Retake or not?

[Dasha]

Hi, guys! I live in the USA a little more than a year.I apply for the Ph.D. positions now. I focused on my GRE test and received 169 math and 153 verbal. But I feel that I failed toefl. I got 92 score. All subscores are high level except speaking with 20 points. I don't know should I retake toefl or not. I wanted to apply for the wharton upenn, but i/m not sure does it make sense with such a bad toefl score. I need your advice!

[fuzzylogician]

The TOEFL is usually the kind of exam that just has a threshold you need to pass in order to be in the clear. You'll need to see if you can find what UPenn says is their minimum. From there, I think it's pretty straightforward. If you're over the cutoff, you're most likely good, and otherwise you need to retake. I would personally lean toward retaking (with some prior practice!), since a 92 isn't a very high score. For it to be this low, you must have gotten a score in the low 20s in at least one other section, too. Especially given your low verbal, it might be something to worry about. 

[PokePsych]

I'd also recommend retaking. I've had a long chat about TOEFL & admissions with one of my professors. Apparently the speaking portion is also considered important for potential TA positions, some schools will have a cutoff score for those positions around 23 - 25 although unofficial. But it'd be obvious why they'd prefer someone with a higher score.