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Tips to Help You Crack TOEFL in a Single Attempt

TOEFL, or the Test of English as a Foreign Language, is one of the tests conducted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to assess and validate the English language proficiency of students willing to study abroad. Getting through the TOEFL exam is considered necessary as it helps assure the University you are applying to about your ability to cope with the coursework and communicate effectively.

So today, we, at Storm Overseas, one of the leading USA education consultants in Hyderabad, through the medium of this article, are going to provide all the TOEFL aspirants few handy tips for cracking it in one go. We have divided these tips into two major sections for ease of understanding, i.e., tips in general and tips pertinent to specific sections. So, let's begin!

 

Some General Tips to Help You Crack TOEFL Exam:

  • Understand the TOEFL Format entirely and be sure about the topics.
  • Draft a personalized timetable. Keep aside a sincere dose of time each and every day for practice.
  • Utilize the best resources and the best study material available to their fullest.
  • Read, read, and read; extensively and every day.
  • Work on improving your vocabulary.
  • Watch English movies.
  • Listen to podcasts to enrich your English knowledge.
  • Strategize and timely commence the preparation for the exam. On average, a time of 2-3 months in advance is considered ideal to start the preparation.

 

Few Pattern-Specific Tips with Regards to the TOEFL Exam:

  • The first step in cracking the TOEFL exam is the crucial research about the ‘pattern' of the exam syllabus. It is vital to know because it tells you which section must be given extra emphasis, and thus, you can easily dedicate extra time, extra focus, and extra hard work to that particular section.
  • To ace the TOEFL exam, one must know the TOEFL syllabus inside-out. So, first of all, go over the section-wise syllabus. Depending on that, spot your vulnerable areas.
  • Then divide such topics into two groups – one group dedicated to the topics you are entirely unfamiliar with, and the other with which you are already familiar.
  • Only after you are done with all of the above will you be in a good position to formulate any plan and continue accordingly.

 

Tips Specific to the Writing Section:

  • Two questions are asked in this section; one is an essay, and the other is about integrated writing. To perform decently in them, you must exhibit your writing aptitude. 
  • Start by practicing the grammar rules. We, at Storm Overseas, the most trusted USA education consultants in Delhi, would like to advise all TOEFL aspirants to practice this for at least two weeks. After that, try a variety of Grammar-based problems on a daily basis and grant special attention to the structure of the sentences.
  • Practice a few sample essays in order to understand their structure.
  • Remember never to use a conversational tone. Only a formal style must be used while writing.
  • After a few days, you can start solving the beginner-level writing questions. And then, gradually and slowly shift your attention toward the advanced-level writing questions.
  • Subsequently, form the habit of practicing two questions every day without a miss.
  • And finally, when you feel confident enough after preparing for these many days, start taking up sample tests.

 

Tips Specific to the Reading Section:

  • This section is assigned approx 60-70 mins in the exam and includes questions based on 3-4 passages of comprehension.
  • To get a solid hold over this section, we would suggest all the TOEFL aspirants to read the newspaper and that too exhaustively and daily.
  • Initially, try practicing through the comprehension passages provided in mock/sample tests in order to get a hold of their structure.
  • After a few days, you can begin practicing a few samples on a daily basis. This would help you keep an eye on your speed as well as accuracy in this section.
  • You can then challenge yourself to finish the mock papers within a stipulated time frame.
  • Lastly, we recommend going through blogs and articles about specific popular topics towards the end of your preparation.

 

Tips Specific to the Speaking Section:

  • The first thing to be noted about this section is that your responses are recorded with the help of microphones.
  • Here, you will be required to solve 2-3 questions on some familiar subjects within a span of 20 minutes.
  • A superlative tip to nicely get through this particular section would be to take at least 20 minutes to 'read' aloud without a miss daily. Any reading material, right from a book, a magazine to a newspaper, could be used for the said purpose.
  • Give special emphasis on your pronunciation.
  • Watch English news, bulletins, and debates to acquaint yourself with the common topics generally used in the Speaking section of the TOEFL exam. Then, watch, grab and grip onto their articulation, tone, diction, and style.
  • Practice a few TOEFL sample speaking questions in front of a mirror and go on with this process till the D-day.
  • Take no chances about the tone you use. Aim for only a formal tone.
  • Try to quote suitable examples wherever possible and whenever needed.

 

Tips Specific to the Listening Section:

  • Most of the time, 3-4 recordings are played in this section, and you will be required to take detailed notes from those recordings. You will then be given roughly around 60 minutes to respond to them.
  • First of all, aim to get a hold of the articulation and pronunciation used in the recordings. Then, if you feel the requirement to play them even thrice in your preparation stage, just go ahead and do it!
  • Gradually, start practicing a minimum of two audio recordings daily.
  • Simultaneously, start evaluating your responses.

So, these are some of the tips you can stick to, and it will definitely come to your aid in cracking the TOEFL exam on your very first attempt. And now, to help you further in your exam preparations, we are sharing below the links to some really good literature available in this regard. While some of these resources have been put forth by some prominent authors, the others are famous e-resources to help you out in effectively preparing for the TOEFL exam.

Last but not at all least, concentrate on the 'D-day.' Yes, we, at Storm Overseas, the renowned USA education consultants in Hyderabad, understand that the journey to TOEFL must have been an exhausting one, but just before the D-day, what you would need the most is rest! So, make sure that you rest, relax, and sleep! Be positive; Be confident; Believe in the hard work of months; And most importantly, believe in yourself, and you will definitely pass through the exam with flying colors!