I just did the TOEFL exam. Have you heard about it? The toefl is an English exam high demanded for international universities and visa applications. Basically, it is an exam that institutions ask in order to know your English level.
So, this post is about the structure of the exam, some tips and how I prepare for it.
Curiosities about the TOEFL:
- The TOEFL is quite similar to the IETLS or the Cambridge exam;
- The TOEFL is done in a computer;
- The TOEFL has 4 parts: Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing;
- The TOEFL is a 4 h 30 exam.
How to prepare?
Usually people say you need 3 months to prepare the exam but I believe everything depends on your actual English level and the score you are aiming to achieve. The first thing to do is to take a test in order to know your English level.
This first exam will also help you to understand each section you need to work more.
⇒ In my case, I had difficulties in the Reading section.
The passages are pretty long (around 700 words) and you have around 20 minutes to read and answer to 13 questions about the text. Not much, believe me! 😀 There are 3 to 4 passages in each exam.
⇒ The Listening part is not super hard. However, the lectures are so long and boring that I found difficult to be concentrated in every detail. This section lasts for at least 1 hour.
⇒ The Speaking is weird! You do not have someone to talk to you and evaluate your speaking skills instead, you speak to a computer program. I guess the most difficult thing is to answer the questions with all the information in 1 minute.
⇒ The Writing is ok. You have two exercises: a summary about a lecture and a passage (150-225 words); an independent exercise where you have to give your opinion about a subject (300 words).
If you already speak English, I believe the most important thing is to get familiar with the exam structure and the kind of exercises. Practicing is the key to achieve a good score. So, I got a book and I did many exercises for two weeks.
Another important thing to do is to read in English. I advise the New York Times or the Economist. These newspapers are pretty well written. I started reading in English everyday when I was preparing for the GMAT and it really helped to improve my reading speed and understanding of the passages. Listening music, watching talk shows and movies are always good and fun options to improve your English skills, as well.
One tip: Pick one article from the NYT per day and do an exercise of 20 minutes. Read the text and allow yourself 10 minutes to write a resume of the article. After, record yourself during 1 minute explaining the most important facts of the article. At the end, re-read the text and identify all the words you do not know. Trust me: It helps!! 😀
Which materials to use?
I used 2 books:
- The Official Guide to the TOEFL, 4th Edition
- Longman Complete Course for the TOEFL TEST
The first one is pretty good and you have 3 full exams in the book. You also get all the explanations and a lot of exercises to solve and tips for the exam. The second one, I would advise for someone who has rustic English skills. The exercises are easier but definitely help you to practice and master your difficulties.
I used 2 App’s:
- TOEFL Test
- Elevate
Apps are always good when you take the transports. 😀
I like Elevate a lot – The exercises are different from the TOEFL ones but they help you to master your difficulties. The TOEFL test has the same kind of exercises you find in the test.
- TOEFL website
I also use the official website to practice. There are many free exercises and you get a detail explanation of each exercise.
Finally, before the exam, I was doing a full exam every two days ! I believe the most difficult thing is to keep concentrated for 4h30.
If you ever have to prepare for this exam, I hope these tips can help you 😀
Now, I am just waiting to know my score. 😛 I hope I will be fine.
Wish me luck. 😀
Beijinho,
Daniela