Hi everyone,

I have a funny/tragic relationship with the TOEFL test.

The first time I took it, without any previous focused preparation whatsoever, I have scored: R25, L28, S23, W24 (total: 100);
After some Youtube classes for speaking and writing, I took the test again and:
R24, L28, S26, W24 (total: 102);
Then I decided to study hard in order to get top grades, but what happened was:
R24, L30, S23, W28 (total: 105).

Notice that I have got at least 100 all the times I took the test, but none of it was at least 25 in each section. My doubt is whether I should use just the last one, even though I don't have enough on reading and speaking or I should send all the three tests, since if I am combining the scores, I would have everything above 25.

The problem is that maybe they can consider that I am not fluent enough because I needed to take the test several times.

Could you guys help me with that? Thank you very much!

Hi there,

I think it depends on the school you're applying to. I know some schools do not require each section to be at least 25. They only require you to score at least 100 overall.

Also, the likelihood is that they will look at your application as a whole, for instance how well is your personal statement and your work history. So I don't think that a person will get rejected solely based on not meeting minimum section requirement in his/her TOEFL test. Considering there are many aspects that could affect your scores and it doesn't really indicate your actual competency in English.

My advice is to make other aspects of your application air tight, make sure your personal statement is well written, and your CV is excellent and that you're recommendations are tailored effectively.

Good luck!

The overall score is more important than the score in each section. If you have a good application, but a score lower than required, you may even receive a surprise call so that they can verify your language skills.