Every institute or college fixes a cut-off ToEFL score for admission into their programs. Before you begin preparing for ToEFL, find out about the minimum requirement to gain admission into the university of your choice. The most common format which most applicants prefer is iBT. For this, improving your typing skills before taking the ToEFL is crucial. Make sure that you are confident with the QWERTY keyboard so that you are not nervous on the main test day. Also, set aside time every day to communicate only in English. During this time, modify your speaking and writing skills. Generally, it is seen that people who comfortably speak, understand and write the English language should have no difficulty in scoring good points in ToEFL. Read on for further tips and advice.
ToEFL Test Preparation
ToEFL assesses your command over the English language through different sections such as reading, listening and essay writing. The following article tells you about the preparation you need for ToEFL.
ToEFL Preparation
- Start your ToEFL preparation at least two months before the main exam day.
- As reading skills can give you good score points, start with famous novels such as renowned English magazines and news papers. This gives you the feel of the language. Watching the news from any good English channel is also advisable. Grammatically correct English can also depend on the movies you watch. So, yes! Regularly viewing these films will enhance your listening skills to help you in scoring well in the ToEFL test.
- Use flashcards and learn 2-3 new words from these to increase your vocabulary.
- Focus on the content and flow of the spoken material which you are listening to. Don't get distracted by the speaker's style and delivery process.
- Next, practise on taking mock tests and develop the ability to skim through big paragraphs. What is important here is to identify the major idea.
- Rehearse by writing essays on different topics within a given time limit. Every piece of work must be completed in 30 minutes or less. In the exam, you will get subjects where you need to express your views, give opinions and arguments. Usually, the topics provided will be simple with no special demand for knowledge.
- There are good ToEFL books, guides and CD-RoMs which are available in the market to help in times of test preparation. But, before reading this kind of material, it is better to consult a reliable mock ToEFL test centre or counsellor to get the right advice.
- The best way to practice speaking is with a native speaker of English. Find them and converse regularly to increase your fluency. An alternative would be to learn spoken English under the guidance of English speaking tutors or assistants. Yet another way to practice speaking is by joining an English club which discuss movies, music etc.
- Apart from working on grammar, lay emphasis on pronunciation. This includes topics like word stress, intonation patterns and pauses. Use signal words and expressions to introduce new information, to connect ideas and most importantly, to mark important words. This helps in keeping the listener interested in what you have to say. For example, use phrases such as, 'on one hand', 'what that means is', 'The first reason is', 'another difference is, etc.
- Lastly, maintain a notebook and monitor your own progress. This way it becomes easier to work on your weaknesses. Jotting down important points also aids during the time of last minute revisions.
In conclusion, do not panic! Concentrate on one task at a time and make sure that you do your bit of preparation. Best of luck!