My 2nd Toefl Experience and Tips!
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03 Feb 2013, 15:10
Hi Guys,
Yes, this was my 2nd Toefl,
10 day before the test, I started vitamin, brain foods diet because this test also test your memory, reflex, focus, so my brain diet was :
Blueberry everyday, a handful it recommended for brain functions
multivitamin, everyday
Omega 6 everyday plus last 3 days I eat fish
and iron rich foods.
I away from, any kind of sugar,sweet, junk foods for 10 days.
The diet worked very well, especially I observed that improving my memory, such as easily memorize the new words that I have learned.
But,
Important Notice: Because of too much vitamins and high nutritious protein diet may cause insomnia, which I hit me very badly before the test day, I could not sleep till 5 am !. Thus, start the diet weeks before and see how does effect your sleep circulation.
I studied the strategies with Kaplan
I did practice with Barron 13th Editon.
I can say, Kaplan is the best fit for the test. If I compare the real test with Barron's. Barron's tests was extremely hard it is almost for SAT. Especially Writings and Listening parts definitely too difficult. So, It might be just waste time.
But on the other hand, if you study with Barron's The real toefl test may seem to be soo easy.
Reading : I got short reading section, readings was very easy, topics are the almost same with the barron's tests readings. It was about The African mask art, the history of Egypt dynasty and I don't recall the last one, but it was about botanic. But, even the readings was extremely easy for me, I was out of time, I did answer all questions but last reading part I didn't have time to read and search for the answer, so I had to quickly answer the last 10 questions. Vocabulary was easy as well, but the trick is when you check the word in passage, that is a trap, because I chose the wrong answer that because I check it in passage, if I would not check it, I would have chosen the right answer, I missed 2 very easy voca questions this way, Anyway. So, I really do not predict my reading score now, I don't think that I will get higher than 19 because I had to read quickly the last 10 questions. by the way I never read the passages, I just read the titles and first 1 sentence and last sentence. Wow my prediction is awesome, I scored 19 in reading.
Listening, I had a hard time to focus, lectures was pretty easy for me I understand very well every words because I live in Us and I have american husband, I did not take not all the time, I just take the important points. but still I missed the points.But if you ask me I would take less notes, because I very rarely looked my notes. On contrary, conversations part was difficult ! I was not expecting this. student talks about the his projects or his assignment, he tells about the detailed about the projects and I tried to take notes about it. for example, he tells about the literature in France in 1870, blah blah, in question they never asked about this details it just make you busy and it makes you confused and I almost about to forget why the student wanted to see the professor. I got long listening parts, I hardly focus the lecture time to time I caught myself I was thinking something else !!! so that because I could not sleep well night before. Maybe I will have 19 or 20 about, actually I cannot predict my score, although it was easy listening and topics but questions was a little bit difficult. I scored 21
Speaking , I answered all the questions but I was a little bit out of time, so, I could not totally present my conclusions. I guess I spoke too fast. Btw, I was expecting a describe question at 1st question but they ask "child or young adults which are the most beneficial and what would you recommend?" and three options they gave me to explain. I chose the difficult one to explain, I could chose other options but I wanted to be realistic, but it was a wrong decision. I had a hard time to explain. and I was out of time. I scored 23. frustrating ! independent speaking point is 4, which I had struggled a lot, even I stopped in the middle I could not find the word, but my integrated point is 2, 5 which I thought I did very well. and school conversation, announcement, I used template and I thought I did really good but I was out of time, the time is out when I was concluding. It's interesting, my 1st toefl speaking, 8 months ago, I had scored 23 as well, that time, I finished my speakings early, and I had waited in silence awkwardly, this time I was out of time, so both measured 23 ! Lesson: do not finish early or finish your sentence late ! btw my pronunciation is very fluent, I speak almost very little accent.
Writing section was easy, I didn't have time problem, I did 267 words for 1st question, 365 for the second question. But independent part, again, I chose the difficult option to be agreed on, that was a big mistake, i just wanted to be realistic and reasonable, but I think my supports was not very clear. I scored 22. : ( my integrated is 4,5 - 5 but independent writing came out 2,5 - 3.
So, overall, I was more comfortable and calm in my 2nd toefl, I wish I could have my sleep, but anyway, I will write here my score after 10 days.
it came very fast, in 6 days, so I scored 85, disappointing but I scored 71, eight months ago, I started to study last 4 weeks. I need 100. I was also very drowsy the test day because I slept at 5 am before the test, so I took the test with 3 hrs sleep. I am undecided now about to take the test again soon.