1. Use of GRE and TOEFL Scores in Graduate Admissions Decisions
March 10, 2017 GPD Meeting

2. Test scores are just one piece of the puzzle
Work experience
Application
References
Essays
Transcripts
Life experiences
Interviews
Portfolios
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TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board. 2

3. TOEFL® Scores

4. Considering English proficiency
How much English is enough?
Different academic programs have different needs
What language skills are important for success in your program?
Level of ESL support available on campus
How much time and what resources can you provide to help students transition into
English-only studies?
Competitive situation
Higher score requirements could reduce applications
Lower scores could result in higher risk of student failure, create challenges for instructors and may increase the demands for ESL support
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TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board. 4

5. Which TOEFL iBT® scores to use?
Total scores offer a more reliable estimate of overall proficiency, but … a total score can mask important information about applicants’ abilities
Reading
Listening
Writing
Speaking
Total
Student 1 18 22 16 24 80
Student 2 20
Student 3 25 14
Three different profiles — would all of them succeed in your program?
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TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board. 5

6. Understanding section scores
Scores in each section are not scaled against each other because they measure different skills
A score of 23 in one skill does not represent the same level of ability as a score of 23 in another skill
In 2015, for the overall TOEFL® test taker population, a score of 23 is at the
57th percentile for Reading
59th percentile for Listening
67th percentile for Speaking
65th percentile for Writing
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TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board. 10

7. Which TOEFL iBT® scores to use?
Options to consider
Require a Total Score but review applicant Section Scores during the admissions process for the skill(s) most important to your program(s)
Require a Total Score and a minimum Section Score for the most
important skill(s)
e.g., Total Score of 80, with a minimum Section Score in Writing of 20
Require minimum Section Scores for every section(most restrictive)
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TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board.

8. Additional TOEFL® resources
The TOEFL® Test and Score Data Summary
Score means listed by native language, native country, gender
and test-taker purpose
Based on data from previous testing year
Annual publication available for download from the Research
section of the TOEFL website (
TOEFL iBT® Research Insight Series
Publication series that presents important TOEFL iBT research in an easy-to-understand format for those who use TOEFL iBT test scores
Copyright © 2016 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, GRE, TOEFL and
TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board.

9. TOEFL iBT® mean scores Total population – 2015 TOEFL iBT® mean Reading
20.3
Listening
19.9
Speaking
Writing
20.6
Total 81
Section score ranges: 0–30 Total score range: 0–120
Copyright © 2016 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, GRE, TOEFL and
TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board.

10. TOEFL iBT® mean scores By test-taker purpose – 2015 Group Reading
Listening
Speaking
Writing
Total
Undergraduate
19.2
20.1
20.2 79
Graduate
Non-Business
21.7
21.0
20.8
21.3 85
Business
21.6
20.9
English Language Schools
19.8
19.36
19.7 78
Professional
License
21.1 84
Copyright © 2016 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, GRE, TOEFL and
TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board.

11. TOEFL iBT® mean scores By native country – 2015 Country Reading
Listening
Speaking
Writing
Total
Brazil 22 21 87
China 20 18 19 78
France 88
Germany 23 25 24 97
India 90
Japan 17 71
Korea 83
Mexico 86
Saudi Arabia 13 15 14 60
Turkey 77
Copyright © 2016 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, GRE, TOEFL and
TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board.

12. TOEFL iBT® mean scores By native language – 2015 Language Reading
Listening
Speaking
Writing
Total
Arabic 16 18 19 17 70
Chinese 20 78
Danish 25 24
100
German 23 97
Hindi 94
Japanese 71
Kurdish 13 15 61
Spanish 21 22 85
Swahili 60
Thai 76
Copyright © 2016 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, GRE, TOEFL and
TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board.

13. GRE® Scores

14. Tools to help you understand GRE® scores and use them in the admissions process
GRE® Guide to the Use of Scores
A Balanced Approach to GRE® Score Use
A Snapshot of the Individuals Who Took the GRE® revised General Test
Five Important Guidelines for Using GRE® Scores
Comparison Tool for Business Schools
Scores section of the GRE website
Copyright © 2016 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, GRE, TOEFL and
TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board. 19

15. GRE® Guide to the Use of Scores
An excellent guide for all professionals involved in admissions
decision
Overview of the GRE® tests
Guidelines for the use of scores
Considerations in score interpretation
Information on reporting and using GRE scores
Score interpretation and
statistical information
Statistical tables
Concordance tables
Percentile rank tables
Test reliability
Standard errors of measurement
Analytical Writing score level descriptions
Available at ets.org/gre/guide
Copyright © 2016 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, GRE, TOEFL and
TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board. 29

16. The GRE® guidelines support holistic file review
The Guide to the Use of GRE® Scores recommends:
Multiple sources of information should be used to ensure fairness and to balance the limitations of any single measure of knowledge, skills and abilities
Use of multiple criteria is particularly important when assessing the abilities of educationally disadvantaged applicants, applicants whose primary language is not English and applicants who are returning to school after an extended absence
A cut score should never be used as the only criterion for denial of admission or awarding of a fellowship
Small differences in GRE scores (as defined by the standard error of measurement) should not be used to make distinctions among test takers
Copyright © 2016 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, GRE, TOEFL and
TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board.

17. A Balanced Approach to GRE® Score Use
Presents analyses based on examinees who took the GRE® General Test that show how adhering to a particular cut score policy can lead to systematically disregarding large numbers of candidates in various subgroups (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender)
Available at
ets.org/gre/balancedapproach
Copyright © 2016 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, GRE, TOEFL and
TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board.

18. Most comprehensive data on GRE® test takers worldwide
576,220 unique test takers who took the GRE®
General Test between July 1, 2014 and June
30, 2015
Includes only those who had valid scores on all three measures
Data analysis includes test takers’ most recent scores only, even if they took the test more than once during that period
Performance information for the GRE General Test population between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015
Volume information for the GRE General Test population between August 1, 2012, and June 30, 2015
Full report is available at ets.org/gre/snapshot
Copyright © 2016 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, GRE, TOEFL and
TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board.

19. Additional best practices
Consider scores on the three GRE® General Test measures independently. The level of Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing skills needed for success in your field may vary. Using a single score masks critical information about the individual’s specific skills
Use percentile ranks to compare applicants who took the same admissions test. It is not appropriate to use percentile ranks to compare applicants across different admissions tests (e.g., GRE test with GMAT® test)
GMAT is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admission Council.
Available at ets.org/gre/bestpractices
Copyright © 2016 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, GRE, TOEFL and
TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board.
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20. Information for Admission Decisions
Combining TOEFL® and GRE ® Score
Information for Admission Decisions

21. The TOEFL iBT® and the GRE® General Tests - Purposes
TOEFL iBT® Test ─ measures the academic English language proficiency needed for success in higher education
GRE® General Test ─ measures the verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills needed for success in a graduate or business school program
Copyright © 2016 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, GRE, TOEFL and
TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board.

22. Structure of the TOEFL iBT® Test
Section
Description
Testing time
Score scale
Reading
3–4 passages from academic texts; 12–14 questions per passage
60–80 minutes
0–30
Listening
4–6 lectures, some with classroom discussion, 6 questions each
2–3 conversations, 5 questions each
60–90 minutes
Break
10 minutes
Speaking
2 tasks – express an opinion 4 tasks – speak about reading and listening passages
20 minutes
Writing
1 integrated task – write about reading and listening passages
1 independent task – support
an opinion on a topic
50 minutes
Total score
0–120
Copyright © 2016 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, GRE, TOEFL and
TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board.

23. Structure of the GRE® General Test
Section
Number of Questions
Testing time
Score scale
Analytical Writing (one section with two separately timed tasks)
One “Analyze an Issue” task
One “Analyze an Argument” task
30 minutes
per task
0–6
Verbal Reasoning (two sections)
20 questions per section
per section
130–170
Quantitative Reasoning (two sections)
35 minutes per section
Unscored or Research section
Varies
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TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board. 30

24. Are the tests a duplication of effort?
Could a graduate degree program use GRE® General Test scores as a substitute for TOEFL iBT® scores given that both measure reading and writing?
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TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board. 24

25. Skills measured in each test
TOEFL iBT® Test
GRE® General Test
Reading
Verbal Reasoning
Listening
Speaking
Writing
Analytical Writing
Critical Thinking
Quantitative Reasoning
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TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board. 25

26. The TOEFL iBT® Reading section measures:
Understanding main ideas
Understanding important details and facts
Vocabulary
Pronoun references
Inferences
Rhetorical purpose, connections between paragraphs
Paraphrasing
Distinguishing major from minor ideas in a passage
Understanding purpose of passage
Organizing information presented in passage
Understanding relationships (e.g., cause-effect, compare-contrast) between
parts of a passage
Note: Skills in red are not measured in the GRE® test
Copyright © 2016 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, GRE, TOEFL and
TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board. 26

27. The GRE® Verbal Reasoning section measures:
Understanding the meaning of individual words and sentences
Understanding the meaning of paragraphs and larger bodies of text
Distinguishing between minor and major points
Summarizing a passage
Drawing conclusions from the information provided
Reasoning from incomplete data to infer missing information
Understanding the structure of a text in terms of how the parts relate to
one another
Identifying the author's assumptions and perspective
Analyzing a text and reaching conclusions about it
Identifying strengths and weaknesses of a position
Developing and considering alternative explanations
Note: Skills in red are not measured in the TOEFL iBT® test
Copyright © 2016 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, GRE, TOEFL and
TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board. 27

28. Writing tasks TOEFL iBT® Test GRE® General Test Task
Integrated task – synthesize and organize information from both a reading passage and a lecture
Analyze an argument – based on a reading
passage
Performance descriptors at highest score level
A response at this level
successfully selects the important information from the lecture and coherently and accurately presents this information in relation to the relevant information presented in the reading
is well organized, and occasional language errors that are present do not result in inaccurate or imprecise presentation of content or connections
clearly identifies aspects of the argument relevant to the assigned task and examines them insightfully
develops ideas cogently, organizes them logically and connects them with clear transitions
provides compelling and thorough
support for its main points
conveys ideas fluently and precisely, using effective vocabulary and sentence variety
demonstrates superior facility with the conventions of standard written English (i.e., grammar, usage and mechanics), but may have minor errors
requires candidates to assess the logical soundness of the given argument according to the specific task directions
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TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board. 28

29. Writing tasks TOEFL iBT® Test GRE® General Test Task
Independent task – express an opinion
Analyze an issue
Performance descriptors at highest score level
A response at this level
effectively addresses the topic
and task
is well organized and well developed, using clearly appropriate explanations, exemplifications and/or details
displays unity, progression and
coherence
displays consistent facility in the use of language, demonstrating syntactic variety, appropriate word choice and idiomaticity, though it may have minor lexical or grammatical errors
requires candidates to analyze the issue and develop an argument with reasons and/or examples to support that position.
Articulates a clear and insightful position on the issue in accordance with the assigned task
Develops the position fully with compelling reasons and/or persuasive examples
Sustains a well-focused, well- organized analysis, connecting ideas logically
conveys ideas fluently and precisely, using effective vocabulary and sentence variety
demonstrates superior facility with the conventions of standard written English (i.e., grammar, usage and mechanics), but may have minor errors
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TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board. 29

30. Are the tests a duplication of effort?
Could a graduate degree program use GRE® General Test scores as a substitute for TOEFL iBT® scores given that both measure reading and writing?
Doing so would result in the loss of critical information about the applicant’s listening and speaking skills as well as important elements of their reading and writing skills.
Copyright © 2016 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, GRE, TOEFL and
TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board. 30

31. Questions?
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TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board. 31