What is a Good TOEFL Score?
We can’t answer to the question ‘What is a Good TOEFL score, but we have tried our best to provide the complete information for the students that they need in order to measure the value of their score on the exam.
Whether the students have already taken the TOEFL test or they are planning to take the exam, and they don’t have any idea regarding the exam. Waiting the 10 days before the TOEFL results are posted online can be frustrating, but it can be even more frustrating not to know how to interpret the results!
No TOEFL score range or individual TOEFL score can really be said to be “good” or “bad”, just as no level of English is inherently “good” or “bad” it all depends on what kind of language the students use and what they need it for.
The Minimum Score required
Fortunately, many universities take the guesswork out by stating exactly what score the students need to qualify for their programs. At quite a few schools, the students can just look up the score they need, then take a TOEFL practice test to see where they currently are.
Of course, the minimum score can still differ a lot from school-to-school. Some schools require a score as low as 70 points, and others as high as 110.
Now, if the students are taking the SAT or GRE, they may have noticed the culture of scraping up as many points as possible, it’s not uncommon for people to spend months and months studying and then take the test multiple times over a period of six months or a year. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this since even a fairly small increase in score can give the students the competitive edge that gets them admitted or wins the scholarship that allows them to attend the school of their dreams.
More often, if a school states a score, then the office of admissions has determined that that score is what’s necessary to perform well in that school’s curriculum. So as long as the students meet the requirement, their score probably won’t play much of a role in their admission or rejection.
If a student scored a 90, but he/she think that they should have scored a 100. If the program only requires an 80, then the students probably don’t need to take the test again. Instead, it’s likely better to focus on other parts of their application that the admissions department is more interested in, like essays, interviews, and portfolios.
Sometimes a school will offer special benefits or opportunities if the students TOEFL score exceeds the minimum. For example, if they are trying for admission to a top graduate school, the minimum score might be 90. However, in order to get a TA (a teaching assistantship), the minimum speaking score might be 26, or they might need a 100 on the TOEFL overall. If the students are hoping for special on-campus work opportunities, check to see if there are separate, higher TOEFL requirements.
TOEFL iBT score ranges are commonly set by conditional acceptance programs. These kinds of programs allow lower-scoring TOEFL test-takers to still be accepted. But conditionally accepted students have to take some ESL courses before they can start their regular degree.
When it comes to TOEFL scores and conditional acceptance, higher scores mean fewer ESL classes. If the students TOEFL score is at the bottom of a conditional acceptance range, they may have to take a full year of ESL classes, maybe more. However, if the students have a top conditional TOEFL score, there’s a good chance they will study English for just one semester before beginning their regular degree. To give one example, the University of Iowa has a TOEFL score range of 54 to 79 for conditionally accepted students. If the students enter their conditional acceptance program with a TOEFL that’s in the upper 70s, they can probably get into their regular degree courses in less than a year.
And there are still other universities that set a score range for fully accepted students. This is less common. But the students will see ranges, rather than just a set minimum TOEFL score, at some highly competitive universities.
For instance, the University of Illinois recommends a TOEFL score range of 102–110. Obviously, the closer an applicant is to 110, the better. Similarly, prestigious schools such as Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, etc… may prefer to see your score fall into a TOEFL score range that’s above their minimum.
Ultimately, the students need to research the exact TOEFL expectations at the school of their choice. And when it comes to researching schools, the students need to make sure that they get the most accurate, up-to-date information.
If possible, the students can even email or call the school admissions office to confirm any score information they see on their website. Ideally, of course, the information on the website will be up-to-date. But sometimes it won’t be. So it never hurts to double-check. And the point to be remembered is TOEFL requirements sometimes vary, depending on the major or program you apply to. So it is better to double-check department-specific TOEFL requirements as well.
For more information on TOEFL scores, check out CollegeHippo and drop a comment on what you expect to see in future from us.
