A TOEFL score of 4.0 on the 1.0–6.0 scale corresponds to CEFR level B2 and roughly 87–94 on the legacy 0–120 scale. It's a good, solid score — the common minimum for standard undergraduate admission at most four-year universities in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia — but it typically falls short of graduate program and top-100 university requirements, which usually start around 4.5. See our full TOEFL score guide for how every band maps across the full range.
Take the free TOEFL Benchmark Test and get your estimated band score in about 45 minutes.
CEFR B2, sometimes called "upper intermediate," means you can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, interact with a degree of fluency that makes regular conversation with native speakers possible without much strain on either side, and produce clear, detailed text on a range of subjects. It's a genuinely functional level of English — not fluent in the way a C1 or C2 speaker is, but well past the point of struggling with everyday academic or professional communication.
Most standard four-year undergraduate programs across the US, UK, Canada, and Australia set their English-proficiency minimum at or near band 4.0. It's also a common threshold for professional certification bodies that require proof of English proficiency. It's usually not enough on its own for graduate admission, competitive undergraduate programs, or any program with a stated minimum of 4.5 or higher — check your specific target's published requirement rather than assuming 4.0 clears the bar everywhere.
Yes, for standard undergraduate admission — but it's worth treating as a floor rather than a target if you have any flexibility in your timeline. A 4.0 clears many admissions bars with little margin, and TOEFL scores can vary slightly between sittings, so a 4.0 today carries some risk of dipping just below a program's requirement on a retake or a stricter reading of your application. If your target list includes any program requiring 4.5 or higher, 4.0 isn't yet a safe number.
Take the free TOEFL Benchmark Test and get your estimated band score in about 45 minutes.
The jump from 4.0 to 4.5 is most often a fluency and pacing problem rather than a vocabulary problem — particularly in Speaking and Listening, where fixed time limits punish hesitation more than minor grammar slips. Identify your single weakest section from a diagnostic test and concentrate your practice there rather than spreading effort evenly; see our complete study guide for how to structure that.
Use our free score calculator to convert your section scores into an overall band, CEFR level, and legacy equivalent.
Take the free TOEFL Benchmark Test to find your weakest section and start closing the gap.