Princeton/UIUC physics phd IELTS/TOEFL speaking

[ttx002000]

I got an ielts with overall 8, and speaking 7.

I saw on the website of princeton English Language Tests | Graduate School (princeton.edu) that they some how set a limit of speaking score for ielts at 8, and they say that students who do not meet the requirement will need to take some kind of placement tests.

And I also saw on the website of UIUC that they require a speaking score of ielts at 8 for teaching assistanceship, English Proficiency Requirement for Non-Native English Speaking Teaching Assistants | The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I wrote to them once, they say that it is possible for students who score below this to serve as grader.

 

But since they mentioned this limit, which is speaking score 8, I wonder whether this means that my score will make my application less competitive, and can not pass the  first round screening process. Do I need to retake the test?

Thanks in advance.

[IELTS Ryan]

Hi there,

I'm just wondering how did things go regarding your application? Were you accepted despite the band 7 in speaking?