What Are SpeechRater Percentile Scores?

Modified on Wed, 2 Apr at 4:09 AM

At My Speaking Score, we use percentile scores to help you understand how your TOEFL Speaking performance compares to others.

These scores come from ETS's SpeechRater engine, which analyzes your spoken responses across 12 distinct dimensions.

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What is a percentile?

A percentile score ranges from 0 to 100 and shows how your score in a particular area stacks up against other test-takers.

A 75th percentile means you did better than 75% of other users.
A 50th percentile means you're right in the middle.
A 25th percentile means most others did better — it may be a weak point.

Percentiles give you context. Instead of guessing whether a 3.2 in grammar is good or bad, the percentile tells you exactly where you stand.

What percentile should I aim for?

Aim for a 75th percentile or higher in each dimension. That’s the range we consistently see in test-takers who score 26+ on the TOEFL Speaking section.

The 12 Dimensions of SpeechRater

SpeechRater evaluates your responses across three major constructs:

Delivery (Fluency + Pronunciation)

Feature	What it Measures	Goal
Speaking Rate (SR)	How fast you speak (in words/second). Balanced pace = easier to follow.	75+
Sustained Speech (SS)	How smoothly you speak without unnecessary pauses.	75+
Pause Frequency (PF)	How often you pause. Too many pauses can break fluency.	75+
Distribution of Pauses (DP)	Where you pause. Natural breaks (e.g., between sentences) are better.	75+
Repetitions (Re)	How often you repeat words or phrases. Fewer = better.	76+
Rhythm (Rh)	Your stress and intonation patterns. Good rhythm = clear, engaging speech.	76+
Vowels (Vo)	Clarity of vowel sounds. Crucial for intelligibility.	78+

Language Use (Grammar + Vocabulary)

Feature	What it Measures	Goal
Vocabulary Depth (VDe)	Sophistication and appropriateness of word choice.	76+
Vocabulary Diversity (VDi)	Range of unique words used.	74+
Grammatical Accuracy (GA)	Correctness of grammar (tense, agreement, articles).	79+
Grammatical Complexity (GC)	Length and structure of phrases. Longer, more complex = better.	75+

Topic Development

Feature	What it Measures	Goal
Discourse Coherence (DC)	How well your ideas are organized and connected.	77+

How should I use percentile scores?

Percentile scores are your roadmap to improvement. Instead of fixing everything, focus on your lowest percentile scores first.

Below 50? Focus here — it's a likely weakness.
50–74? You're on the right path — keep improving.
75+? Great! Maintain and build on that strength.

Example:

If your Speaking Rate is at the 28th percentile, but your Vocabulary Depth is at the 82nd — your fluency needs work, not your vocabulary.

✅ TL;DR – The Key Takeaways

Percentile = how you compare to other test-takers.
Aim for 75+ in each of the 12 dimensions.
Focus your effort on the areas where your percentile is low.
Use My Speaking Score to monitor, track, and improve over time.

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