Candidates interested in studying abroad in countries like UK, Australia, US, take the TOEFL. It is known as – Test of English as a foreign language. More than 9000 colleges worldwide accept TOEFL score. It is usually taken by students planning to study abroad, or students interested in scholarships, or by employees and students applying for visa. The test is simple but tedious.
These tips are helpful in breezing through the TOEFL:
- Understand the format correctly: Understand the sections and duration for each section. This is needed while planning your preparation. The detailed information can be found at the ETS website. Before starting the preparation, be sure of the format of the test.
- Read Voraciously: Read about the western countries. Their people, culture, lifestyle and so on. In addition, read a lot about any general topic that you can find. Once you read the passages, try and summarize them in your own words. This helps in the speaking section as well.
- Improve vocabulary: Refer standard grammar books and keep flash cards to learn new words and their usage.
- Refer to official ETS study resources: ETS provides useful resources, refer those before doing any additional studies.
- Be observant: Practice good listening skills and notice how two people converse or how the usage of words is. The nuances and local manner in which people speak to each other. Pay attention to the meat of the conversation. You will be tested on these lines.
- Make notes in the listening section: Write down important points like names, places, dates and events. Questions may be based on this information. Also, note down the intention of the speaker. Some questions are based on that as well.
- Essay should reflect clear flow of thoughts: It is very important for the essay to be clear, crisp and easy to understand. Clarity in thoughts and clear flow while building the theme is essential for writing. It is not important to use complicated words.
- Do not Mug: The test as such does not require any problem solving or memorizing of answers. Hence, do not mug up passages or topics for the speaking section. Speak by verbalizing your natural thought process in a clear, organized manner. Take up random topics during preparation and practice speaking on those by dividing the speech into introduction, main matter and a conclusion. Here as well, usage of big fancy words is not needed.
- Be prepared to speak in front of people: Based on the test center, sometimes multiple TOEFL tests go on in parallel. Hence, keep in mind that you may not get privacy while giving the test. This should not affect your confidence in speaking in anyway.
- Be calm and collected: The exam is fairly simple if the candidate has good English skills. But many a times even candidates with good English skills panic and make mistakes. Also the duration of the test is long. Stay calm and pay attention to all sections and do not get hassled by the disturbances in test center, if any.
