I am planning to apply to graduate programs in the United States next fall and I have been studying for the TOEFL exam for the past two months. Most programs list a minimum score, but I am confused about what score is actually competitive versus just meeting the cutoff.
From my research, top-ranked programs often expect 100+ on the TOEFL iBT, while many state universities accept 79-80 as a minimum. The speaking section worries me the most — my reading and listening scores are consistently above 25, but speaking keeps falling around 20.
I found a lot of useful practice materials on TOEFL practice tests that helped me understand the question formats better. Has anyone here applied to US graduate programs recently? What score did you aim for and how much time did your toefl preparation take from scratch?
I got into a top-20 engineering program with a 104 total — 27 speaking, 28 reading, 25 listening, 24 writing. Most programs care more about section minimums than the total. Check each school's specific requirements because some reject applicants even with a high total if one section is below their cutoff. Give yourself at least three months of consistent practice for speaking.
I applied to five US universities and each had a different cutoff. One required 90 overall, another required 100 with at least 22 in speaking. I took the test twice — scored 88 the first time and 101 the second after focusing specifically on integrated tasks. Don't underestimate the writing section; a lot of students overlook it.
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