At the time of writing this article, I have had 18 years of experience preparing students for all of the different international exams, but the one exam that I have had the most experience and success with has been the TOEFL test. During this time, I have taught over 1000 students both in the classroom and online, and have learned so many tips and strategies about the test that they are too extensive to include in one article.
The TOEFL test, like the IELTS test, is one of the most important English exams in the world for the reason that it is able to open the door to virtually unlimited educational, professional and immigrational opportunities for people from countries all around the world. For this reason, when preparing for the test, it must be done the right way as mistakes can be disastrous ultimately changing lives in a negative rather than positive way.
Taking the TOEFL is almost always a stressful experience. You need to get a specific score, they pay a lot to take the test, they prepare for months, the test center may be noisy or crowded or they might not have slept well the night before. There are many factors that can affect the final score that a student achieves, and ultimately there is nothing that can be done to avoid most of these situational things, but beginning to prepare for the TOEFL test well in advance is one of the best things that you can do to reduce their level of stress on test day.
Here are 15 TOEFL preparation strategies that have been effective for me.
Understanding the TOEFL speaking section
Tips for learning vocabulary for the TOEFL and IELTS tests
Tips for achieving a high score in TOEFL
40 practice questions for the TOEFL speaking section
Connecting words for the TOEFL writing test
Writing for success in the TOEFL test.
The essential grammar rules for the TOEFL test.
Listening skills
You should be listening to something in English every day. When you are listening, make sure to try and understand the main idea and ask yourself questions (who, what, when, where, and why) about what you are listening to. Watch English speaking television programs or videos, attend English classes, and look for opportunities to practice listening in English.
Speaking skills
Try to find opportunities to speak with people who natively speak English. You should attempt to speak English at least weekly. Make sure you use good pronunciation and clarity. Audio recordings (books on tape etc.) are excellent sources to learn pronunciation and intonation skills.
Study smart not hard
TOEFL Test preparation requires you to study smart – not hard! To study smart, you need to:
* Study when you are the most alert
* Understand what’s on the test
* Focus on the material that you don’t know
* Develop a flexible study schedule
Practice makes perfect
It is vital that you practice for the TOEFL test as much as possible ff you want the most confidence. To make the most out of our TOEFL practice test, try some of the following approaches:
* Learn the test and it`s structure until you understand it completely. This helps to reduce the possibility of any situational stress that may occur on the day of the test.
* Take exams with self-imposed time constraints – this will help you ensure that you know the material
* Try to tackle one section of the exam at a time
Read the questions twice
Read each question twice before you look at the answers. Read each answer twice before you answer. People often read questions too fast resulting in incorrect answers. The same goes for answers. Don’t miss the question because you misread some of the terms. You should also be careful not to over-read the question. Questions are generally straight forward and don’t require a “stab in the dark” to answer them correctly. In other words, don’t over-read the question and look for a “theoretical” answer versus a “common sense” answer.
Jumping to conclusions
Some questions on your TOEFL test require very careful analysis as they are designed to confuse you. Some of the wrong answers may appear to be right at first glance. Don’t fall into the same trap that many test-takers do by choosing the most obvious, yet misleading answers. Also, there may even appear to be more than one right answer! If this is the case, make sure to choose the best answer based on what is in the question (not based on your assumptions). Never forget that the most important thing is to answer the question in its entirety.
Trust yourself, the first answer is usually right
Trust yourself! Select your best answer only after you have carefully read the question and answer twice. Don’t change any answers unless you find an obvious error that you are sure about. Your first answer is usually the right answer.
Pace yourself
Although the time limits on the TOEFL Test should allow you more than sufficient time to finish your exam, it is still important to correctly pace yourself. Determine how much time to allow for each question. For example, if you have 30 minutes to answer 15 questions, then you have about two minutes per question. After every few questions, check the time to see if you are still on schedule. Don’t dwell on questions that you don’t know – just eliminate some answer choices and make an intelligent guess. Conversely, don’t rush questions that you think you know – read them twice and pick the best answer. Over-confidence and careless mistakes are often what separate a superior score from an average score.
Have an answer for every question, but guess intelligently
The TOEFL Test does not penalize you for guessing. You should make sure that you answer every question, even if you are unsure of the answer or have to guess. In every question in the reading and listening section, there are always 2 answers which are obviously wrong, and by eliminating them, then you have a 50% chance of choosing the correct answer from the 2 remaining choices.
The writing section of the exam requires you to type your answers on an unfamiliar computer with a QWERTY keyboard. If you spend all your time struggling with the keyboard, you’re not going to have much time left to write a good essay. It seems like a simple skill, but many people forget to prepare for it. Make sure you can type quickly in English on a QWERTY keyboard well before your test date. There are lots of free online websites to help you to learn or improve your typing.
Adopt a positive attitude
Your attitude when it comes to preparing and succeeding at your TOEFL Test is the most important factor that you can control. You need to be positive and have confidence. You need to believe that you will score high on your exam. While you are taking your exam, you need to have confidence and relax. If you come across an answer that frustrates you – just skip it and come back to it later. DO NOT PANIC! If you are well prepared and know the true reality of your English skills, then you should have nothing to worry about.
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