TOEFL: Tips and Tricks

As I am aiming for my masters in USA in the coming year, I gave my TOEFL (http://www.ets.org/toefl) which is compulsory for admission in US universities. TOEFL stands for Test Of English as a Foreign Language. It is an easy exam and one can prepare for it in 15 days (if GRE already given). I gave my exam recently and wanted to share my experience with you.

Test Format

TOEFL is generally around 4 hour’s exam. The test has 4 sections. 

1. Reading 

2. Listening 

3. Speaking 

4. Writing

30 marks for each section. Hence total exam is out of 120 marks. 

I am going to explain the sections in detail below along with how to prepare and some tips.

Reading section is relatively easy one. If you have aced your GRE Verbal part, then Reading section is easy to deal with. But beware about the questions types. They are different varieties and you need to practice examples to get familiar with it. Reading section gets over very fast, but I feel that you should utilize all your time and aim for accuracy instead of speed.  Normally you will encounter 3-5 passages.

Listening section is a bit difficult according to some people. There are 6 listening passages which have different scenarios related to academic setting. The important thing to remember is to write notes as the recording will not be played again. I first tried to memorize the conversation but then after listening to 4-5, I got mentally tired and hence note making is an important technique according to me. Don’t write each and every word.  Just scribble the gist of the sentence. Don’t be so focused on writing that you miss the recording. 

Speaking section is the difficult task according to me. I am not as fluent as I thought and I found out that while I was preparing for the exam. For effective speaking, try to speak on some topics daily as a practice. Take care that you don’t repeat the same lines, fumble with words, and mispronounce them as marks are deducted for it. Also long pauses are bad. How quick you can think on the given topic in 15 seconds is the key. So practice, practice and practice. Be confident in your speech. One approach which I took was to just speak about 2 points on a given topic. So I quickly thought of an introduction, then 2 topics' justification with examples and then a conclusion. Take care to complete in the given time or marks will be deducted. I think practice is the only key to crack this section.

Writing section is the simple for those who got a good score in their AWAs. You have to write on two topics, one integrated task and other independent task. Practicing how to write will help on the exam day. Independent writing is easy as you must have written these kinds of things in school or college. But, you should practice integrated task as it is quite difficult. 

Important points (My opinion)

1. Take full time to complete each section.

2. Mugging words like GRE is not necessary but having a good vocab is always a boon.

3. Utilize the 10 min break given after listening section to relax.

4. Choose the test center properly and in advance. My test room was congested and I could hear what other candidates spoke.

5. Many people complete their reading and listening sections fast. So they start their speaking section early. Because of this, multiple people will be speaking at the same time. So to avoid this, be patient and take full time to complete each and every section.  By the time you start your speaking test, there will be silence as most of other candidates would have completed their speaking section.

6. Another advantage is that during the 10 min break, you can overhear people speaking and can get some hints for your own task.

7. Some candidates tend to keep their headphone volumes too loud and you can hear what your neighboring candidate is hearing. This was the case with me. So concentration and focus is important.

8. At last, practice. I took up Cambridge book and gave all the 7 tests. Giving test helps to boost confidence. 

Whenever you take up a date, try to plan out as people (including me) procrastinate and start the test prep just few days/weeks before the exam. Once your date is fixed, try hard to achieve your intended score and start preparing well in advance. Also speak in English with your friends as it will ultimately help you in your TOEFL test. 

The World Wide Web is flooded with articles on TOEFL and this post is just my experience of the test. Hope this helps !!