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25 Sep 2016, 05:37
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Hello guys,
I just wanted to share with you some of my TOEFL experiences, because posts like this helped me a lot in the preparation for the test, and maybe I am able to help someone the same way I was helped by other posts.
My scores on the TOEFL were:
Reading: 30
Listening: 30
Speaking: 29
Writing: 28
Total: 117
I registered for the test two months in advance, but I did not prepare the whole time for it as a have a full-time job. I would say that I prepared myself around 50 hours for the test, mostly looking up new words in the dictionary and working through the official TOEFL guide.
In the preparation process, I tried to work very hard on my vocabulary skills (as I have to take the GRE too, this was a good idea any way), both by looking up every word that I did not know in the dictionary, but also by increasing my daily Netflix share. This is also a fun way to improve your listening skills
If you know that your English skills are already pretty solid, I would recommend you to only buy the official Toefl guide to get to know the format of the test and also have the opportunity to see some real test material in advance. Take the practice tests and see whether or not you are meeting the requirements needed for your university. Please be aware that you most certainly will be rather nervous on test day (I was EXTREMELY nervous), so it might be the case that you lose some points due to your weak nerves. Therefore, you should practice as long as you score a little better than you need to do on the test. That way, you may lose some points on test day and nevertheless get the score you wish for.
As regards the other preparation books (Princeton, Barrons), I didn't really feel that the methods suggested in there were particularly helpful to me. But I guess that this is highly subjective. Nevertheless, if you ask me, I would only recommend the official Toefl guide because, in my experience, you don't really need the other books (at least in case your English is pretty solid). Further, check out the various youtube tutorials regarding especially the speaking section of the test, this was very helpful to me.
Please also note that it will most certainly very noisy in the test room, so maybe you should try and practice also in a rather loud environment to get used to this a little bit. The noise in the first 30 minutes of the test was very distracting, I don't know how a managed 30 points in the reading section...
Further, try not to get nervous by the fact that you cannot answer some questions with absolute certainty. ETS are very good with drawing up answers that seem to be right but are not. After the reading and listening part, I was completely down because I thought that I totally screwed up these parts. Turns out that these parts were, in fact, my strongest. On the other hand, I was extremely happy with my essays and "only" received 28 points, so do not trust your instincts during the test, don't get nervous, it might still be a good score in the end.
Also, if you also have to take the GRE/GMAT, I strongly recommend that you prepare for TOEFL and the verbal part together. The verbal part (in particular the reading comprehension) of the GRE are good training for the Toefl, sometimes even harder than the Toefl texts. Also, you will learn many new words that might be useful for all parts, but especially the writing.
So, this is all my advice I guess, maybe it is helpful to someone
All the best to you for your future tests!
I just wanted to share with you some of my TOEFL experiences, because posts like this helped me a lot in the preparation for the test, and maybe I am able to help someone the same way I was helped by other posts.
My scores on the TOEFL were:
Reading: 30
Listening: 30
Speaking: 29
Writing: 28
Total: 117
I registered for the test two months in advance, but I did not prepare the whole time for it as a have a full-time job. I would say that I prepared myself around 50 hours for the test, mostly looking up new words in the dictionary and working through the official TOEFL guide.
In the preparation process, I tried to work very hard on my vocabulary skills (as I have to take the GRE too, this was a good idea any way), both by looking up every word that I did not know in the dictionary, but also by increasing my daily Netflix share. This is also a fun way to improve your listening skills
If you know that your English skills are already pretty solid, I would recommend you to only buy the official Toefl guide to get to know the format of the test and also have the opportunity to see some real test material in advance. Take the practice tests and see whether or not you are meeting the requirements needed for your university. Please be aware that you most certainly will be rather nervous on test day (I was EXTREMELY nervous), so it might be the case that you lose some points due to your weak nerves. Therefore, you should practice as long as you score a little better than you need to do on the test. That way, you may lose some points on test day and nevertheless get the score you wish for.
As regards the other preparation books (Princeton, Barrons), I didn't really feel that the methods suggested in there were particularly helpful to me. But I guess that this is highly subjective. Nevertheless, if you ask me, I would only recommend the official Toefl guide because, in my experience, you don't really need the other books (at least in case your English is pretty solid). Further, check out the various youtube tutorials regarding especially the speaking section of the test, this was very helpful to me.
Please also note that it will most certainly very noisy in the test room, so maybe you should try and practice also in a rather loud environment to get used to this a little bit. The noise in the first 30 minutes of the test was very distracting, I don't know how a managed 30 points in the reading section...
Further, try not to get nervous by the fact that you cannot answer some questions with absolute certainty. ETS are very good with drawing up answers that seem to be right but are not. After the reading and listening part, I was completely down because I thought that I totally screwed up these parts. Turns out that these parts were, in fact, my strongest. On the other hand, I was extremely happy with my essays and "only" received 28 points, so do not trust your instincts during the test, don't get nervous, it might still be a good score in the end.
Also, if you also have to take the GRE/GMAT, I strongly recommend that you prepare for TOEFL and the verbal part together. The verbal part (in particular the reading comprehension) of the GRE are good training for the Toefl, sometimes even harder than the Toefl texts. Also, you will learn many new words that might be useful for all parts, but especially the writing.
So, this is all my advice I guess, maybe it is helpful to someone
All the best to you for your future tests!
26 Sep 2016, 01:43
Kudos
Bookmarks
Great score.
What about your stellar speaking score ?? share here for the community which is the best you think about
Thank you
What about your stellar speaking score ?? share here for the community which is the best you think about
Thank you
26 Sep 2016, 02:23
Kudos
Bookmarks
Thank you very much.
As regards the speaking score, I have to say that it was very helpful that I already had some experience with talking English in my professional life (working for an international firm, teaching two courses in English, various presentations in English). I guess that this experience is really priceless, because you cannot train this in a two months preparation time as well as in "real life". However, there are some things that might be useful:
In the course of my preparation, I checked out youtube-Tutorials as regards the format of the speaking questions, but I did not rely too much on templates. I have the feeling that ETS raters are not too happy with copied structures from somewhere else. Of course, you should structure your answer very well, but I think the best answer is one that comes across as rather natural, not seeming to be prepared in advance. I understand, of course, that this is very difficult, because you are nervous and you also need to have some speaking proficiency to be confident enough to speak rather "freely". What helped me a lot was that I trained to give short answers (in my head!) every day on my way to work and back home. I often tried to think of answers that I would give to hypothetical questions. The more experiences you have their, the less nervous you get on test day.
Further, I have to say that I was really luckly with the topics, they suited me very well (other topics from the official guide were horrible and, in my opinion, much more difficult). Also it was helpful that I started talkin when almost everyone else was on break, so the room was rather silent. If you want that on you test, you should arrive at the testing area as early as possible, to be the first one to start the test (the downside of this is that it will be very noisy in the first half hour because everyone else is getting in).
Also, try to skype a lot with your friends from English-speaking countries, that also helped my a lot. Further, do not wait until the speaker has finished reading the question: read it yourself and start preparing right away, that way you will have 5 additional seconds to prepare!
Well, I know that I did not reinvent the wheel with my tips here, but maybe it is useful to somebody
As regards the speaking score, I have to say that it was very helpful that I already had some experience with talking English in my professional life (working for an international firm, teaching two courses in English, various presentations in English). I guess that this experience is really priceless, because you cannot train this in a two months preparation time as well as in "real life". However, there are some things that might be useful:
In the course of my preparation, I checked out youtube-Tutorials as regards the format of the speaking questions, but I did not rely too much on templates. I have the feeling that ETS raters are not too happy with copied structures from somewhere else. Of course, you should structure your answer very well, but I think the best answer is one that comes across as rather natural, not seeming to be prepared in advance. I understand, of course, that this is very difficult, because you are nervous and you also need to have some speaking proficiency to be confident enough to speak rather "freely". What helped me a lot was that I trained to give short answers (in my head!) every day on my way to work and back home. I often tried to think of answers that I would give to hypothetical questions. The more experiences you have their, the less nervous you get on test day.
Further, I have to say that I was really luckly with the topics, they suited me very well (other topics from the official guide were horrible and, in my opinion, much more difficult). Also it was helpful that I started talkin when almost everyone else was on break, so the room was rather silent. If you want that on you test, you should arrive at the testing area as early as possible, to be the first one to start the test (the downside of this is that it will be very noisy in the first half hour because everyone else is getting in).
Also, try to skype a lot with your friends from English-speaking countries, that also helped my a lot. Further, do not wait until the speaker has finished reading the question: read it yourself and start preparing right away, that way you will have 5 additional seconds to prepare!
Well, I know that I did not reinvent the wheel with my tips here, but maybe it is useful to somebody
