Launched in August, the new feature adds a column to a student’s exam results with the highest individual section score across every eligible exam taken over a two-year period which combines for a superscore.

“Our research group looked extensively at the data that we’ve collected over many years”

Srikant Gopal, executive director of the TOEFL program, said the decision to create the feature came after market research indicated a strong desire amongst providers to help them get a better picture of a students’ English proficiency.

“They felt that having additional information included on the score report would allow them to look at the student more holistically when they’re applying to that institution, and then it would also allow them to widen their pool of qualified applicants,” he said.

“Not unsurprisingly, it’s very popular with students, because a student is able to show not just their performance in one administration, but their potential across administrations.”

Speaking with The PIE News, Gopal added the MyBest Score came after extensive research by TOEFL and provided insights into how exam results can shift depending on a student’s mood.

“Before we did this, our research group looked extensively at the data that we’ve collected over many years, and we looked at what the fluctuation in scores is between different administrations for the same student,” he said.

“It was only after our researchers and scientists felt that this was exactly the right move and this does not affect in any way the reliability and validity of the number, whether it’s the total score or the total MyBest Score, then we decided to go ahead.”

Gopal added the new feature was included in addition to the results of a single exam, and providers could choose to use or ignore the MyBest Score results.