Hi everyone,
I took the TOEFL iBT on October 26th and scored 118/120 (Reading: 30, Listening: 30, Speaking: 29, Writing: 29) on my first attempt. I wanted to share some tips that helped me prepare, especially focusing on the updated Speaking and Writing sections.
1. Reading & Listening: For these sections, I used TPOs, which I accessed through the TPO's. https://tuofu100.cn/#/list?inviteid=82883291and https://toefl.weixue100.com/toefl/exam/. Although it’s in Chinese, Google Chrome's automatic translation feature makes it easy to navigate. Kathy’s book on reading question types also helped me a lot in understanding different question formats.
2. Listening Note-Taking: I relied on a note-taking strategy in Listening. Taking notes kept me grounded on details I might have missed otherwise. However, this might not be ideal for everyone; if you find that taking notes distracts you from understanding the lecture, it’s best to skip this strategy.
3. Speaking & Writing Ideas Sheet: I created an “ideas sheet” where I wrote common topics with supporting reasons. This helped me quickly recall answers for multiple questions. For example, if a question asks about the benefits of sports, I could use reasons like "reducing anxiety and improving mental health," which can be reused in similar questions. You can also find brainstorming questions shared in the @toeflzone group.
4. Speaking Structure: In Speaking tasks 2 and 3, I started by summarizing the passage for 10-15 seconds before addressing the audio, as both the passage and audio are integral to these integrated questions.
5. Writing Style: I emphasized using connecting words and varied vocabulary to make my essays coherent and engaging. Preparing for the GRE last month also helped with vocabulary and structured writing.
Lastly, I would like to thank Metages Mesfin (@Meti_2323) for his guidance throughout my TOEFL journey. I highly recommend him to anyone who is struggling with the TOEFL test. Feel free to reach out if you have questions!
I took the TOEFL iBT on October 26th and scored 118/120 (Reading: 30, Listening: 30, Speaking: 29, Writing: 29) on my first attempt. I wanted to share some tips that helped me prepare, especially focusing on the updated Speaking and Writing sections.
1. Reading & Listening: For these sections, I used TPOs, which I accessed through the TPO's. https://tuofu100.cn/#/list?inviteid=82883291and https://toefl.weixue100.com/toefl/exam/. Although it’s in Chinese, Google Chrome's automatic translation feature makes it easy to navigate. Kathy’s book on reading question types also helped me a lot in understanding different question formats.
2. Listening Note-Taking: I relied on a note-taking strategy in Listening. Taking notes kept me grounded on details I might have missed otherwise. However, this might not be ideal for everyone; if you find that taking notes distracts you from understanding the lecture, it’s best to skip this strategy.
3. Speaking & Writing Ideas Sheet: I created an “ideas sheet” where I wrote common topics with supporting reasons. This helped me quickly recall answers for multiple questions. For example, if a question asks about the benefits of sports, I could use reasons like "reducing anxiety and improving mental health," which can be reused in similar questions. You can also find brainstorming questions shared in the @toeflzone group.
4. Speaking Structure: In Speaking tasks 2 and 3, I started by summarizing the passage for 10-15 seconds before addressing the audio, as both the passage and audio are integral to these integrated questions.
5. Writing Style: I emphasized using connecting words and varied vocabulary to make my essays coherent and engaging. Preparing for the GRE last month also helped with vocabulary and structured writing.
Lastly, I would like to thank Metages Mesfin (@Meti_2323) for his guidance throughout my TOEFL journey. I highly recommend him to anyone who is struggling with the TOEFL test. Feel free to reach out if you have questions!