{"id":52,"date":"2013-10-25T09:29:21","date_gmt":"2013-10-25T16:29:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/?p=52"},"modified":"2020-12-10T13:47:43","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:47:43","slug":"how-important-is-my-toefl-score","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/how-important-is-my-toefl-score\/","title":{"rendered":"How important is my TOEFL score?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s no passing or failing the TOEFL, so how important your <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/toefl-scores\/\">TOEFL score<\/a> is depends on what program you\u2019re applying to. At the end of the day, it\u2019s important to realize that the TOEFL is just one part\u2014albeit a very important part\u2014of the information that colleges use to decide which students to accept.<\/p>\n<p>Most colleges in the US will require you to take not only the TOEFL, but also the SAT or ACT; they may even require other, more specialized tests like the SAT II Subject Tests or their own institutional examinations. And all this is in addition to any graduation exams you may have to take for your high school or undergraduate degree! The bad news is that this probably leads to a lot more work, time, money, and worry for you. But there\u2019s good news, too: schools know that the TOEFL isn\u2019t perfect as the sole indicator of international students\u2019 success, so often, there\u2019s more than one way to prove your English proficiency.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Options outside of the TOEFL<\/h2>\n<p>Of course, the availability of alternate paths depends on the individual school. But, contrary to what you might expect, it\u2019s not just less prestigious schools that give you options. Here\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.princeton.edu\/gradschool\/admission\/applicants\/applying\/toefl_ielts\/toefl\/\">Princeton\u2019s<\/a> policy:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStudents who score below a 28 on the speaking subsection of the TOEFL iBT will be required to take an English placement test.\u00a0 Students who do not pass the test will be required to enroll in English Language Program classes.\u00a0\u201c<\/p>\n<p>So at Princeton, there isn\u2019t a minimum score at all, although you <i>are<\/i> required to take the exam. Some colleges, including <a href=\"https:\/\/college.harvard.edu\/admissions\/application-process\/international-applicants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Harvard<\/a>, don\u2019t require the test at all, although you may choose to submit scores to strengthen your application.<\/p>\n<p>Other colleges have very specific alternative requirements. Take, for example, <a href=\"http:\/\/admissions.uiowa.edu\/academics\/english-proficiency-requirements\">University of Iowa<\/a>, whose undergraduate admissions office states a minimum required of 80 on the TOEFL iBT. But if you don\u2019t make that score, there\u2019s still hope: they will accept an sub-score of 21 on the ACT English section, an SAT Critical Reading sub-score of 540, or an IELTS score of 6.5. If that doesn\u2019t sound quite right for you, there\u2019s the possibility of conditional acceptance. This means that you are accepted as long as you fulfill certain requirements, in this case, taking extra English coursework to get your academic language up to par.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>So how important is my TOEFL score after all?<\/h2>\n<p>The short answer is that there is no short answer. Be sure that you know the policy of every college you plan to apply to, but don\u2019t go overboard. Focus on demonstrating that you\u2019re not only proficient in English, but capable of handling the rigors of higher-level academic work; be aware of other factors in admissions decisions, and work on those in addition to preparing for the test. By taking the same holistic attitude towards your application that admissions officers will, you give yourself a much better shot of finding your name in the \u201caccepted\u201d pile.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s no passing or failing the TOEFL, so how important your TOEFL score is depends on what program you\u2019re applying to. At the end of the day, it\u2019s important to realize that the TOEFL is just one part\u2014albeit a very important part\u2014of the information that colleges use to decide which students to accept. Most colleges [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13599],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[13632],"class_list":["post-52","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-scores"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.7 (Yoast SEO v21.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How important is my TOEFL score?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How important is your TOEFL score? How is the score weighed in admissions? 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