Hi everyone,
I’m an international applicant, who is desperate with my TOEFL score. I took TOEFL 4 times, and my highest score single sitting is 95/120 ( R : 25, L : 19, S : 23, W : 28 )
A number of my dream schools ( Brown, Yale, Bates ) state that they recommend a minimum score of 100 on TOEFL Ibt. But I am so desperate with TOEFL Listening part ; my Listening score is around 19-20 though I did practices.
So what should I do to improve my Listening score. I easily lose concentration when doing Listening part though I can talk fluently with my native English- speaking teachers.
I’m so confused right now. I guess I am the only one who took TOEFL four times and not yet reaching 100 
What do your teachers advise?
Are you taking good notes while listening?
Are you only interested in top schools here, or are you also applying to places where a 95 would be good enough?
Do you have difficulties with listening activities in your own language?
@happymomof1 I only can concentrate on one thing : listening or note-taking.
However, when it comes to listenings with topics about biology or astronomy, I immediately have the feeling that I cannot understand the lecture.
Actually a 95 can apply to quite many US colleges, but I do not want to limit my chance.
And yes, sometimes when I lạck sleeping, it may take me more time to understand and catch up others’ talking pace.
Remember it’s not just about getting in - you need to be able to cope with classes once you’re at an English speaking university, otherwise there’s no point in going. A foreign language class is always going to be easier in comparison because it’s aimed at the non-native speaker, while a class taught in the foreign language may be faster paced, the speakers may have regional accents, etc. That’s why they want you to get a good score - not just to check a box, it’s to make sure you can cope.
Practice listening more - watch US TV/movies/CNN/listen to some podcasts. Concentrate 100 % while listening - because it’s not your native language you HAVE to work harder at that than someone who is fluent. Practice writing a summary of what you’ve heard afterwards as a simulation of note taking in class.
The students I work with are using TED talks to practice their listening skills. I like them a lot because there is the option to watch them with English subtitles, and you can also read the transcript. Watch the talk once, then read the transcript, then watch it again, and see how much more you understand the second time. There are a lot of different topics to choose from. https://www.ted.com/talks
@happymomof1 @Conformist1688 Thank you.