so it rewards locating evidence rather than memorising a passage.

Practically, that means preparation split evenly between academic prose and ordinary English. A candidate who has only ever practised on dense journal-style extracts is now under-prepared for a third of the section, which is a genuine change from the pre-2026 exam.

How LingoRead fits — and where it stops

The daily loop maps onto the new format well: a passage at your level, comprehension questions on it, and every word you tap saved into a dictionary that rebuilds it as a review card from the sentence you met it in — which is the habit "Complete the Words" actually tests. You can switch the register between academic and everyday to cover both halves of the section.

What LingoRead does not do: it is not an adaptive TOEFL simulator, it does not score Speaking or Writing, and it does not report a 1–6 score. Nobody outside ETS can. Treat the reading here as training, and a registered practice test as measurement.