If your TOEFL score is taking longer than the typical 4-to-8-day window, it's most often routine — a small percentage of scores go through additional review before release, and this doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong with your test.
Take the free TOEFL Benchmark Test and get your estimated band score in about 45 minutes.
A handful of reasons account for most delays: routine identity or security verification, which testing organizations run on a portion of sittings as standard practice rather than as a response to any specific concern; a technical issue during your test administration that requires manual review before your responses can be scored; or simply high-volume periods around common application deadlines, when scoring queues take longer to clear across the board.
Not inherently. Additional review is a standard part of how large-scale standardized testing works, and most test-takers whose scores are delayed or flagged for review still receive a valid score once the process completes. A delay by itself isn't evidence of a problem with your performance — it's a processing timeline issue, not a scoring issue.
If you're well past two weeks with no update and no communication from ETS, that's the point to actively follow up rather than continuing to wait — most legitimate reviews resolve well within that window. If you have an application deadline approaching, don't wait until the last moment to check in; contact ETS support directly once you're outside the typical timeline so any issue can be addressed with enough runway left before your deadline.
Take the free TOEFL Benchmark Test and get your estimated band score in about 45 minutes.
Keep an eye on your ETS account and registered email for updates, note your application deadlines and communicate proactively with admissions offices if a delay puts you at risk of missing one, and avoid the temptation to register for a retake purely because of a delay — retaking doesn't resolve a review in progress and adds cost and confusion if your original score comes through normally shortly after.
See what your target programs actually require so you know where you stand once your score is released.