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The TOEFL exam or the Test of English as a Foreign Language exam is a very popular test to prove your English proficiency, and meet the requirements for admissions at foreign universities. Admissions committee rely on English language tests like TOEFL to determine if a student is proficient enough in English to attend a programme that will be taught in this language. TOEFL is one such widely accepted test.
The TOEFL test is conducted by the Educational Testing Services or ETS. More than 160 countries and over 11,500 universities accept this test. Acing the TOEFL test is a great first step towards securing a place at your preferred overseas universities.
The test format
Here’s a quick look at the TOEFL test format. The test is divided into four sections spread over the two hours of the exam: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing.
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Reading |
Listening |
Speaking |
Writing |
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2 passages to read with 10 questions to answer per passage |
3- 4 lectures with questions to answer Or 2- 3 conversations with questions to answer |
1 open question and 3 integrated tasks that test your ability to comprehend English instructions |
1 academic discussion writing task where you convey an opinion and 1 integrated task where you listen to audio/ read a passage and give a written response |
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Time allocated: 35 min |
Time allocated: 36 min |
Time allocated: 16 min |
Time taken: 29 min |
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Total 20 questions |
Total 28 questions |
Total 4 tasks |
Total 2 tasks |
To get an official TOEFL score, you need to answer at least one question each in the Reading and Listening sections and finish a minimum of one task in the Speaking and Writing sections.
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What are the scores to aim for? This table will help you there:
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Advanced |
High Intermediate |
Low Intermediate |
Below low intermediate |
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|
Reading |
24- 30 |
18- 23 |
4- 17 |
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|
|
Listening |
22- 30 |
17- 21 |
9- 16 |
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|
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Advanced |
High Intermediate |
Low Intermediate |
Basic |
Below Basic |
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Writing |
24- 30 |
17- 23 |
13- 16 |
7- 12 |
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Speaking |
25- 30 |
20- 24 |
16- 19 |
10- 15 |
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Good scores to aim for are 25 in all sections and a 100 overall.
Steps to prepare for the TOEFL exam
Before we proceed, here are two things to keep in mind:
- TOEFL prep can be a great time for you to improve your English language skills overall, so that you can handle your college classes with ease. Avoid viewing preparation solely as a means to achieve a TOEFL score for admissions requirements. Instead, see it as a long-term investment. However, knowing the TOEFL cut-off scores required by your target university provides you with a clear goal to aim for.
- The TOEFL test segments cover all the core skills needed to succeed in an English-speaking country. That’s why you should focus on improving your abilities in all sections, rather than trying to boost your overall score by concentrating only on your strengths. Universities may also have individual cut-off scores for each section.
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Here is how you can work towards the TOEFL score you seek:
- The first step is to identify the minimum scores required by the universities you want to apply to. This gives you a clear goal to work towards.
- Next, identify your weaker areas and start working on them even outside of your designated prep time. For example, you improve your listening skills by watching BBC news or English documentaries and debates. Watching TV shows and movies in English is also a great activity and that can be entertaining too.
- Pick the right mode of preparation, consdering your preferences and time constraints. Some students prefer face-to-face classes, others prefer video lessons, some others may like to learn from books.
- Start six months before your test date so that you have enough time to not just prepare but also practise with sample tests. Practice is crucial because it helps you pace yourself during the exam, quickly navigate the questions, and avoid errors that come from interacting with an unfamiliar format.
- Every section of the TOEFL test needs disciplined preparation.
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Here are some tips for mastering each segment:
Listening:
- Practice by listening to podcasts, videos, programmes and lectures in English.
- Make it a habit to write down a summary from memory of what you hear.
- As you listen, make note of the main idea and significant supporting points.
- Pay attention to the speaker’s tone and what they emphasise on.
- Listen to audio bytes on a variety of subjects, so you grow accustomed to the common terms used in that field.
- Learn how to comprehend meanings based on the context of the conversation.
- When doing practice tests, pay close attention to the second speaker as they may provide the answer you need.
Writing:
- Understand that your writing is evaluated for its content, how you have organised your thoughts, the language and grammar used.
- Practice by reading short articles of about 250- 350 words, and then identifying the main point and supporting points.
- The section also contains a short lecture that you have to listen to and then write your essay.
- Practice writing a cohesive argument laying out clear points to defend your idea.
- When doing practice tests, jot down the main points from the lecture, as you won’t be able to hear them again.
- Practise using academic discussions where you can identify the main point and create a response to a question asked.
- Vocabulary gets weightage here, so work on improving your vocabulary and integrating new words into your regular writing.
- Avoid repeating the ideas given. Present your own ideas.
- Practise writing sentences with multiple clauses.
- You'll need to edit and spell-check your work on your own, so practice doing this quickly to allow yourself just one minute to complete that part.
Reading:
- First, understand the type of questions you will encounter in this section.
- Practice with different types of reading material. For example, newspapers, magazines, novels, academic papers, textbooks and memoirs.
- Learn how to quickly skim through text and get the overall idea. Also, remember to pinpoint the main idea as you skim through.
- Learn how to understand the meaning of unfamiliar words by focusing on the context.
- Practice inferring information from data that is presented indirectly.
- When you do practice tests, read all answer options even if one pops out as the correct one.
- Understand the main point and major supporting points and jot them down during practice tests.
Speaking:
- Increase your speaking speed to fit more information into the limited time for this segment.
- Record your practice attempts and identify areas for improvement.
- In this section, you have very little time to prepare your response—practice can be especially beneficial here.
- Practice listening to audio clips of conversations with opposing views, and quickly jot down a defense for one side.
- Learn to skim written text quickly, focusing on the main points as you go.
- During practice tests, pay close attention to instructions and ensure you complete all parts of each task.
- Practice speaking without long pauses and fillers.
- Learn to present your answers in an organised and logical manner.
- Improve your vocabulary and pronunciation by listening to English-language videos, shows, news, and entertainment.
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TOEFL preparation resources
Here are some resources that you will find useful in your TOEFL test preparation:
- You can buy books that tell you how to dedicate your time and prepare for each section of TOEFL. They will also have sample questions to try out. If you are great at self-study and have the discipline to do this on your own, books and video classes are both great options for you. This gives you maximum flexibility and allows you to set your own pace.
- Video resources and classes that train you for TOEFL are also available.
- Structured classes are also conducted face-to-face in a classroom setting to prepare for this exam. These are great for students who prefer learning alongside others, who get motivated when they have peers to interact with and maintain a healthy competition with.
Resources from ETS:
TOEFL is popular across more than 200 countries in the world. All top universities accept these scores as proof of your English language proficiency. More 40 million candidates take the exam each year and enter their preferred institutions to study abroad. With the information given above in your hands, you know exactly how to get the scores you need to impress the admissions committee at the world’s best universities.
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