Low TOEFL Speaking Score

[cockroach]

Hi, 

I recently took the TOEFL exam got so low speaking score. R:26 L:24 S:19 W:24 T:93. For Purdue (they want 100 for TOEFL), I cannot apply because a professor told me that it would be an exact negative effect on my file. For the other Ph.D. programs' that I will apply to, the minimum language requirement is 90 for TOEFL. However, I am not sure about how it would affect my chance. 

It is so interesting because I studied only for speaking for a week. I still have time to retake the exam; however, I do not think that I could improve this score in 2-3 days. So, what would be your opinion/recommendation on this issue? Should I try my chance (hopelessly), or is it OK to be above the minimum score? 

Thanks in advance. 

[ak71]

I think as long as your score meets the official threshold you should be fine. In my experience TOEFL doesn't matter as much as GRE (which is not required but most departments this year, anyway), and is mostly used for administrative purposes such as official registration to the university, etc. (Some departments -- e.g., USC -- explicitly say this; some mention cases with test scores not even meeting the threshold, but the student admitted because of their fabulous sample and/or letters (maybe Rutgers?).) 

In any case, I wouldn't worry too much about TOEFL scores, so long as you're not explicitly discouraged to submit your application only for low TOEFL scores. 

PS -- If you ever decided to retake your TEOFL, take a look at Notefull's speaking sessions: they're available on YouTube and can significantly help with your scores.

Good luck!

[cockroach]

Thank you so much! I will retake the exam and see if I can do better. If I can't I will just submit my score. 

I have prepared with Notefull's videos, however... :)) 

All the best!