<p>I am an international. Most universities say:</p>
<p>International Students must submit either the TOEFL or IELTS scores, except if:
English is their first language, or
English is the primary language of instruction at the secondary school where they get their degree</p>
<p>I belong to the second group.</p>
<p>Some universites say that a certain CR score will allow me to skip the TOEFL. I have a 730, and that is over most of the minimum CR scores cited there.</p>
<p>My question is: Will I be at a disadvantage if I dont sit for the Toefl?</p>
<p>I just hate standardized tests from the very bottom of my heart.</p>
<p>As long as you meet an allowed exception, the test is not needed and not having it won’t hurt your chances. Note that some colleges may not have the exceptions you mention so check each college to which you intend to apply. Some suggest that if SAT CR score is low that you take TOEFL anyway because colleges may then factor the score in to overcome the weak SAT score but you are not in that situation.</p>
<p>I’m in your situation as well. Although the college I want to go to says I can submit the SAT instead of the TOEFL, they still “strongly recommend” the TOEFL. And the worst thing is that I can only do the TOEFL on November 11th, but my ED application deadline is November 15th. UGH!</p>
<p>I would bite your lip and take the test. A close friend of my D’s, who got a perfect score on her SAT I test, was asked to take the test because she had dual citizenship with the U.S. and a European country. The school that asked her to take the test was a very selective, top-tier school. This person was also the Val of the HS they attended. It may seem somewhat insulting and perhaps laughable but I’d adhere to their “recommendations”-- just in case.</p>
<p>Many native speakers can’t score 730 on CR. At that level, the TOEFL is not going to give a lot of additional information about you. If you aren’t required to take it, save your money.</p>
<p>The iBT has a lot of college-specific situations and vocabulary. If you learn that you must take it, do some preparation with up-to-date materials so that you are ready for this vocabulary.</p>